|
|
Atisha Primary School (APS) in Jawalakhel, Lalitpur was established in 1984 with mission to provide qualitative education to Tibetan refugee children living in and around Jawalakhel Tibetan Settlement, Lalitpur area and help in preservation of unique Tibetan culture. At present, the school also enrolls children from Himalayan region for both the inclusivity and sustenance purposes.
The school provides primary level education from Lower Kindergarten (LKG) to Grade 5 following the syllabus prescribed by the Ministry of Education, Nepal. The school organizes various co-curricular activities like quizzes, paper reading, public speaking, spelling contest, art & crafts, music & dance and games & sports as a part of the annual school curriculum for the all-round development of the children. After completing their schooling for APS most of them go on to join Namgyal Higher Secondary School to continue their higher education.
At present the majority of the students enrolled at the school are from the settlement camp in Jawalakhel whose family members work at the local Tibetan handicraft center in the settlement. These families are mostly from low income group who work on minimum wages. It is difficult for them to bear the educational expenses of their children despite the school charging only minimal tuition fees.
The school thus relies on sponsorship money of the children to meet their administrative and teacher salary expenses. Since the number of school children enrolling at the school is decreasing, the income generated through the fees collection is not adequate to meet school’s expenses. The school thus requests help from donors to provide financial support to meet the salary expenses of Atisha Primary School.
The earthquake of 2015 severely damaged the school building. CASA DEL foundation helped the school administration in constructing a new school building for the Atisha Primary School children.
The school provides primary level education from Lower Kindergarten (LKG) to Grade 5 following the syllabus prescribed by the Ministry of Education, Nepal. The school organizes various co-curricular activities like quizzes, paper reading, public speaking, spelling contest, art & crafts, music & dance and games & sports as a part of the annual school curriculum for the all-round development of the children. After completing their schooling for APS most of them go on to join Namgyal Higher Secondary School to continue their higher education.
At present the majority of the students enrolled at the school are from the settlement camp in Jawalakhel whose family members work at the local Tibetan handicraft center in the settlement. These families are mostly from low income group who work on minimum wages. It is difficult for them to bear the educational expenses of their children despite the school charging only minimal tuition fees.
The school thus relies on sponsorship money of the children to meet their administrative and teacher salary expenses. Since the number of school children enrolling at the school is decreasing, the income generated through the fees collection is not adequate to meet school’s expenses. The school thus requests help from donors to provide financial support to meet the salary expenses of Atisha Primary School.
The earthquake of 2015 severely damaged the school building. CASA DEL foundation helped the school administration in constructing a new school building for the Atisha Primary School children.
Photos from when Atisha Primary School had more students, due to mass exodus of Tibetans escaping from Tibet and seeking refuge in Nepal and India.
This has slowed down in recent times.
