Mountaintop School Gives Math Whizz Taral a Safe and Quality Education
In the remote village of Gurase in eastern Nepal lives 12-year-old Taral* with his father and siblings. Taral had a difficult start in life. Having lost his mother when Taral was just three, his family struggled to make a living farming on one acre of land. In a mountainous region of the country where pathways are steep and slippery, Taral has to be careful as he suffers from haemophilia, a disorder that stops blood from clotting properly and can make injuries dangerous. With no healthcare facilities in close proximity, he has to travel many hours to the nearest town to receive treatment.
Taral’s nearest school was approximately a two-hour journey on foot. Accessing education meant a potentially treacherous downhill trek for Taral and his siblings. That was until the Gurase School opened, the outcome of a partnership project, the Southeast Asia School Development Project for Out of School Children (OOSC), by Education Above All Foundation (EAA) through its global programme, Educate A Child (EAC), and United World Schools (UWS). Together, EAA and UWS worked in Gurase to build this school, equipped it with resources, trained local teachers, and enrolled OOSC.
Almost three years later, Taral is an ambitious Class 4 student with dreams of becoming a scientist. His favourite subject is mathematics. He often helps his classmates solve problems and has a reputation as one of the school’s brightest students. Taral’s community has high hopes for his future. “Taral is good with numbers and always searching for ways to practically do mathematics. I once saw Taral teach the concepts of multiplication to some of his classmates using pebbles,” says his teacher, Shanta Karki. He hopes education will provide Taral a chance at a better life.
As for Taral, he is grateful to have a school within a reasonable walking distance and for the support of his teachers. “They explain things to us with detail and provide the right amount of homework,” he says. His remarks reflect the hard work of teachers and teacher trainers, who work closely within the EAA/UWS Gurase School. During extended stays in the village, they support teachers in the provision of interactive pedagogy to ensure that students are not just in class, but are also actively learning. For children like Taral, accessing quality primary education with a supportive network of teachers may just make all the difference.
* name changed to protect identity
