March 21, Kanchanpur – Additional English-medium classes have been initiated for children from extremely impoverished Dalit families studying at the basic level at Shree Krishna Secondary School in Jhalari, Ward No. 10, Shuklaphanta Municipality. These classes have been organized with the support of the ward office to enhance learning outcomes. Currently, 66 Dalit and extremely disadvantaged children from grades 1 through 3 are enrolled in these additional classes, according to Ward Chairperson Lal Bahadur Air.
According to him, many children drop out of school because their economically disadvantaged parents migrate for daily wage work and take their children along. To address this, the ward office has arranged supplementary classes for these children once they return after a few months of labor migration in order to improve their learning. “When parents go away for work, children accompany them and end up leaving school,” he said. “Upon returning, children find that the syllabus has advanced significantly, so we have started these extra classes to help them catch up.”
The ward has currently arranged qualified teachers for students up to grade 3 and plans to extend the program to include students up to grade 5 from the next academic session. The ward office has allocated NPR 400,000 for conducting additional classes. Children from Dalit communities attend regular school during normal hours and then receive supplementary instruction in these extra classes. Chairperson Air also stated that the ward provides educational materials throughout the year, including English textbooks, school bags, uniforms, tracksuits, shoes, and socks for these children.
According to Bharat Bahadur Air, a teacher at the school, the children are divided into two groups for instruction, and since the introduction of additional classes, there has been a significant improvement in their academic progress. – RASAS
