Summary: Following the government’s demolition of informal settlements in the Kathmandu Valley, approximately 3,000 children have been unable to attend school. Parents from these displaced communities are temporarily residing at an ashram and demanding new arrangements for their children’s education. Although the National Examination Board issued a facilitation notice, students currently taking exams have yet to receive adequate support. (April 28, Kathmandu)
“Sir, my child’s education is disrupted. They didn’t even provide a room, calling us squatters. If only my child could study,” pleaded Sukumaya Bishwakarma to a human rights activist after being unable to find accommodation near Tikendra Kunj. The activist reassured her, “Don’t cry, arrangements will be made soon.” Her mobile rang: her son asked if they had found a room and whether he should go to school tomorrow. Overwhelmed, Sukumaya wept in the ashram courtyard.
“It has been three days, and I haven’t found a room yet. If even one room was available, the children could study. I would rather stay here at the ashram,” she shared her distress. Responsible for educating her two sons and one daughter while working at Party Palace, she said, “I have to enroll them at Gairigaun School. They are in grades 1 and 3. What if they can’t continue studying? Do poor children have no right to education?” she questioned the government.
Previously living in an informal settlement in Gairigaun, her routine was upended after bulldozers cleared the area. She stopped working due to the urgent need to find schooling and shelter. She has been searching from Thapathali to Tikendra Kunj for three days. “I am exhausted, have no money or work, and my home is destroyed. What if my children cannot study?” she appeared despondent. Despite Article 31 of the Constitution guaranteeing every citizen access to basic education and free education up to secondary level, parents from informal settlements now struggle to secure schooling for their children.
Temporary shelter has been arranged at the Radhaswami Satsang Vyas Ashram for displaced residents from Thapathali, Shantinagar, and Gairigaun settlements. They reside in halls named “Family One” and “Family Two,” which the displaced consider their homes. On Monday afternoon, seniors, postpartum and pregnant women, and children were inside the hall. When asked about the whereabouts of parents, some were out seeking rooms or working. Children played or rested on beds. Girls of school-going age—Tabita Pariyar, Barsha Mahto, and Sabina Magar—were discussing their education and shared their makeshift homes within the ashram.
“This is my home,” said Tabita, a grade 6 student, whose house was demolished in Thapathali. She attended Guheśhwari Bal Shiksha School but has not been able to return. “Friends have probably gone to school, but I don’t know when I will go,” she expressed uncertainty. Barsha Mahto studies in grade 7 at Pragati School in Kupandol. “I want to go to school, but how? It’s far, and I need to join a new class since we were moved from Thapathali,” she explained. “My father carries heavy loads to support my education. We don’t have money to move elsewhere. I don’t know what to do.” Many children rely on their parents’ labor to continue schooling.
Tabita noted, “All our parents do similar work.” Ridima Shrestha, a grade 3 student at Vishwiketan School, wishes to continue at the same institution. “My friends are there; I want to stay, but I don’t know what will happen,” she said. While these children once had books and notebooks in hand, they currently face uncertainty about whether they can continue studying at all. Though from different backgrounds, they share the same hall, each having their own space, and many have formed friendships within the community. Some friends were classmates even before the demolitions. The government has promised to arrange new accommodations within 15 days, yet the fear of separation from friends, persisting for years, remains.
“Thapathali was better than here. Our home was destroyed. We have to leave in 15 days. After that, I won’t see my friends,” Ridima shared. Nearby, Ayusa Khatun sighed on her bed. Her schooling at Gairigaun has been disrupted. “I don’t know if I will continue studying. Our home is gone. Where will I stay and study?” she questioned. Arranged beds for each family run in a row. School-age children like Surya Mahto and Titis Majhi lamented missing enrollment campaigns due to distance and expressed frustration. “We want to study, but desire alone is not enough. How will we get to school? Where will we stay? What will we eat? We don’t know,” they asked collectively.
Children of Niraj Thapa, whose daughter is in grade 1 and niece in grade 4 at Vishwiketan School, face educational barriers due to the demolition in Thapathali. “Our children’s schooling has stopped. Even if we live on cold ground, we will manage. I have an 18-month-old child; we must keep them healthy,” she explained. After the bulldozers cleared the settlement on Saturday, her family moved to the ashram. They cannot work nor find rooms. “Those who had homes went there, those with rooms stayed there. We came here on Saturday without any options. What if it rains? How will we protect the children? We haven’t had a good night’s sleep,” she shared. “Our children’s future looks bleak. They cannot attend school.”
Although the Constitution grants free higher education rights to persons with disabilities and economically disadvantaged citizens, poor children from informal settlements still face significant barriers to education.
Grivani Thapa is currently taking her grade 12 exams which began on Monday, but she has no textbooks. “I am sitting for exams, but the bulldozers destroyed my books. I stayed awake all night to prepare,” she said. After the demolition, she searched Thapathali for her books but found none—likely destroyed. “The government didn’t even allow us to study during exams. What is the point of legal rights if they don’t apply to the poor?” she challenged authorities.
She and other students recall Prime Minister Balen Shah’s election speech promising education plans for all, regardless of wealth. “Today is an exam, but we have no books or money. Where are our rights?” she asked.
The National Examination Board issued a notice to facilitate students from informal settlements during exams, but this has not eased Grivani’s difficulties. The Child Rights Act 2075 ensures the rights of children to education, sports, nutrition, and health, but has not effectively protected displaced children. The government claims a policy of not excluding children from school.
New academic sessions and enrollment campaigns began on April 28, but parents remain in the ashram, unsure where to enroll their children. Niraj said, “In the end, it is the poor who suffer. Please ask the government.” Currently, the government has decided to transfer students from informal settlements to suitable schools and released a six-point circular to facilitate this.
However, as of Monday at the ashram, the circular appears to have had little impact on the 48 children of school-going age present. Preliminary reports indicate that approximately 3,000 children from informal settlements in Thapathali, Manohara, Shantinagar, Gairigaun, and other areas of the Kathmandu Valley attend school from nursery to grade 12.
