Principal Responds After Government Demolishes School Built on Public Land: ‘Schools Must Be on Government Land’

The government continues its campaign to clear encroachments on public land, including demolition of schools built on such land. In Balaju, the Shri Buddhajyoti Bal Udyan Basic School, which has been operating since 1996 (2053 BS), was recently demolished. Although over 120 students were immediately transferred to Tarun Secondary School, no long-term resolution has yet been reached.

Kathmandu, 19th Baisakh – As part of its initiative to clear encroached land, government authorities have resumed demolition work, including targeting schools situated on government property. On Saturday morning, a bulldozer dismantled the building of Shri Buddhajyoti Bal Udyan Basic School located in Balaju.

The school offers education from grades 1 through 8 and has more than 120 students, Principal Shantaram Shrestha informed. A demolition notice was issued on 15th Baisakh for buildings in Sukuwaasi settlement of Balaju-19. Despite requests to halt the demolition due to the school being on government land, authorities did not heed these appeals, the principal said. “Schools are supposed to be built on government land. We urged them not to demolish the school,” Shrestha explained. “Our requests were ignored even though they lacked a legal basis.”

Following the municipality’s notification about the demolition, the school’s materials were moved to the nearby Tarun Secondary School, which is currently serving as a temporary refuge. However, Principal Shrestha emphasized that a permanent solution has yet to be found, saying, “We relocated all the school belongings and instructed the students to attend classes there. But there is uncertainty about how education will proceed.” The 16-room school mainly accommodated children of laborers, according to the school.