Nepali Schoolgirls

Here in Tulsipur, Dang District, southwestern Nepal (1997), it is early spring, the dry season, and dust swirls up along the unpaved paths and roads. I walk toward work at Krisi Bikaas Karelya (the local agricultural extension office, His Majesty’s Government of Nepal) and thence to visit some farmers, helping them learn ways to grow more and better vegetables, extend their growing season and improve their soils. Twice a week I first walk to Shree Rapti Vidya Mandir, a temple of learning, a private school. The headmaster’s noticed some Peace Corps Volunteers in town and asked that one of us come teach the sixth and seventh graders’ classes in English conversation. I say I’ll give it a try.

The classroom is long and deep, crowded with 35 to 40 students per class. They all wear uniforms, the girls in dark blue jackets and skirts, powder-blue shirts and hair bows. By strong custom, they separate themselves by gender, into a boys’ side and a girls’ side of the room – and I smile inside, to see so many girls coming to school. Some students are shy, reticent; a few are eager, forthcoming.

They’ve already studied grammar and vocabulary – what they need from me is pronunciation, syntax, rhythm, the sound of American English – and a chance to do some creative thinking. I show them pictures of animals on a wildlife calendar, along with a world map – and they learn new words, new animals, some geography, the concepts of "endangered species" and "habitat." Now they are growing wide-eyed and excited.

We pick some theme topics and divide into discussion groups, all in English. We talk about careers and life plans. Some girls want to be teachers or doctors, already have a certain college they hope to attend. Each student tells a little about that family, their daily schedule of study, play, and helping out at home. It is soon clear to everyone (without my needing to voice it) that the boys have lots more free time for study and for play, as each girl has her duties of housework, cooking, herding goats or cattle, helping care for younger children.

Some days, to get more space for the discussion circles, we go outdoors, they sit in circles on the brown grass – still dividing themselves into girls here, boys there. Toward the end of each class (more than one hour), each group sends its selected speaker to report to the whole class what their group decided about the theme topic – my subterfuge, of course, to give them practice in public speaking in English. One day, after they are confident and all participating, I give this theme: "What are the three most serious problems facing Nepali women, and what should be done about them?"

They are so engrossed and earnest – more diligent than members of Nepal's Parliament setting out to debate this issue. That is when I take pictures – and now one photo in full living color, three circles of Nepali schoolgirls, sitting on the grass, has been spread throughout the U.S.A., in the 1999 calendar created, published and sold by Peace Corps Volunteers/Nepal, raising money for a scholarship fund for Nepali girls. What did they decide that day Nepali women need? Educational opportunities, employment opportunities, and equality of treatment with men.

The boys’ circles, too, have their answers, and they are very similar. But the girls press them for the real answers: "OK, you say equality is part of the solution, but what will you (yes, I mean you personally) say and do when your wife wants to work at a career, or when your own daughter wants to go to college instead of marry early?" Such a lively, revealing debate – soon everyone dissolves in laughter! Next class, we take the same topic, but about Nepali men. Fair’s fair.

I take the headmaster aside and tell him of the scholarship fund for girls – could we identify some outstanding student whose family can barely afford to keep her in school – costs of tuition, uniforms, supplies, even for taking required exams there is a fee. Oh, yes, he tells me -- there are two of them -- especially a Tharu girl: Pushpa Chaudhary -- she is so bright and works so hard. Her family has a small subsistence farm, but they have three kids in school and can barely pay to keep them there. The father works in the district center to earn the cash to do it, can only come home one day a week. The mother has a chronic illness, leaving all the housework to the girls. They must walk an hour and a half, each way, to get to school; there is no public bus at the right time, and no money for bicycles.

I must interview the parents. For Tanka Kumari Basnet, I visit her mother – that’s easy; she lives in town. But the Tharu girl (Pushpa) lives far away. Though I could walk there and back, how will I find the way? The headmaster offers help – he takes me there riding behind him on his motorbike one Saturday, Nepalis’ weekly holiday, and he’s made sure the father will be home. Perhaps in deference to my age (past 60), he takes it slowly over the roughest parts of the road, then we go off along the dusty paths winding between old rice stubble. It’s a treat; I’m no longer used to riding, except a ramshackle public bus overstuffed with people, and cargo -- sometimes a live goat or two.

Pushpa’s father leads us into the house – dark, but not as small as some – to sit cross-legged on mats on the floor. We three are alone there, and he makes spiced milk-tea (chia) for us – the constant mark of welcome in a Nepali home. He’s eager for his daughters to succeed, to stay in private school and get good grades, wants whatever small help the scholarship for Pushpa could give. I tell him we’ll apply for it and wait to see what happens.

These Tharus are the ancient indigenous people of the Terai, immune to the mosquito’s malaria, and thus free of the yoke of invaders. But then Western chemicals came, subduing the mosquitoes, and southerners arrived to stay – scam artists who could read and write while the Tharus could not. The Tharus were bilked into signing writings they could not read, became indebted, lost their lands, became bonded laborers, kamaiyas – their debt grew and passed from one generation to the next. Some children of 8 or 10 leave their family to go work and live, under a yearly contract, serving a high-caste family – no school for them! Pushpa knows how lucky she is.

Both Tanka Kumari and Pushpa got their scholarships – renewable if they continue to do well – and I gave Pushpa my used bicycle to cut down on her three hours of commuting every day.

Someone asked me later if I felt I was doing any good. I said, multiply me by 125 (for all the Peace Corps Volunteers in Nepal) and then add hundreds of other aid workers (from Denmark, Japan, Canada …) all working here. With the immensity of need, if it were just myself alone, you should imagine the vast expanse of the Pacific Ocean and a single drop of rainwater falling onto its surface – that little splash is me. But it’s "raining" everywhere.

Elizabeth Cuadra (Juneau, Alaska)

Peace Corps Volunteer, Nepal, 1997-1999

Comments

[lalit dangi]

mam i m one of the student of rapti vidya mandir. Thanks for writing about our country issue and making it worldwide , we all the students of rapti are missing u . as u r away but we all miss a lot .You have mentioned a lot about we students . If possible mail me personally for more information about us.
your ex student , lalit dangi
rapti vidya mandir .

[Arjun Thapa]

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[B Raj]

Really great article about the work in Nepal! We need people like you to help the needy as our leaders seem only interested in powers! Hope for the better from grass-root supporters like you!

B. Raj
http://www.birendra.ws/
http://www.nepalsathi.ws/braj/01intro2edu/BRGiriCV.html