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🇳🇵 Nepal /Culture & Society

Blind students in Achham battle distance, poverty and barriers to learning

From Kathmandu Post · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

In-depth Sources not specified Context piece
  • Visually impaired students in Nepal's Achham district face significant challenges accessing education due to poverty and long distances to schools.
  • Students like Lal Bahadur BK and Deepa Budha struggle with travel costs and overcrowded classrooms, delaying their education.
  • Despite these barriers, schools are working to teach Braille and integrate visually impaired students, though specialized support remains limited.

Fourteen-year-old Lal Bahadur BK, visually impaired since birth, remained out of school for years in Achham, Nepal. His family, living in poverty and far from educational resources, didn't know how to help him. They eventually learned about Shodasha Secondary School in Mangalsen, which offered classes for visually impaired children. However, the nearly 200-kilometer journey from his village presented a major obstacle.

There are still no vehicles that reach my village. My father can’t see either, so someone has to carry me on their back to where the buses run, and that costs Rs4,000 to Rs5,000. I could not always afford it.

— Lal Bahadur BKDescribing the financial and logistical challenges he faced in traveling to school.

BK's father is also visually impaired, and the family's financial struggles made regular travel impossible. "There are still no vehicles that reach my village. My father can’t see either, so someone has to carry me on their back to where the buses run, and that costs Rs4,000 to Rs5,000. I could not always afford it," BK explained. He missed six months of school after one holiday because he couldn't afford the transport.

At 14, BK is in third grade. Teaching Braille requires significant time, and it took him five years to develop the finger sensitivity needed. He now studies with sighted students but finds it challenging. "Learning Braille has helped me, but it is still not as easy for me as it is for sighted students," he said.

Learning Braille has helped me, but it is still not as easy for me as it is for sighted students.

— Lal Bahadur BKReflecting on the difficulties of learning Braille compared to sighted students.

Deepa Budha, also 14, faced similar issues. She dropped out of her village school due to eye pain and difficulty seeing. Financial hardship delayed her move to Mangalsen for years. After receiving Braille training, she integrated into regular classes but struggles in overcrowded rooms with 71 students. "I cannot see what is written on the whiteboard, so I have to depend entirely on my classmates," she stated. "It is difficult for teachers to focus on one student."

I cannot see what is written on the whiteboard, so I have to depend entirely on my classmates. There are 71 students in my class. It is difficult for teachers to focus on one student.

— Deepa BudhaExplaining the challenges of learning in an overcrowded classroom.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Kathmandu Post. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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