Government buses keep displaced children in school, but at what cost?

Children displaced by flooding in Nepal are enduring arduous daily journeys to attend school, with some facing commutes of up to two hours each way. The government has provided buses to ensure these students can continue their education, but the extended travel times are taking a significant toll.

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By the time my children return in the evening, they are completely exhausted.

Punam Devi Paswan, mother to two sons attending school from a holding center in Bode, Bhaktapur, described the exhausting reality. Her sons leave at 8 a.m. for a school over 15 kilometers away, returning late and often hungry. "By the time my children return in the evening, they are completely exhausted," she told Kantipur. The school provides an afternoon snack, but no lunch, leaving the children to face hunger for much of the day.

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The school provides an afternoon snack, but no lunch. They spend the entire day hungry and eat their first full meal only when they return in the evening.

Families were recently relocated to holding centers in Kharipati and Bode after torrential rains flooded their previous settlement in Kirtipur on July 11. While the government fulfilled its promise of transportation, the sheer distance between the new centers and the schools in Kathmandu presents a new set of difficulties. The children's exhaustion and hunger are a constant worry for their parents and guardians.

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When we were in Kirtipur, they transferred my grandchildren to a nearby school in Balkhu. But the children ran away back to Guhyeshwari because they were attached to their old teachers and classmates.

Menuka Gurung, whose grandchildren attend a school 14 kilometers from the Kharipati holding center, expressed similar concerns. Although her grandchildren were transferred to a closer school in Kirtipur previously, they insisted on returning to their old school due to attachments to teachers and classmates. "It pains me to see them unable to eat or rest on time," Gurung said, despite being relieved they are transported safely.

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I am relieved that the government bus carries them safely, but it pains me to see them unable to eat or rest on time.