Nepal students endure four-hour daily trek to school

Children in remote settlements of Baglung, Nepal, endure grueling daily journeys of up to four hours each way to reach secondary school. Many are forced to rent accommodation or give up their studies altogether because of the distance.

Yogesh Chhantyal, a Year 9 student, travels four hours to Shanti Secondary School. Unable to commute, he rents a room and cooks for himself, separated from his family. His friends face similar challenges, walking three hours daily and sometimes skipping the final class to begin their long walk home. The exhaustion from the journey leaves them too tired to complete homework.

Students complete basic education locally but must travel to Khunkhani for secondary levels, as no nearby schools offer higher classes. Hom Bahadur Harmel, a Year 10 student, noted that many friends quit school due to the hardship of renting rooms and self-catering. "Faced with the ordeal of renting accommodation and cooking for themselves, many friends refuse to continue school," he said.

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Faced with the ordeal of renting accommodation and cooking for themselves, many friends refuse to continue school.

Local attempts to establish secondary schools within villages have been unsuccessful due to financial limitations and a lack of government teacher quotas. Mina Kumari Rasaili, a resident, explained that even running schools up to Grade 8 relies on community donations to hire teachers, making expansion impossible. "We cannot afford the cost, but sending children away is also difficult," she stated.

The school has long planned to build a hostel, but funding shortages have stalled the project. The arduous travel also forces many students to move to Burtibang for higher secondary education from Grade 9, placing a significant financial burden on their parents who must rent rooms in town.

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We cannot afford the cost, but sending children away is also difficult.