Our visit to the second elementary school was Notre Dame. This is a well-financed school specializing in science. As we looked in the windows and heard the lessons, I wondered how I would fare in the 11th grade class. The science lab is well stocked, and there was a room full of brand new computers donated my someone from California.
The nuns are smart, politically astute, and committed. They told us of a recent U.N. report that the conditions for girls were worse in Nepal than any other nation.. I would expect that it is more due to devaluing women and neglect rather than any direct hostility. The women are working hard laboring in homes and fields. It is a minority that get to stay in school.
The county is in political transition, or more so, deadlock. As we are here, former president Jimmy Carter is also in Nepal trying to help the government mediate their differences. The press reports on his commentary, but it seems like it does not go far enough. He leaves before true resolution is established.
5o% of the education budget is covered by funds from beyond Nepal. This balance contributes to the precariousness and lack of resources. When we asked the nuns about how they promote Catholicism in a Hindu/Buddhist culture, they explain that the mission of their order is to educate, not proselytize, and that religion is not taught in the classrooms. In the same way the two major religions are morphed together for many, Catholicism is also integrated rather than dominating in this setting.
When we went to the public school next, our outgoing members led the students in song. A group of the Nepali students danced, and a splinter of the older males gathered around Scott who played some music on a guitar for them. This town is more influenced by outside culture. In spite of the uniforms, just as in the USA, students found ways to creatively express their individuality, including rock, punk, and hip-hop influenced accessories and style.
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