Craven schools link-up with pupils in Nepal


Parish Church Primary School’s George Wilkin, Daniel Wright and Emily Sykes with Binesh Simkhaba, headmaster of a school in Phulkharka, NepalParish Church Primary School’s George Wilkin, Daniel Wright and Emily Sykes with Binesh Simkhaba, headmaster of a school in Phulkharka, Nepal

Close links are being set up between pupils in Craven and youngsters in remote village schools in the Dhading district of Nepal.

The project is being spearheaded by local charity Kids at School in Nepal (KASIN), set up by Settle pensioner Arthur Benbow, and the Craven Development Education Centre (DEC). And to kickstart the partnership, two Nepalese teachers have spent a month in Craven finding out how modern educational methods are being applied in the UK.

Harihar (Hari) Timilsina, a teacher trainer at a top boarding school outside Kathmandu, and Dinesh Simkhada, headmaster of an 800-pupil school in Phulkharka, visited Glusburn CP School and Parish Church School in Skipton.

  They told the children about the challenges faced by youngsters in Nepal. Some have to walk two to three hours every day to and from school while others have to negotiate an aerial ropeway to cross a dangerous river. Last year 15 children died in the attempt.

KASIN wants to set up a teacher exchange programme, part-funded by the British Council, so that teachers from Glusburn and Parish, and in due course other Craven schools, can visit Nepal and their Nepali counterparts can come here.

There are also plans to help the remote Nepalese villages in setting up solar power for continuous electricity supply and building community health centres.

KASIN’s treasurer Mark Ashton said: “Many Nepalis emigrate at least temporarily to the Gulf States, India and Europe, where they are often employed in menial work and treated with little or no respect. They are clever and resourceful people and what’s more they are delightful, tolerant and wise – we have a great deal to learn from them.”

For more information about the charity, visit kidsatschoolnepal.co.uk or call Mark on 07815 881726.

source:www.cravenherald.co.uk