Nepal Govt. Regd. No. 1224/064, SWC Affiliation No. 22612
The state-run Shanker Primary School was established in 1988 AD (2045 BS) and currently enrolls about 120 students in three one-storey buildings. The students who graduate from Shanker typically join the neighboring Dharapani Secondary School, which offers classes up to the tenth grade. The political conflict of recent years and the poor socio-economic condition of the community created a severe administrative vacuum in the school management. As a result, Shanker suffers from not only degraded quality of education in comparison to other schools in the district but the physical structure of the school also stands in a very precarious state.
Shanker Primary School is located in the northern part of the Gorkha district in the Balaute Pokhari village within Arupokhari VDC. You can travel there only by road. A local public bus from Kathmandu leaves everyday from morning 6.30am till 11.00am to Arughat.
Once you arrive in Arughat Bazar you travel towards west by climbing the stairs at the top Arughat Bazar and then across the bridge and Stull khola (Stull River) you will ascend up, to reach the village, the hike takes around 2 hours to reach Shanker Primary School.
Sambhav Nepal has overseen the supplies of free stationeries to the students of Shanker. This has been possible through the donation of generous Australian donors, who have also made considerable contribution to other schools in the region.
In 2010, a group of students in U.S. universities (Clark University and Westminster College) helped construct a new building by tearing down an old one. Their project, called the Energy for Education (or Gorkha 2010), was sponsored by the Davis Foundation. Sambhav Nepal collaborated in this project by providing logistical support to the Gorkha 2010 team.
Despite much obstruction caused by the monsoon, the building was successfully completed. It is only the second building to have a rugged metal roof frame in entire Arupokhari village. The strong winds in the region have on many occasions have blown the roofs of schools and houses away. The metal roof frame will definitely help withstand such inclement weather.
In June 2010, with the collaboration of the Gorkha2010 team, the oldest and weakest of Shanker’s three buildings was torn down to contruct a new one. The project was a part of the Davis Foundation’s Projects for Peace program
Sambhav’s contribution to Shanker before 2010 was facilitating the distribution of free stationery to the students. The school lacked the budget to maintain the physical infrastructure of the school, which was evident from the cracks on the wall, the withered doors and windows, the messy flooring and damaged furniture.
Swiss Version
