Fifteen-year-old Muna Praja of Tanrang, Raksirang Rural Municipality-5 of Makwanpur, wakes up with the cock-a-doodle-doo of a rooster, an unwelcome wake-up call of rural life.
Roosters start crowing in the village from 4 am. The fatigue of the previous day has not worn off, but her daily routine starts with the same symphony of the rooster.
After waking up at 4 o'clock in the morning, there is the worry of finishing the homework that was not done the previous day. On top of that, they are allowed to go to school only after helping the family at home.
Her school lies one and a half hours walk down the road. It takes around two hours while returning home from school as the trail back home is uphill via woods.
“In the upper village, education is only available up to class IV. I studied there till IV. I came to this school to pursue my higher studies”, she said, “I don't want to drop out. Under any circumstances, I want to study SEE.”
You have to leave home at 8:30 am to reach school at 10 am. That is why she is forced to come to school hungry most of the time due to the worry of making it on time.
This is not Muna's story alone. The same is true of his other classmates.
Sashila Praja from the same place who studies with Muna says, "It is not customary for parents to cook food for children before sending them to school. When there is no work at home, we cook and eat. When there is work, you you have to sacrifice the meal.”
Most of the children studying at Praja Jagriti Secondary School in Raksirang Rural Municipality-5, Chainpur of Makwanpur are from the Chepang community.
Muna is also studying in class VIII in the same school. Here, too, education is only available up to class 10. Torn between worries, passing the next two years looms large, yet unfulfilled aspirations of completing Class XII gnaw at her.
There is a village called Bannang, which is a 15-minute walk away from her house. Sanumaya Praja comes from the same village. After coming to Tanrang, a little down, 8-10 students gather. They don't dare to walk alone because they have to walk through the forest to get to school.
"If some of our friends skip school due to household works, we won't come to school either," Sanumaya said in a sullen voice, "The path lies through the forest. We don't walk alone due to the fear of a tiger.”
Since the school is far away, most of the children have not been able to continue their studies after class IV.
Despite the physical ordeal of a long commute compounded by the constant threat of hunger, thirst, and fear, Muna and Sanumaya are coming to school with the goal of completing their education up to SEE.
More than 300 students study in this school, most of them are children from Chepang community.
Rabin Praja, who is studying in class VI, says, "The food you eat at home can make you hungry on the way. It is not possible to bring lunch. Read all day. Intestinal spasms can cause hunger. By the time I get back home, it's already 6 pm, it feels like I'm going to die of exhaustion.”
In public schools, there is provision for mid-day meals for children up to class V. The same arrangement is also in Praja Jagriti Secondary School. However, since they are upper class students, lunch is not prepared for them in school.
Principal Surya Bahadur Praja says that sometimes if there is leftover lunch, they give it to children who come from far away. He says that even though the school is trying to get the local government to provide accommodation, it has not been successful.
He further said that the tiger came to the village and started eating the cattle, the distant students were sent home early at the request of the parents.
There are three residential schools in this rural municipality, the most remote in the district. Rajkumar Malla, chairman of the rural municipality, said that they are taking the initiative to make this school residential soon.
