Winter School and Hostel in Kathmandu

The national exams which all students in Class 8, 9 and 10 need to pass in order to get promoted to the respective next grade, are scheduled in spring for entire Nepal. For mountain regions this date is inconvenient, as the schools are shut because of the harsh winter months and therefore preparations for the exams cannot be done sufficiently. In winter 2007/2008 students were taught in Kathmandu for the first time, accompanied by teachers of the Tapriza School. Giving the lessons in Kathmandu is more expensive than in Dunai but brings along advantages. Firstly, it is easier to find good teachers in the capital. This drastically increases the quality and efficiency of the preparations. Secondly, the students get to know life in the capital in a safe environment during these months of exam preparation and are then better prepared and equipped for their further education which will bring several of them back to Kathmandu to join universities or colleges.

Meanwhile we run a small Phoksumdo Hostel in Jorpati. In winter the hostel is used by the Class 10 Tapriza students for their exam preparations, while the former students in Class 11 and 12 stay there during the whole year. Here the former Tapriza students who are doing their further studies in Kathmandu can find a home in a protected space known to them. In this way solidarity and maintenance of local culture in the city is facilitated. As long as there is space, former students doing their BA or other college courses can live there.