Building schools to inspire
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Started a decade ago by a group of village youths, Jyotidaya has evolved into a full-fledged high school in Chapagon. And at Jyotidaya High School, many inspiring things are unfolding at the moment. The school is currently run as a cooperative. In 2008, Sarvodaya USA, one of the pioneers in Gandhian ethics of shramadan (donation of labour), began working with Jyotidaya High School in exploring the possibilities of integrating Gandhian methods of non-violence and social service into teaching and learning.
“We do not charge high fees,” says Rameswor Deshar, the school principal. “That has meant we do not have high salaries for our staff. But we are very satisfied,” he hastens to add, smile on his face. High social service ethos were palpably present in his voice.
The school currently has a rather non-descript appearance. Across the street that lines the famous Bajrabarahi temple-forest complex in Chapagon, Jyotidaya’s school building is the typical cement-fired-brick walls with a concrete roof. The students are uniformed. The classrooms have cement floors. They are chilly and damp in winter. But this is going to change very soon.
Outside, on the upper right corner of the front of the school building are posted some printouts of a new school building design that a group of young architects have put together. The actual construction is going to start soon. This week, they are making a short paved pathway for trucks to transport the construction supplies. In three weeks from now the foundation work will begin.
But this building is not going to be a larger replica of the same cement-brick structure they currently have. In July, Sarvodaya USA won a grant of US $100,000 in a Facebook charity contest. A major chunk of this grant is going to be invested in upgrading the school’s infrastructure. Additionally, students went around the neighbourhood performing deusi-bhailo this tihar, generating around NRs. 45,000. In January 2011, the school, together with Sarvodaya USA’s Nepal chapter, is holding a major fund-raising event in Kathmandu involving prominent youth leaders, artists, business leaders and community workers.
In two weeks from now, bamboo poles will arrive from the Tarai. They will be treated so that they won’t be infested with dust-beetles or fungus. The foundation will be of stones with mud mortar. Two-feet high walls above the ground will be made with sun-dried earth blocks made in nearby Luvu village. The rest of the walls will be built with bamboo and plastered with cob—a mixture of sand, clay, and fibres such as straw or thatch. There will be fourteen classrooms altogether. The first layer of the roof will be woven bamboo topped by zinc corrugated sheets. Sound-proofing insulation will be installed using mostly local materials while the roof, which will be fitted with rain-water harvesting gutters and pipes, will also work as the school’s water catchment area.
This in itself is very different from the current ways of building schools in Nepal. The government investment in the education sector involves, among other things, construction of buildings. In the nineties Nepal took loans from international agencies to upgrade the school infrastructure across the country. Contractors who could bribe Education Ministry officials, top party leaders and local elites cornered vast chunks of money while constructing mono-cultured school buildings across the country. People had no say in the design or construction. The environment was of no concern. Nor was the quality of classrooms any issue for distant bureaucrats, Kathmandu-centred politicians, and profit-oriented contractors. After all, none of their kids were going to study in those buildings. The results have been made clear for all of us to see: the rooms are too noisy when it rains, too cold in winter, too hot in summer. Private schools are not very different. Jyotidaya will stand out in sharp contrast to both private and government schools, with its bamboo and adobe structure.
But much more than the quality of structure is involved. The process of making that building itself is also different. There will be total transparency in the financial transactions. “Our ex-students are going to be involved in helping with the construction work,” Rameswor tells me. The foundation work needs help. Plastering needs help.
“What about current students?” I asked. That could be done, he says.
But involving small children in major construction work is risky. However, once the basic structure of the building is in place, the walls need to be plastered and painted—something that they can help with.
Though some students from Kathmandu and abroad have plans to get involved by volunteering to do some of the work, the Jyotidaya students and staff themselves may find it most fulfilling. With innovative teachers, you can integrate teaching into the work itself. For instance, while plastering with cob, you can teach students about the
ecological problems arising from the use of high-energy materials such as cement and bricks. And they could also teach their students ways of making non-toxic natural paints.
Imagine the transformation that occurs when students themselves are making their own schools.
Once the new school building is complete, the school board is planning to lease the adjoining land to start sustainable gardening projects as part of teaching-learning process. Kids will learn about plants, ecology, food and work, among other things. They will learn about composting and regenerating the soil—the basic foundation of living systems on earth. They will learn to value working with their hands.
There is no short-cut to addressing the multiple crises facing our society: the crises of social polarisation, environmental degradation, and general alienation of people from the process of making decisions that affect their lives. I am sure there are others like Jyotidaya—in Nepal and outside. I hope their work inspires many more people to do things that address these multiple crises with creativity and commitment.
anilbhattarai@gmail.com
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