Students in remote Kanchanpur walk two hours to attend school

Kanchanpur: Children from Khalla, Masetti, and Tundikhel in Bhimdatta Municipality-9 are forced to walk nearly two hours every day to reach Siddhabaijath Secondary School in Brahmadev due to the absence of a nearby secondary-level institution.

Sarita Bohara, a ninth grader at Siddhanath Secondary School in Brahmadev, said students face severe difficulties, especially during the rainy season. “The village only has schools up to grade 8. After that, we must walk two hours to Brahmadev for further studies,” she said. “During the rainy season, floods and landslides block the road, and we often cannot attend school.” According to her, many students have dropped out due to the long and dangerous commute.

The students must cross 13 rivers and walk along forest trails near the Mahakali River. They travel in groups for safety but often turn back when the rivers are impassable. While autorickshaws and motorbikes are available in winter, the monsoon completely blocks the route, leaving many students deprived of education.

Sapana Thakulla, a tenth grader at the same school, said she also walks two hours each way. “We have to travel eight kilometers on a risky road, and there’s no electricity at home to study. Three of my friends have already dropped out and gone to India for work,” she shared. The forest path, she added, is vulnerable to landslides and lightning during the monsoon.

Local resident Lok Bahadur Thapa Magar of Tundikhel confirmed the hardship. “The children are compelled to walk eight kilometers along dangerous Churephed roads to study in Brahmadev. Many have left school because of this,” he said. Some families, like his own, have sent children to relatives in other towns so they can continue their education.

Currently, Saraswati Secondary School in Tundikhel offers classes only up to grade 4, Baijnath Secondary School up to grade 6, and Bhim Smriti Secondary School in Khalla up to grade 8. With about 500 families in Khalla, Masetti, and Tundikhel—most of them economically disadvantaged and dependent on sand and gravel collection from the Mahakali River—many students are compelled to abandon their studies and migrate to India for work.

Locals are now demanding that secondary-level education facilities be established within the village to prevent further dropouts.