Kathmandu, July 11
24 secondary school students of Khiji Demba Municipality, Okhaldhunga, receive nutritious meal programs and scholarships from Calls Over Ridges Nepal (CORN), an organisation working for children’s education, with the financial support of Be Global Foundation.
In the first phase, students from five secondary schools have received scholarships.
According to Sang Doma Sherpa, the President of CORN, out of seven secondary schools in the municipality, five secondary schools with a total number of 24 students have received scholarships.
“For immediate use, 50% of the scholarship amount is given directly to the students while the remaining 50% is deposited into the school’s account which can be used for future needs of the students,” said Sherpa.
In this first phase, Narmadeshwar Secondary School of ward-1 received Rs 16,500, Phulmati Secondary School of ward-5 got Rs 21,000, Shivalaya Secondary School of ward-9 received Rs 16,500, Kundali Secondary School of ward-4 received Rs 15,000, and Chandeshwori Secondary School in ward-2 received Rs 18,000.
Mingmar Sherpa, the Program Lead of Khiji Demba, CORN, said that the quarterly scholarships for the academic year 2081 were distributed to the students of primary to secondary level, based on students’ needs, dedication, and academic performance.
In addition, following the success of a pilot nutritious lunch program at Narmadeshwar Secondary School, the organisation plans to extend the program to three more schools. Initiated as a trial in January, the nutritious lunch program will now expand to other schools within the municipality.
CORN has collaborated with Khiji Demba Rural Municipality and parents to implement the nutritious lunch program completing a tripartite agreement.
Starting in July/August, the program will be implemented in Chandeshwori Secondary School of ward-2, Kundali Secondary School of ward-4, and Phulmati Secondary School of ward-5.
According to Khiji Demba Program Lead, Sherpa, the program aims to provide nutritious lunch programs to all students in these schools.
Gambu Sherpa, Chairperson of Khiji Demba Rural Municipality, said that the nutritious lunch program plays a crucial role in increasing student retention, enhancing educational quality, improving results, and developing skilled human resources.
“The program has been implemented in partnership with CORN. Initially, the program will be conducted in secondary schools, with plans to gradually expand to all schools,” said Gambu Sherpa.
