More than 30 children of Siladhuni in remote Raksirang Rural Municipality-6, Makwanpur, have to walk for six hours daily to go to school and come back home.

This is a common problem for students studying at grade 9 and 10 in Siladhuni. Classes till eighth grade are run in Jurethum of Siladhuni, but after that, students have to go to Rastriya Secondary School in Silinge for further studies, as there are no other secondary schools nearby.

Taranath Duwadi, headmaster of the school, said that children of Siladhuni are compelled to walk for at least six hours on a daily basis to attend classes. “They are also unable to work on their home assignments, as they have to walk for several hours to reach school. The school has a hostel facility, but it can barely accommodate 10 students,” Duwadi said.

Sukalal Chepang, a resident of Siladhuni, said that his children have to hurry to school as soon as they wake up, only to return home at night.

Sushila Chepang, a student in Siladhuni, said, “We have to consume meal that was prepared the previous day.”

Usha Bhlon, a neighbour of Sushila, shared a similar ordeal.

“We are always tired, as we have to walk for hours in a day,” Bhlon said.
Singhalal Chepang, ward chairman of Raksirang-6, said that students of grade 9 and 10 are facing problems, as the school’s hostel cannot accommodate many students.  
“We have already started the construction of a hostel. It will be completed in two years,” Chepang said.

In the running fiscal year, the provincial government has allocated a budget of  Rs 10 million for the construction of the hostel.

According to the school management committee, there are 582 students enrolled in the school, of which more than 90 percent are from the Chepang community.