Bardia Community

About Bardia Memorial School

The principal and his father have already done a wonderful job in getting the school started (in 2000) with the help of an Australian actor who initially funded the first school buildings and worked together with the Khadka family in the early days to create the first opportunity for local landless children to be educated. The Khadka family have been carrying this on for over 18 years.

Bardia Memorial School is situated at the gates of Bardia National Park, in far Western Nepal. The school has grown from 50 students (starting in their family home) to 553 students. Schooling is currently offered from Kindergarten to Year 10. The majority of school rooms are still made of dirt and bamboo with no floor. The facilities are extremely basic and sanitation is almost non-existent.

The school has been carried out its operations, despite not being the recipient of any major international aid. They have proven their dedication and capacity to provide and sustain an educational facility for the community and, therefore, the on-going project is both sustainable and viable. The school is operated on a non-political and non-profit basis. It has been providing free education to the “landless” families whose children would otherwise not be able to attend school at all.

It is the only school in the region that uses English as the principle language of learning, opening up further opportunities in tourism to the students. The school is registered in the District Education Office of Bardia and is affiliated with the social welfare organisation in education, Nepal.

About Bardia

Thakudwara, Bardia, is situated in the western Terai region of Nepal and contains Nepal’s largest national park and wilderness area, protecting 968 km² of sal forest, grassland, savannah and riverine forest. Bardia is largely an agricultural region supported by some revenue from tourism.

Bardia is possibly one of the most isolated and impoverished communities in Nepal. Poverty is more than the lack of income and resources to ensure a sustainable livelihood. Its manifestations include limited access to education and other basic essential services.

The remoteness and the mountainous terrain present tremendous challenges for socioeconomic development and makes it difficult and costly to expand infrastructure in Bardia. This area receives less financial support than most other areas of Nepal.  The current government and international aid agency focus is on earthquake and natural disaster affected regions elsewhere in the country.