By Nicholas Grafton-Green
Hindu Vidyapeeth-Nepal is a school of about 450 children between the ages of 4 and 16, based about five minutes walk from the central square of Patan, the most beautiful of the three kingdoms that make up the present-day Nepali capital. It is a charity school which means that whilst pupils pay a nominal sum to attend, it is funded by and large by Western charities and runs a sponsorship scheme whereby pupils from underprivileged families all over the country, particularly at the moment those affected by Maoist insurrection, can still gain a good education
What perhaps sets HVP apart from other schools is its special emphasis on an all-round holistic education, not only academic instruction but also spiritual and mental focus. As a result several extra activities are organised around the school day, such as prayers in the morning and philosophy talks for the upper years given by the headteacher. For a foreigner, this means unparalleled access to the huge diversity of Nepali culture, everything from visiting sacred sites as part of school trips (an exhausting but exhilarating experience!) to attending peace rallies in central Kathmandu to meeting dignitaries from Nepal’s various philosophical and religious organisations. Nepali society prides itself on its traditions, and public holidays are celebrated with panache in the school, with dancing, singing and general spectacle all staged to add to the general community festivities. The headmaster will personally invite the volunteers to his house on several occasions for dinner, often to celebrate a festival.
In addition to the day pupils, the school itself runs a small boarding facility for forty children and four housemasters with whom the volunteers will eat traditional food, spend an enormous amount of time and actually live on the school site. Though initially overwhelming, this means that one very quickly starts to feel that one is truly part of a family, the Nepali teachers being some of the nicest and approachable people and the children, though endlessly energetic, a constant source of amusement if nothing else. Pupils who don’t board will also often take you to their houses for tea, ply you with presents (everything from miniature Buddha statues to origami flowers!) and take you shopping in the nearby town.
The classrooms themselves are quite impressive by Nepali standards and a great environment in which to work. Though not all have windows, they are generally small enough to be able to keep overall control. The volunteers teach English to the middle five years, the youngest three years not yet good enough to really understand the language and the eldest two focused on their leaving exams. The age range is perfect, having both younger pupils with whom one can play word games and draw, but also older children with whom one can have some pretty fascinating class debates about various differences between Nepali and Western culture such as the caste system and arranged marriages.
I personally went out to HVP intending to give 90% of my knowledge and perhaps glean 10% back, but on returning felt completely the opposite had occurred. The headteacher talks of the “HVP family” and volunteers who have taught there cannot help but come away with this impression. I never felt homesick once in two months, and having trekked at the beginning of my placement, I chose to remain at the school rather than further travel at the end of my stay, simply because I felt that nowhere else, particularly not in the tourist centres of Pokhara and Chitwan, would I gain such a fantastic insight into the nuances, subtleties and huge diversity not only of Nepali education but of Nepali life in general.