Kaski: If teaching is a service, 54-year-old Keshari Thapa , principal of the Dharan-based Purbanchal Gyanchakshu Secondary School , has experienced the essence of her profession.

While most teachers arrive at 10am and leave at 4pm, she remains with the students round the clock and makes sure that her visually impaired students have received proper care and the school well managed.

After Thapa was transferred to the school from Sharada Higher Secondary School 21 years ago, the course of her life took an entirely different turn as she was not only responsible for teaching her students but also was in-charge of the school management.

“She is not just a teacher; she is a mother to us,” said Jiwan Bista, a visually impaired tenth grader of the school, who was with Thapa on a four-day educational tour in Pokhara on Saturday. “It is due to her effort that we have been able to learn free of cost with ease in this school for the visually impaired ,” he said.

The school, which is said to be the only institution in the country imparting free boarding and tuition facilities for visually impaired students, houses 103 students belonging to families with poor economic conditions from 21 districts across the nation. “When I first arrived at the school, its condition was miserable due to mismanagement,” Thapa said, adding that it was only with the help of various people and organisations that the institution has come to its present state. Due to her tireless effort and supervision, the school has now been to attract the attention of the government.

The school, which was in dire condition and had only Rs 900,000 in savings, has at present acquired land worth Rs 10 million and managed to increase its savings to Rs 7 million. While Thapa has not even earned a dime, she has managed to make the school self-sustaining.

Thapa, however, said she is happy to educate visually impaired students and wishes to spend the rest of life in their service. “I even ignored opportunities to live in Hong Kong and the UK,” she said. Though the government has turned a blind eye to the school, Thapa’s efforts have not gone unnoticed. She was awarded with Gorkha Dakshin Bahu by late King Birendra and received the National Education Award two years ago.

source: Shiva Sharma, The Kathmandu post,15 Dec 2013