New Tulips School: Two Decades of Serving Local Communities

To ensure the fundamental right to education even to the people from grassroots level, especially for people in Koteshwor-32 Kathmandu; Lokanthali, Bhaktapur and Imadol, Lalitpur area where many manual workers reside, New Tulips’ School (NTS) was established in 1998 as a public trust.

The School is trying to provide value-based education to all the children and add few bricks in the development of quality education in the country.

The main motto of NTS is “Quality education in nominal fee”. Since its establishment, the school is continuously providing education to the urban poor and underprivileged children. Currently, New Tulips School is running school education program from Nursery to Grade 10.  To increase the number of school going children even in the poor family and to reduce the drop out number, NTS is reaching out to concerned parents and encouraging them to send their wards to the school. The school is now well-known for providing competitive education at very low fee.

Achievements so far

The High School Examination results of the New Tulips School between 2009 and  2019 shows the progress we have achieved so far:

Currently, there are 470 students (Boys 236, Girls 234) at the NTS. Out of them, 10% of students don’t have to pay tuition fee and 22 students are getting family support scholarship from some friends and well-wishers of the school. Similarly, those who cannot buy educational materials are helped by the school for the purchase of the goods and those who are unable to get school uniform are supplied with the uniforms.

New Tulips School gives the foremost priority to the graduates of this school in the process of selection of teachers. During the time of enrollment, the school spreads the news among the students and its well wishers to bring the children who are deprived of education just because of monetary issue and family conflicts to the school.

Moreover, to motivate the students and to make them equally competent like other ‘A ‘ level school going children, the school organizes extra-curricular activities every Friday. The school is doing everything possible to impart best education along with imparting moral value to children. The school has a modern computer lab and  multimedia facility from which students are being benefitted.

The school programme was initially supported by IcfON Netherlands. Later, due to changes in circumstances the school had to self-sustain itself and started raising nominal fee. The school is still getting small support from the donor.

Challenges Ahead

The Ministry of Education has currently announced the policy to upgrade the High School Education till Grade 12. Unfortunately, the NTS does not have sufficient ground to build additional rooms. It is a must for the school to run school program up to Grade 12 as per the government rule.  If we won’t be able to run classes up to Grade 12, financially weaker children won’t get a chance to study further and their life will be spoiled. In the same way, all the students together with the pre-primary children need various types of playing materials for maintaining physical condition and to play a catalyst role in fostering friendship, unity and resepcting diveristy in a multicultrual country like Nepal. Hence, New Tulips School is in need of extending the land for constructing a building with four rooms so that the school can accommodate Grade 11 and 12 students for providing education and also for physical exercise for the underprivileged children studying at the NTS.

The New Tulips School family humbly requests all generous people and organizations to support in our endeavor to provide quality education to poor children. You are most welcome to visit the school by making an appointment during school hours.

(The author is Chairman of the School Management Committee of the New Tulips School, Kathmandu and can be reached at [email protected])