Ongoing Education The ‘Senior’ Programme
SMD is too crowded to offer “plus two”. Schools offering Classes 11 and 12 are urban and for-profit. (Mountain kids can’t afford tuition fees, let along the cost of living).
How do we choose which kids to keep?
From the time they are in Class 6, we are watching how each student grows. We’re looking for some specific markers, first,
* Does the student carry Rinpoche’s wishes into her/his daily life? (Rinpoche’s aims are to preserve the language, culture and Buddhist way of life of Himalayan people, so we look to see who is committed to these aims...and is active in all three directions. Among the three the last is most important...we look to see who generates bodhicitta as the Buddha taught.
* We look for leadership skills
* We look to see who has given their best in service to the school
* We look to see that the student tries hard in her/his studies
* When the kids finish Class 10, all sections of the school (Senior Administration, older Seniors and Support Staff are canvassed for anonymous nominations. Reasons for the nominations must be provided.)
Once we’ve made the selection, there are two tracks: those who are finishing Classes 11 and 12 and going on inside Nepal and those who we keep on a Gap Year. These ones have a chance at winning scholarships to finish high school overseas at independent schools. This is an excellent solution for SMD...it frees up beds and if the scholarship winners do well (and they do) they can qualify for full scholarships at university.
To date, we’ve had + thirty scholarships awarded by some of the finest independent schools in the world. The schools have been extremely generous, offering all expenses, including a return flight every year.
Life as a Senior
The Seniors live outside the school compound, in one of 4 flats we've rented outside the school compound. (Yes, we’re that crowded). The Seniors live with a pair of teachers, but essentially, they are autonomous. According to Rinpoche's wish, they need to learn life skills: how to shop, budget, cook, clean, pay the electricity bill (they give 10% of the small stipend SMD pays them) and negotiate with each other about how the flat should be run.
While they do all this, they work at SMD. We move them about a bit: jobs include working in the Big Office (word processing, preparing exams, answering the phone, running errands for the Academic side of the school), working in the Director's Office, (the hardest job there is...a lot of multitasking, handling PR, sponsors, publishing, etc.) working in the schools Stores, (inventories in 3 languages...this is where all the supplies for children...clothing, soap, etc. are issued) running the the Science Lab, (inventories, supplies, scheduling) keeping inventories for the Stationery Stores, AV equipment, films and CDs, supervising in the Computer Lab, working as a classroom aide, etc. All the Seniors also work in the Hostel. Many volunteer as teachers for Pawo Monastery.
At Rinpoche’s wish, the Seniors are learning life skills. We help them open bank accounts. They take turns cooking dinner 6 days a week and they run the flat according to dinnertime group decisions, very good training in communication, critical thinking and problem-solving.
Out of necessity, our Seniors do many of the tasks that teachers in other countries normally do. (Rinpoche's advice years ago was, "Train our own to be teachers.") At a conservative estimate, Seniors are doing the work of 28 day teachers; the school cannot run without them.
While they are "giving service", the Seniors are also expected to go to daily prayers and to all Dharma teachings as well as a weekly Leadership Class (on current affairs) and Friday Night Group, (meditation and exploration of ethics and conduct) and a Saturday meeting where they learn critical thinking and solve school problems. And many other extra trainings we may offer.
Ongoing Education in Nepal
This year, are many Seniors, some have actually joined our staff and are working half time and going to school or university half time. We also have ten older graduates (not Seniors) who are working as teachers at SMD and finishing their university degrees. Half live in the school and work as Hostel (dorm) teachers. The others are living independently.
The Seniors’ flat
Some Seniors live in a flat across the street from the school compound, along with two of our staff (SMD graduates). Seniors live dorm style, the boys in their own room and girls in theirs. It gets crowded, especially in the summertime. In summer 2011 we had 13 scholarship kids back with us.
This year (2011) we’ve run out of space, so we’ve wangled places to for 8 kids to live outside SMD so they can continue with their education. We call them ‘day Seniors’.
Scholarships Overseas
SMD students have won more than thirty scholarships overseas. Most are are finishing Grades 11 & 12 at independent schools in Norway, Canada, Switzerland, Portugal and the US. These kids are studying in the most rigorous academic streams you can imagine: most are doing the International Baccalaureate www.ibo.org The IB is the most academically rigorous high school education possible. Universities waive First Year requirements if a student has excelled in the IB programme.
The IB programme is particularly fitting for SMD kids. From the IBO mission statement:
The International Baccalaureate aims to develop inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young people who help to create a better and more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect. To this end the organization works with schools, governments and international organizations to develop challenging programmes of international education and rigorous assessment. These programmes encourage students across the world to become active, compassionate and lifelong learners who understand that other people, with their differences, can also be right.
A Word About the Future
Nepal cannot provide governance, security, electricity or sanitation even in the capital, where last year we had 16 - 18 hours of power cuts every day through the 9 month dry season. There is no rule of law. Half the children in this country are stunted from chronic hunger.
As you may suppose, the biggest export is Nepalis. Young people are abandoning their homeland...anywhere, even the Gulf is better than Nepal (and every year a thousand young Nepalis are shipped home in coffins). Of the privileged ones (those getting a foreign education) precious few return, so Nepal is losing its brightest and best.
We only help students who write a letter to our founder, Ven. Thrangu Rinpoche, promising to return to help their own people. We do not ask our scholarship students to stay in Nepal forever. We only ask for a year or two of service, then they are free to do what they want.
In order to go on to higher education, kids have to finish Grades 11 & 12, but in Nepal such schools are all for-profit, expensive and urban. Tuition tends to be about 6 to $800/year. If you factor in the cost of living, it costs us well over $1000 apiece to keep each Senior. All this in the poorest country in Asia, where the average income is under $240/year. We have no choice but to keep kids with us if they show any potential for ongoing education. A Class 10 certificate is useless in a country with 50% unemployment.
As I said earlier, we move Seniors around in the school a lot. While they are working, everyone they work for or with observes their performance. I work closely with Seniors and am also registering how each one is doing. IF they do really well, we consider them for scholarships overseas...Grades 11 & 12 in the International Baccalaureate programme and occasionally in the AP. IF we get a scholarship offer we nominate one of the Seniors.
IF the school accepts the Senior, we start working on documents (citizenship card/passport/ translations and notarizations of parental permission, etc). This is very time-consuming for these reasons:
1. The kids have to go back to the mountains to district headquarters to get papers
2. Translations must be done by government agencies here in Kathmandu
3. All translations need to be notarized
4. Corruption (which slows things down and ups costs)
After all this, we start the process of applying for a visa where the scholarship is offered. This takes at least 4 months and often longer. I tell the kids you can never believe you're going overseas until you're past the corrupt scoundrels at the Immigration counter in Kathmandu airport and on the plane.
The whole process takes 6 months, on average and costs us $600 to $800 in pre-travel costs (documents, translations, notarizing, travel gear, clothing, etc.) Visas and medical costs vary, but most are several hundred dollars. Pre-travel costs for Australia were almost two thousand dollars, money I have to raise.
We do not tell any of the kids they're in our sights for scholarships until we are certain of the student and ready to start the process.
In offering scholarships for SMDers to finish high school, these schools have been extremely generous.
Appleby College, Oakville, Canada
Atlanta International School Atlanta, USA
The Bavarian International School
Bishop Strachan School, Toronto, Canada
Hotchkiss School, Connecticut, USA
Inter Community School, Zurich
Instut le Rosey, Rolle Switzerland
Ivanhoe Grammar School, Melbourne Australia
Mulgrave School, Vancouver, Canada
Red Cross Nordic United World College, Flekke, Norway
St. Julian’s School, Lisbon, Portugal
United World College of the Adriatic, Duino Italy
West Island College Calgary, Canada
In addition to paying tuition, room and board, these schools cover school supplies, text books & laptops, medical & dental, clothing, and pocket money. Most of these schools also pay an annual return ticket. Very often, the host families contribute funding too.
The generosity hasn’t been limited to scholarships...support flows back to SMD. Appleby College, West Island College, ICSZ and the Bavarian International School offered accomodation and help with travel costs when I visited. The Inter Community School Zurich and the Bavarian International School sent teachers to give inservice training to our teachers. The ICS community sponsors 40 children and they and the Bavarian International School fundraise for SMD.
Costs
Grades 11 & 12 in Nepal:
It costs $600-$800/year for tuition at the ‘plus two’ schools in the valley which means we can keep a student with us, and send her/him to another school for roughly $1000/year in total.
University in Nepal
On average, tuition costs about $400/year to finish an undergraduate degree (three years’ study in Nepal). By the time our students get to university, we hire them as teachers and they pay their own way through university.
General Medicine
Tuition for this 3 year programme costs $3500 - $4000 and doesn’t include texts, transportation, uniforms, exams and equipment, but students can start as soon as they finish Class 10 (SLC) and the curriculum includes Grades 11 & 12. Students must live with us while they are in the programme. When they finish, they can run health posts or lead a casualty ward team of ten.Health Assistants are, in essence, barefoot doctors who can do almost anything except major surgery. This training is particularly useful at altitude, where there is no healthcare at all. It is also possible to work in private hospitals with this certification and it also allows for further study at Bachelor's level in Public Health or in Health Education.
Photo taken in the Seniors' flat January 11
Front row, L-R: Kunchok Lhundup B306, Dorje Thinley B012, Urgen Dorje B413, Mingmar Sherpa B08, Tenzin Lama D526B306: Gap year: shooting for a scholarship
Mid row: Phurbu Sherpa B350, Tenzin Yangzom B036a, Tsewang Sangmo B418, Dolma Sherpa B402, Phurbu Chodon B250, Kabita Rokaya B363, Pran Maya Khadki B385, Nyima Dorje (Sherpa) Lama B313
Back row: Tsering Dhondup B340a, Vidya Sagar B368, Nelha Sangmo B296, Tashi Dolma D823, Tenzin Sangpo Lama D368
B012: General medicine 1st year
B413: Scholarship at Lindsay Thurber School, Red Deer Alberta: IB Grades 11 & 12
B08: Gap year: shooting for a scholarship
D526: General medicine 1st year
B350: General medicine 1st year
B036a: Gap year
B418: Gap year: will go on to General medicine in Fall 2012
B402: General medicine 1st year
B250: General medicine 2nd year
B363: Grade 12
B385: General medicine 1st year
B313: finished high school in Canada, now on a Gap year giving service at SMD, applying to universities in Canada
B340a: Grade 12
B368: finishing Science courses, will start dental hygiene school in Fall 2012
B296: General medicine 2nd year
D823: Gap year: will go on to General medicine in Fall 2012
D368: Finished IB at Institut le Rosey, now on scholarship at Webster University, Geneve
Missing:
Chaynga Sherpa B021: Scholarship at Lindsay Thurber School, Red Deer Alberta: IB Grades 11 & 12
Lakpa Diki B332: Scholarship at the Red Cross Nordic United World College: IB 11 & 12
Tashi Dorje B201: just finished Grade 10
Pasang Lhamo B302: returned from giving service in her village in the mountains, and now finishing Grade 10
Ngawang Bhuti B352: Grade 11, wants to teach
Phur Yudon B338: Grade 12, will go on to university to become a teacher
Tashi Choden B322: returned from giving service in her village in the mountains, and now finishing Grade 11
