A REPORT ON EDUCATIONAL STATUS OF SHERPAS AT TASHI GAON

on Monday, March 2, 2009


Introduction:

This report highlights the educational status of Shepra from Tashigaun Village of Makalu VDC of Shankhauwasabha district. It further explains the causes and impacts of poor education as well as makes some recommendations to improvement the situation.
All the people at tashigaon are sherpas. It is located in remote Makalu VDC of Sankhuwasabha at 2100m altitude. It is also known as entry place of fifth highest Mt. Makalu(8463m) in other word. It lies the route of famous Makalu mountaineering and trekking.

The total population of the Tashigaon is 357. Most of the people of that community are involving in tourism sector, collecting Yarsagumba(a kind of medicinal plant), animal husbandry, and agriculture.

Due to involvement in cash earning activity their economic status is comparatively high but educational status is negligible. Their main occupation is trekking, collecting Yarsagumba and agriculture.

Adult as well as children of Tashigaon are involved in trekking as a porter, assistant guide & guide. They also collect Yarsagumba in season. The agricultural pattern in all neighboring areas including Tashigaon will be cultivated in season. They are completely aligned from all aspects of facilities eg; electricity, health and sanitation, education, information and communication.

They have very low educational status. Their literacy rate is 40%. None of them have graduated grade nine. The total numbers of school aged children are 85 up to now in which 25 students found to have enrolled in school. They are 6 to 15 years old. 12 students have dropped out of school. Only one person is studying at grade nine till date. They are reluctant to go school.

It has been set up to 3 grade level school but it was found no one is interested to go school so especial provisions has been providing to attract them. However negligible people are studying.
In this report causes, effects, methodology findings, conclusion and recommendation has been included.


Purpose:

Purpose of this case study report is to identify hurdles and to ensure authentic information about education of the tashigaon preferably.


Cause of poor educational status.

Comparatively, their economic status is found high than that of education. To earn money being a porter, by carrying the luggage is supposed to have discouraged them to go to school. They easily get job. They go to trekking, they carry luggage and earn money. Likewise, yarsagumba is another easy means of earning money. Such collection will be done seasonally.
Basically children and women get involved in it. And sell it in costly price. In a season they will be busy collecting yarsagumba and next season in agriculture. Animal husbandry is main agriculture. Season to season they exchange pastoral land due to weather. Yearly task will be already scheduled so that they cannot go to school.
The last but major cause is lack of facilities. it is in the sense that un-abundant facilities lead people keep adapting unnecessary customs. There are no facilities like telephone, health post, electricity because of segregation from all facilities. They are not enabling to know miracle of education.

Methodology:
Case study has been applied in the community with face to face interview, focused group discussion, queasy observation. The research was based on primary and secondary sources.

Findings of case study:
They were found economically sound. They were found involved in tourism sector and animal husbandry as traditional occupation.

The adverse situation drives them no long towards bright future. Makalu, since it is a one of the most possible tourist area, tashigaon people might get its direct benefit to great extent. But as of today, if the blunder reality existed, they will live for long time being porter which will keep them hindering from going school.

Conclusions:
They willingly do not want to go school. Their traditional occupation, as mentioned above, has primarily confronted them from education.


Recommendations:

Development and sustainability in tourism sector in Makalu region should be initiated by government through focusing educational empowerment so that they could accumulate white money
note: photo by rajdhan rai

0 comments:

Post a Comment