PURNIMA RAI

Coordinator: Education Welfare Project

PURNIMA RAI is an individual having strong determination and enduring quality with a wide range of experiences in teaching filed. She is one of the best trained school teachers having multiple theoretical knowledge and practical skills. PURNIMA RAI is associated the Alpine Paradise Treks and Expedition Private Limited the (aptreks.com) family with the key role of coordination all about the project planning and implementation regarding the education welfare initiatives. She started involving in teaching field is not because of interest and fulfillment for daily life, that is because of painful history of struggles attempted to obtain the education herself.

It was almost impossible to get access to reach the school education for the children from each and every family at the time when she was born in the village. It could be hardly found a single pre-primary or primary school in a corner of a village was also not equally accessible for all childish age kids. There were multiple challenges being a female descendant of parents because of strongly dominant male preference social conviction. Being a lucky daughter of her parents irrespective to those challenges she got chance to join for school education in a newly established Primary School, namely Shree Sarashwoti Primary School which is 3 kilometers away from her home there was no any means of transportation even not now at all.

She continued her attendants at school up to class five tolerating enumerable physical and psychological challenges walking through jungle with high risks of unpleasant incidents. She shifted to the next school farther away again for class 6 and 7 and again after class 7 there was no school for secondary level for class 8, 9 and 10 so shifted again to the next school found in district head quarter Solu Salleri about 30 kilometers away from her village. Her strong dedication and constant enthusiasm ever resulting exciting success until she has completed school level education. She wandered again for higher level education after completion of the school level, but there was no any option found out. Irrespectively the uncertain circumstance for higher education opportunity, she decided to go to Kathmandu the capital city of Nepal.

There were two major reasons why she went to Kathmandu, because there was no place to join for higher level education not even in the village within the district and another a concealed hope of potential support by those senior college pioneers who previously joined the college for higher education in Kathmandu from the same village. When she reached Kathmandu she got some certain supports such as; sharing the room to stay and food for survival for some limited time period. But still her major issue for further education has been left in dilemma again. But her bold dedication and determination made her to decide appearing the board exam for higher education by self study without joining the college for regular classes because that could cost extra. In the same way she has successfully completed two years of higher level education. Soon after completion of her higher level education involved in some training such as; English speaking and teaching skills which was necessary to get job and started teaching in 1999 at Grammar Public School privately owned English medium School in Kathmandu as a Pre-Primary teacher.

It has been already 19 years of teaching experience during this period she has got chance to teach several different private schools in Kathmandu and at the same time she has successfully completed bachelor’s degree in English Literature and Population Studies. Now she has double Master’s degree in English Literature and Sociology from Tribhuwan University Nepal. She is currently involving in teaching returning back to remote village at Sagarmatha Secondary School, Waku Solukhumbu on the lap of Mt. Everest the world’s highest peak as a sponsored teacher of Class Rooms in The Clouds UK/Nepal.