“Miss, I used to shake Khudi’s entire marketplace on my own back then,” Prithvi jokingly exclaimed as he saw his old bus and reminisced his previous life when we were headed towards the marketplace. Well, he was shouting “Besisahar, Khudi, Ngadi!!” at the top of his lungs not longer than a year ago. Surprisingly I had noticed that young kid on the very bus during my placement trip to Lamjung. But I hardly recognized him that it was the same Prithvi who I am teaching today at my school. 

Caged by a difficult home environment, Prithvi, he left home and education along with a friend to become a local bus conductor at Besisahar while he was studying in grade 5.  He worked as a helper in the bus for 2 years. 

But, nowadays, Prithvi lives with his aunt at Badagaun. His day begins after fetching a load of grass. Then, he has his meal and he prepares himself for school. To look smart, he tries to add a tie to his school attire whenever he can. Everyday, Prithvi tirelessly strides along with his friends to reach his school, which resides at the top of a hill. Once he reaches school, he pays his respect to the metal gate before stepping in. Soon, the morning bell rings, Prithvi gets busy trying to fix his class’s line, the morning bell is followed by the classroom’s song. The words, “Our free Nepal, Our sovereign Nepal” echos through the classroom, Prithvi’s sweet yet bold voice adds glory to the classroom’s song.

He’s different from the others, who has already stepped out into the real world for survival. So, I feel he knows how important education is, more than the others do. He works hard and is responsible too. He understands how he has to behave according to different situations. “The kid is clever, disciplined, brave, helpful, and enthusiastic. He acknowledges the lessons he has understood, and if he hasn’t understood anything, he expresses it without hesitation. He is also inquisitive”, Mrs. Durga acknowledged the student that Prithivi is.

He is always doing little things like stepping up and asking questions, entering the office to inflate his ball without hesitation, writing his name behind his jersey with a pencil, having faith, making people laugh and loving others. He pays utmost attention to what is being taught, he is always the first to ask questions. As soon as he finds himself in a leisure period, he peeks into the nearby classrooms of seventh and eighth graders to learn what is being taught by which teacher. ”Is it something new that I haven’t learned yet?”, he is very curious. Seeing all this brings a smile to my face.
 

Admitted to the school around last year, this year, he successfully achieved the third position in the classroom. “Miss, I will be the first next time”, he told me with the highest degree of confidence. He wishes to become an engineer who builds robots in the future, perhaps it’s because he has always been interested in making science models. The curiosity, readiness, leadership, his ability to work with a group and his honesty make me believe that he will live his dream one day.
 

Lately, in a short chit chat with Prithvi, I came to know when he returned to school, when he saw me taking science class in grade 6.  Who wouldn’t be happy to know that a student who dropped out in grade 5 resumed schooling just to be in your science class next year? He still hasn’t told me what exactly made him attracted towards my class, but I am happy that a student is inside a classroom and not at the side door of a bus today. Prithvi and students like him are my motivation to move forward in the Fellowship. “Moving around in a bus will ruin a person and his life,” he answered in a heartwarming manner when asked why he likes to come to school. Maybe Prithivi wanted to change his fate and his future, perhaps that’s why he made the journey from the bus’s door to the schoolyard. 

Lately, in a short chit chat with Prithvi, I came to know when he returned to school, he saw me taking science class in grade 6.  Who wouldn’t be happy to know that a student from grade 5 resumed schooling just to be in your science class next year? He still did not share what exactly made him attracted towards my class, but I am happy that a student is inside a classroom and not at the side door of a bus today. Prithvi and students like him are my motivation to move forward in the Fellowship. 

Salina Nagarkoti completed her Bachelor's of Science in Botany from Patan Multiple Campus. She is currently serving as a Teach For Nepal Fellow in Prabhat Shanti Secondary School, Badagaon, Marshyangdi, Lamjung. You can join her along with 137 other Fellows who seek to end education inequity in Nepal through direct service in classrooms by applying for the Teach For Nepal Fellowship for the year 2020.