An educated girl is unstoppable.
March 6, 2025
Puja Adhikari, 2023 Teach For Nepal Fellow shares her Fellowship journey from Dang and Parsa.
Chapter One: The Voice That Faded
Dang, 2023
When I first arrived in Kalakhola, Tulsipur-7, Dang, the air buzzed with ambition. The school was filled with students eager to learn, teachers trying new techniques, and a community that believed education could be a vehicle for change. The classrooms were small but full of energy. The students were curious, their hands always shooting up to answer my questions.
But the excitement faded quickly when I attended my first staff meeting. I had come with ideas—ways to make science engaging, plans for group learning activities—but as I spoke, I realized I was talking into an empty space. The male teachers exchanged knowing looks, barely acknowledging me. My words, my thoughts, my voice—it all seemed to vanish in the air, as if I hadn’t spoken at all.
I sat through the rest of the meeting, silent. I was determined to make myself heard, but how could I, when no one was willing to listen?
Chapter Two: The Voice That Became a Threat
Parsa, 2024
Parsa was nothing like Dang. When I arrived in Sedhawa, it felt like I had stepped back in time. The school buildings looked worn, the textbooks even more so. The students, especially the girls, kept their heads down. Tradition was not just a backdrop here—it was a rule.
Here, my voice was heard, but not in the way I expected.
Word spread quickly that a female teacher was taking an active role in the community. ‘She visits students’ homes,’ they said. ‘She walks alone in the village.’ ‘She talks too much.’
At first, I ignored it. But then, I started hearing whispers, warnings directed at my students. ‘Stay away from her,’ some adults told the boys. ‘If something happens to her, you’ll be blamed.’
I had spent months struggling to be heard in Dang. Now, in Parsa, my voice was a problem. It was too loud, too independent. It challenged too many norms.
Chapter Three: The Girls Who Were Invisible
Dang, 2023
In Dang, my students were full of potential, but gender roles shaped their lives in ways they couldn’t yet understand. In class, the boys answered first. The girls hesitated, even when they knew the answers.
One day, I asked a simple question: “What do you want to be when you grow up?”
“I want to be a doctor,” said a boy in the front row.
“I want to be an engineer,” said another.
I turned to the girls. They looked at each other, unsure. Finally, one spoke.
“I don’t know, Miss.”
“Why not?”
She played with the end of her scarf. “No one asked me before.”
Chapter Four: The Girls Who Couldn’t Run
Parsa, 2024
In Sedhawa, it wasn’t just about girls being unheard. It was about them being unseen.
Sports were a privilege for boys. Girls were expected to stay home, help with chores, and prepare for marriage. When I first announced a girls’ football team, the laughter from the community was deafening.
“Football is not for girls.”
“What’s next? You’ll ask them to climb trees?”
But the girls were excited. For many of them, this was the first time they had been invited to play. The first time someone had told them, “Yes, you can.”
Parents resisted. They worried about their daughters' safety, their energy, their reputations. One mother looked me in the eye and asked, “If something happens to my daughter, will you take responsibility?”
“Yes,” I said. “I will.”
I don’t know where that courage came from, but it was enough. Slowly, the girls came to the field, their movements stiff at first. But with every kick, every pass, they became bolder.
And then, something incredible happened. The girls’ team won the Sarvodaya Cup.
Overnight, everything changed. The same people who had questioned me, who had doubted these girls, were now celebrating. The girls were no longer invisible. They had made themselves seen.
Chapter Five: The Judgment That Followed Me
Dang, 2023
As a female teacher, I was watched closely. In Dang, the judgment came in silence—the way men dismissed my words, the way my contributions faded into the background. I was expected to do my job, but not to change anything.
When I introduced new teaching methods—relay problem-solving, peer discussions—some teachers resisted. “This is not how we do things here,” they told me.
So I stopped asking for permission. I just did it. The students thrived. Their grades improved. But my victories were quiet, just like my struggles.
Chapter Six: The Judgment That Became a Weapon
Parsa, 2024
In Parsa, the judgment was louder. The gossip followed me everywhere. ‘She spends too much time with students.’ ‘She walks too freely.’ ‘She is too independent.’
One day, I overheard a conversation. A villager was warning a student: “If she disappears, they will blame you.”
I felt my stomach twist. My existence in this community was a liability.
But then, after months of enduring whispers, after months of fighting for my students, I saw something shift. Parents who had once doubted me started defending me. Students who had hesitated to speak up now stood beside me. The gossip didn’t stop, but it no longer controlled me.
Final Chapter: A Hopeful Tomorrow
Dang and Parsa were two different worlds, but in both, I fought to be heard. In Dang, I struggled to make space for my voice. In Parsa, I fought against the weight of my presence.
I am not the same person who started this journey. I have seen how deeply tradition can hold people back, but I have also seen how small victories—a raised hand in class, a girl kicking a football—can shake even the strongest barriers.
And so, I keep going. Not because the fight is easy, but because it is necessary. Because every girl deserves to dream. Because every voice deserves to be heard.
Because change, no matter how slow, always begins with someone who refuses to be silent.
To every young girl who is told ‘no,’ to every student whose dreams seem out of reach—education is your power. Keep learning, keep fighting, and know that the future belongs to those who dare to chase it. On this Women’s Day, let’s remember: an educated girl is unstoppable.
After completing her Master's in Science in Biotechnology, Puja Adhikari joined Teach For Nepal as a Science Fellow. Today, she is currently serving at Shree Nepal Rastriya Secondary School in Sedwa, Parsa. This Women’s Day, join us in empowering more passionate educators like Puja to ensure every child in Nepal, regardless of gender or background, receives the education they deserve.
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