By Tenzin Choephel
Phayul Correspondent
Kathmandu, October 15 – Namgyal Middle Boarding School, a semi residential Tibetan middle school located in Ichangu, Kathmandu with a beautiful main school building with assembly ground in front, spacious green lawn, basketball court, hostel, teacher quarter, a big green football ground with one side pavilion and above all good teachers is probably one of the best Tibetan schools in Nepal.
Today, the school celebrated its silver jubilee anniversary at the football ground amidst various programmes, the pavilion and the ground were well decorated, dignitaries, officials, parents, visitors, teachers and students were present on the occasion; the morning began with march past of the four different houses of the school with the school band including small cute young boys on small drums, a sight that every single Tibetans would love to see and could be proud of, it was followed by serving of traditional tea and butter rice to all, and then the Tibetan National Anthem was sung and led by the school band and joined by all, it is a moment that makes every Tibetan feel that we are Tibetan and it often reminds me of my school days and I feel that we Tibetans have carried forward our traditions very well. The 25th anniversary group song was performed by a full group of students on stage supported by music teachers and student musicians, wow, we really have developed a rich school tradition, we owe this to our honorable and enthusiastic teachers and all of us should really pass on our legacy to our future generation like we are doing today. The school principal Mr. Lobsang Delek addressed the gathering about the history of the school, the school has come a long way in becoming a full fledged semi residential school from the days when it first started as Namgyal Hostel with 20 students. The chief guest and various dignitaries gave away awards and trophies to students for various competitions and also honored all the staffs of the school. The chairman of the Snow Lion Foundation, Mr. Tashi Phuntsok also addressed the gathering, the Foundation runs 11 Tibetans schools in Nepal including this school, he urged teachers and parents to meet at least twice a year and discuss issues related to their children development and he also pointed out that some parents are seeking two or more sponsors for their children which is wrong and so he discouraged such practices as it could help those who really needs assistance. It was followed by dance presentation of the school, the students presented various Tibetan traditional and local Nepali dances to entertain the public; traditional dance of Kongpo Region with beautiful black dress and hats, a traditional dance of Ngari Region with girls wearing eye catching green shawl and amazing head ornament studded with turquoise, coral and pearl strings, some local Nepali folk dances etc. all in all, it was just an wonderful experience for all Tibetans. After the lunch break a Tibetan Nangma Toeshey group consisting of school music teachers and musicians presented various traditional Tibetan songs.
Namgyal Middle Boarding School was first established in 1981 as Namgyal Hostel with only 20 students in a rented house with several rooms in Chauni, Kathmandu and the students were going to a local school; in 1982, a primary school was established in Kimdole, Kathmandu with the help of a Norwegian aid agency and 185 day school students were added and 13 staff were appointed; in April 1983, the school obtained legal permission from Government of Nepal and was formally named as Namgyal Primary School; due to growing number of students, the school required bigger and additional facilities, so in 1986 with the help of various international and local donors, the school was upgraded and formally renamed was Namgyal Middle Boarding School and in 1999 with the help of various international donors including Fiona Fund, Belgium and SOS Kinderdolf International, the present beautiful school with full facility was constructed in Ichangu, Kathmandu. At present, there are 501 students and 48 staff members and the classes range from Lower Kindergarten to Class Eighth with two section each.
For further details of the school please log on to http://www.nmbs.edu.np
