Shankhadevi Secondary School

Shankhadevi Secondary School is located in the Dhading district of Nepal, some about 86 km west of Kathmandu on the way to Pokhara. It was established 57 years ago by then socially conscious individuals from the Jogimara village and was originally named Shree Mahendra National Primary School. It was later renamed as Shree Shankhadevi Primary School on 23 January 1966. The school is named after the deity Shankhadevi, located in Thimang village.

Most of the students are from financially disadvantaged backgrounds, with a significant number being from the Chepang tribe and other marginalized groups such as Dalits and Janajatis. The school is known as a place of education for children from a variety of ethnicities, including Chepang, Magar, Gurung, Damain, Newar, Thakuri, and a small number of Brahimns and Chhetris.

The School building was damaged in the 2015 earthquake in Gorkha, Nepal. A four-room concrete building was severely damaged and had to be demolished, while the remaining 12-room building was partially damaged. We just completed reconstructing the four-room building with support from COYON and Hanuman Onlus.

On 20 March 2022, the building at Shankhadevi Secondary School was officially inaugurated by the Chief Minister of the Bagmati Province, Hon. Rajendra Prasad Pandey. The ceremony was attended by the president and vice president of the Benighat Rorang municipality, the president of Hanuman Onlus from Italy, and a group of Italian volunteers as well as volunteers from COYON.