HETAUDA, June 21 -- Phulmaya Chepang passed her eighth grade with decent marks from Dhirang Basic School in a remote village of Raksirang, Makwanpur, in the last academic year. However, she has to repeat her eighth grade this academic session as well, as there are no secondary schools in or around the village. Phulmaya's case is not an anomaly--the graduates of Dhirang, a remote Chepang settlement in Raksirang Rural Municipality-7, have no other option but to repeat classes or quit studies altogether.

There are 11 students in grade eight of Dhirang Basic School. Among them, four have been studying in the same class for the past two years. The nearest secondary school, Rastriya Madhyamik Vidhyalaya, is in Silinge, which is a six-hour walk...