Kaski Modernized Festival: Parents as Buyers, Students as Sellers

Pokhara – Ishwara Limbu of Banjhapatan, Pokhara-13, paid 500 rupees and bought two cushions. She didn't actually need cushions, but when she arrived at the festival held at Kaski Modernized School, she couldn't stop herself, took out 500 rupees from her bag, and walked away with the two cushions. She is a parent at the school and had come to observe the festival organized by the school.

At the festival, the school's students were selling items they had made themselves. "When I went to observe the festival, I saw the school students creating and selling various kinds of materials," she said. "After seeing the items made by my own children, I bought them to encourage them, even though I didn't need them."

Like her, all the parents who came to the festival observed the materials made by their children, bought the items, and took them home. This first festival organized by the school saw parents acting as buyers and students as sellers.

At the festival, parents bought various kinds of objects and food items made by the students. The school arranged for the students themselves to receive the money remaining after deducting the expenses from the sales.

Manushi Bhandari, a student studying in Grade 8, informed that this festival organized by the school has paved the way for connecting education with employment. "The school organized the festival and taught us the good practice of how we can connect with employment," she said. "The festival became a platform for all students of the school to showcase their talents." Along with her, students studying in Grades 7, 8, and 9 made and sold handicrafts at the festival.

The parents who came to observe the festival were astonished by the talents of their children. Raman Giri of New Road, Pokhara-8, a parent at the school, stated that the festival became a platform for the school's students to display their talents.

The students were busy displaying and selling educational materials, exhibiting and selling paintings, making and selling handicrafts, organizing sports activities, preparing snack items, and displaying and selling books.

Parents who bought goods worth up to 1,000 rupees were given coupons, and prizes were also awarded through a lottery draw. Prizes were given to the top 20 winners through the lottery.

The festival was organized under the main slogan, "Our Own Identity Seen in the Educational Sector, Our Campaign for the All-Around Development of Our Students' Abilities," informed Ram Bahadur Mochi, the Founding Principal of the school.

"This festival, organized for the first time, was completed so smoothly and grandly. The school expresses its gratitude and thanks to everyone who supported this campaign," he said. "We look forward to your support in similar school activities in the coming days."

The festival, viewed as a confluence of art, literature, education, sports, creation, and entertainment, became a gathering place for the school's teachers, students, former students, and parents.

Shibalal Upadhyay, the program coordinator and Assistant Principal of the school, informed that students from Nursery to Grade 2 and Grades 8 to 10, along with former students and parents, participated in the festival on Friday, while students from Grades 3 to 7 and Grades 11 and 12, along with parents and former students, participated on Saturday. The festival featured presentations by the school's students, former students, and parents.

Speaking at the closing ceremony of the festival, Loknath Acharya, the Chief of the District Education Development and Coordination Unit Kaski, stated that this festival is an exemplary event for making students self-reliant.

"It is the school's job to bring out the talents of the students and make them self-reliant, which the festival has fulfilled," he said. "This success is achieved through the intimate relationship between parents and the school, and that intimate relationship exists in this school."

He pointed out that getting a GPA of four is not enough for a student to succeed and emphasized that education that teaches students how to live life is the current need. "If a student has an excellent certificate but lacks the ability to live life, manners, and love for society, then that certificate mocks the student," he said. "Therefore, along with an excellent certificate, there is a need for education that teaches how to live life, and that is found in this school."

Prizes for the school's academic and extra-curricular activities were distributed at the festival, and the presentations at the festival were judged competitively, with prizes awarded to the winners.

The program was presided over by Radha Nepali, the Chairperson of the School Management Committee. Krishana Prasad Koirala (Chairperson of the Amar Singh Higher Secondary School Management Committee), Shibu Dhakal (Head of the School's Academic Department), teacher Anurag Adhikari, and students Shiksha Khadka and Supriya Bhandari also spoke at the event.