Teaching-learning activities at a basic school in Pelma village of Puthauttarganga Rural Municipalilty-2, Rukum (East), have been greatly affected as the headmaster is out of contact, acting headmaster has disappeared and the school management committee chairman is in jail.

Bal Kumar Sharma, headmaster at the Himalaya Basic School, has remained absent since the beginning of the academic session in mid-April last year. It is learnt that he is staying in Kathmandu without informing the school management committee and approving leave.

A headmaster has to take permission from the rural municipality and the Education Development and Coordination Unit for leave. Both the authorities have no information about Sharma’s absence.

Makhan Kumar KC acted as headmaster for a few months in Sharma’s absence. But KC has also been missing for eight months. In a complaint, KC’s family claims that Jas Bahadur Kami, chairman of the school management committee, disappeared him. Jas Bahadur and four others were sent to prison five months ago after the district court remanded them in judicial custody.

Financial transactions and official works have been halted at the institution in the absence of the responsible officials. Education of about 150 students has been affected due to the situation. Himalaya Basic School is the only educational institute in Pelma, a remote settlement in the district. It takes more than four hours to reach another school in the neighbouring settlement.

Bal Bahadur Kami, a guardian and member of the management committee, lamented about the situation and expressed his concerns about the students’ future. According to him, headmaster Sharma received his salary up to mid-October, 2018, and also withdrew Rs281,000 from the school account by forging the signatures of another teacher and an office assistant.

The rural municipality said it would take measures to resolve the problem and ensure a good academic environment at the school. According to Jitaram Kami, a village council member, the rural municipality is concerned about the problem and will solve it soon.