Bharatpur Includes Blood Donation Education in Local Curriculum

Bharatpur Metropolitan City has included blood donation education in its local curriculum developed for students in Grades 6 to 8. According to the metropolitan city, this is the first time in Nepal that blood donation education has been incorporated into a school curriculum in this manner.

Subash Chandra Acharya, Chief of the Educational Administration Division of Bharatpur Metropolitan City, said the subject has been included under the curriculum area titled "Disaster" (Bipad), considering the recurring shortage of blood in Chitwan.

He explained that the objective is to encourage students to develop an interest in blood donation. He added that the education would help foster humanity, a spirit of service, and positive attitudes towards blood donation among children.

Acting Mayor of Bharatpur Metropolitan City, Chitrasen Adhikari, said blood donation education was incorporated into the curriculum following consultations with medical professionals and education experts. He stated that the decision was based on the need for blood donation, its importance, and its humanitarian value.

Bharatpur is home to a federal hospital (Bharatpur Hospital), BP Koirala Memorial Cancer Hospital, two major medical colleges, and more than 20 private hospitals. Patients undergoing cancer treatment, women receiving maternity care, and accident victims are among those who require substantial amounts of blood.

The district has a daily demand of approximately 150 units of blood. Acting Mayor Adhikari said blood shortages occur throughout the year, often forcing patients and their families to find blood donors themselves.

He explained that the importance of blood donation was included in the local curriculum to encourage greater awareness and motivation for blood donation.

Bharatpur Metropolitan City has a total of 111 community schools and 97 institutional (private) schools. Among them, 74 community schools and 80 institutional schools offer education at the lower secondary level (Grades 6–8).

According to the metropolitan city, more than 25,000 students are currently studying at the lower secondary level in these schools.