Rampur Municipality Starts Senior Citizens School in Palpa
Rampur Municipality in Palpa has brought a Senior Citizens School into operation for the older generation.
The school has been started at Ramghat Dham in Ward No. 5 with the aim of helping senior citizens live an active life with respect and to pass on their experience and knowledge to the younger generation.
The municipality has constructed the necessary infrastructure and formally launched the school from Wednesday.
Mayor of Rampur Municipality, Raman Bahadur Thapa, stated that the school has been started to transfer the knowledge and experience of senior citizens to the new generation and to create an environment where they can live an active life with dignity.
He said, “When children are away from home for employment and other reasons, senior citizens are often compelled to live a lonely life. We have established this school with the aim of creating a space where they can spend time talking with their peers and share their experience and knowledge with the younger generation.”
The school will provide an environment where the older generation can spend their days together with their peers.
Mayor Thapa further said that there is a plan to develop the school as a centre for the transfer of traditional skills. He mentioned that the main objective is to protect traditional customs and culture.
He added that arrangements have been made to provide religious discourses for senior citizens, and to create a setting where they can make wick-threads for lamps, leaf plates (duna, tapari) and similar items in their free time, along with provisions for marketing these products.
Deputy Mayor Balakumari Thapa said that the school has been started with the concept of a “centre for intergenerational skill transfer.”
She also mentioned that arrangements have been made within the Senior Citizens School to allow students from within the municipality to come for study and learning activities.
Chief Administrative Officer Surya Darshan Pandit stated that the municipality has prepared working procedures for operating the school and has allocated the necessary budget.
He informed that a bus service has also been put into operation to facilitate the movement of senior citizens to and from the school.
Advisor to Rampur Municipality, Sandeep Rana, said that Rampur Municipality has implemented this as a model practice for the first time in the country.
He mentioned that the Senior Citizens School will not only help senior citizens share their life experiences with each other, but also play an important role in keeping the originality of society alive.
Chairperson of Ward No. 5 in Rampur, Durgaprasad Pokharel, expressed confidence that the school will make an important contribution to transferring skills to the new generation.
He said that it will further strengthen the identity of Rampur.
President of the Palpa Senior Citizens Association, Devaraj Dhakal, said that in a context where senior citizens have not been receiving adequate respect, the establishment of this school has made an important contribution to making their daily life easier.
He added that the support and cooperation of everyone will be important for the operation of the school.
According to Chairperson of the School Management Committee, Buddhi Prakash Regmi, more than Rs. 12.6 million has been spent on constructing the physical infrastructure of the Senior Citizens School from the federal, provincial and local governments.
He added that various individuals and organisations have also been providing support.
For the operation of the Senior Citizens School, three buildings have been constructed: a residential building, a senior citizens’ centre and an Acharya residence, along with a waiting hall.
Modern equipment has been installed for physical exercise and therapy. In addition, traditional tools such as the wooden grain pounder (dhiki) and grinding mill (janto) have been set up to help the younger generation learn about traditional materials and practices.
President of the Rampur Senior Citizens Association, Krishnaprasad Aryal, informed that more than three hundred senior citizens have already registered to attend the school.
Inside the school, arrangements have been made for senior citizens to listen to religious discourses, sing devotional songs (bhajan kirtan), undergo health check-ups and receive day-time snacks.
There will also be evening worship (sandhya aarti). A free bus service has been arranged for senior citizens to travel to and from the school.
Palpa Rampur