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Silver Jubilee: Sankhu-Palubari Community School

January 27, 2025

SPCS School 25 Anniversary

The Sankhu Palubari Community School (SPCS) was founded in 1999 to provide the most vulnerable children in this rural agricultural Kathmandu Valley community with education as an alternative to child labor. A partnership between The Advocates, Nepali administrative partner Educate the Children, and the local community, SPCS currently serves 375 students in pre-K through 10th grade. By providing a completely free, high-quality education for 25 years, the school has made the right to education a reality for more than 1,000 low-income children in Nepal.

Since 1999, Nepal has made improvements in some areas of education, particularly basic primary education. Public education at government schools in Nepal is technically free, but school fees and the cost of textbooks, uniforms, and supplies are a barrier that keeps children from the poorest families out of school. SPCS addresses that barrier by providing access to education, and a daily meal, at no cost. The school also welcomes all children regardless of caste or ethnicity; approximately 7% of students are Dalit and 55% are Indigenous, from families who do not speak Nepali at home. From the beginning, gender parity has been an important priority for SPCS as even today almost 80 percent of girls do not reach grade 11 in Nepal.

In 1999, SPCS started with 20 kindergarten students in one room. Today, SPCS serves 375 students in pre-K through 10th grade. Students now attend classes in a beautiful and functional 25-room school building donated by Kathy and Al Lenzmeier and dedicated in 2017. Thanks to The Advocates’ supporters and special 25th anniversary fundraising initiatives, SPCS will debut a new science lab, expanded computer lab, and newly equipped and furnished early childhood learning classrooms in the coming months. SPCS students continue to excel on national standardized tests – the most important metric in Nepali education – scoring in the highest percentiles in a country where on average only 45% of 10th grade students pass.

By providing a completely free, high-quality education for 25 years, the school has made the right to education a reality for more than 1,000 low-income children in Nepal.


Jennifer Prestholdt (pictured on the left with SPCS student Jenny) and Robin Phillips traveled to Nepal in October with board members Ali McElroy and David Vander Haar and volunteers Aviva Breen, David Feroe, Linda Svitak, and Lynn Vander Haar to further our regular evaluation and monitoring of the Nepal School Project. The team interviewed all 9th and 10th grade students and met with the teachers, the School Management Committee, local community leaders and the district education chief. In addition, the team visited other schools in the local area and in Kathmandu, as well as the community health post to learn about vaccination and other public health initiatives for SPCS students.

The highlight of the visit was the celebration of the 25th anniversary (Silver Jubilee) of the Sankhu Palubari Community School on October 25. During the program, students performed cultural dances from different regions of Nepal and presented a drama they wrote themselves. Local community leaders and representatives from The Advocates gave speeches and presented academic and sports awards to the students. Teachers who have worked at SPCS more than 10 years (including several who have taught at SPCS since the very beginning) received recognition for their dedication and service.

Many SPCS graduates have gone on to pursue higher education and careers as engineers, nurses, doctors, teachers, and accountants in Nepal, as well as in countries like Japan and Australia. The first female graduate of SPCS is getting her PhD in agronomy in India. One of last year’s graduates beat out 1,500 applicants to win a full scholarship to study at a prestigious school in Kathmandu. But it’s important to note that every SPCS graduate has successfully completed the education level that allows them to pursue careers as civil servants or in the police and military. Over 25 years, we have witnessed the dramatic difference that accessing the right to education has made in creating opportunities and changing the lives of SPCS students, their families, their community, and their country.