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In connection with my recent visit to BNKS for SEBS/FOBS/BNKS meeting, I also had an opportunity to visit various buildings and had an opportunity speak with many teachers and students. I personally believe school’s management is stronger than ever compared to the British era. Having seen with my own eyes, I can vouch to you that school is in much better shape. School’s Jubliee Garden, Parents waiting area, Paintings done by the Creative Club in the Walls of Indoor sports hall, expansion of newspaper reading room into former Nepali department room, Pestalozzi Center, well maintained computer lab, best SLC results in the history of school (while the country had the lowest pass rates), myriads of clubs including first ever Chinese Language Classes in the school level, better A-level results, better SAT and TOEFL scores, increased cooperation from SEBS/FOBS, all leads me to believe that school is doing EXCEPTIONALLY well. And just while we were sitting down for meeting with, Mr. NP Sharma opened a letter from Connecticut College. International Counselor of Connecticut College wrote a letter to the Principal of BNKS mentioning him about the outstanding results that Kapil Mishra 841B (now in Yale) and Anil G.C. 953B had produced in Connecticut. They also enclosed a check for around $50 to the school as a monetary reward. Mr. Nani Ram K.C. also mentioned that there was some inenation exams that our A2 bhai’s/bahini had taken. We had the best results in the world so an application fee of Rs 42,000 was returned as rewards for the school. Who are these people who are telling me school was headed North? Think again.

School designed to handle 500 students has over stretched its resources to handle around 900 “boarding” students. And above all we’ve given equal opportunity for both sexes to study. Isn’t that a remarkable achievement? Principal has a monumental task of balancing the needs of the school and fending off all sorts of external pressure while at the same time charting successful course for BNKS. SEBS needs to stand by the school management in achieving the goal of Center of Excellence.

Even when our country is under such political turmoil, BNKS continues in its mission to disseminate knowledge to it’s best and the brightest. I gave A++ to Mr. NP and his management team including all teachers, admin staff and especially SEBSers who have gone back to the school to take the teaching profession and reminding everyone of us, that while aiming to reach the sky we should not forget that our feet are still in the ground. Go see for yourself, talk to students and teachers and juxtapose it with your time in BNKS and you’ll know what I mean. Sweat and dedication of every admin staff and teachers who are over worked, under paid and even under appreciated by students are setting the example to the world by making it the best school ever. Is there room for improvement? You bet (Read the wish list). Thus the saga of excellence continues.

I also visited Makalu House. Former didi from Dhaulagiri has moved to Makalu house. She sends her best wishes to Kanchan 123B dai and Netra 121B. Dayrooms are more crowded but Carrom board goes on. One of my most embarrassing moment came when I tried to lie down in my former bed in Lions (Makalu ground floor). I could easily fit in. Looks like I never grew up after class 5. To make matters worse, my former PE kattu I used to wear in class 6 in BNKS easily fit me too. My wife got kicks out of it. From school I bought three different sets of ties, one belt (famous BNKS brand), one PE kattu, and every house color vest which will be on display during SEBS reunion in Washington DC. I think they did away with the “Winner 90” brand RED swimming Trunk. Bishnu dai, former Chemistry Lab Technician is in school stores these days.

Scholarship Situation in BNKS: I had a chance to sit-down with Bal Raj Budha 803C (from Jumla, currently in class Six) and Binod Rai from Bhojpur. Bal Raj hails form Okharpatha, Jumla near Haat Sinja (place of Nepali language origination). He has to walk for 2 days from Jumla airport to reach his home and is a Full-scholarship student. His parents are subsistence farmers. Things are not the same for scholarship students these days. They have to pay their own transportation fares and daily allowances. They are also responsible for their own clothing and fees associate with any extra-curricular activities they wish to join. He owes school Rs. 5,500 and is very worried about how he/his family is going to pay for it. He said he has to make three trips by air to Jumla to coincide with three official vacation policy of BNKS. These trips has been burdensome financially for him and round-ticket from KTM-Nepaljung-Jumla isn’t cheap either (he does get a 30% student discount though). I personally strongly approve the school’s move in charging these fees to scholarship (as travel and clothing expenditures used to be misused in the past but at the same time loan program from School/SEBS would help alleviate burden to the real victims like Bal bhai.

On the same note the school fee has reached anything from 5,000-6,500 (I might be wrong in recalling this figure), but it’s still very cheap. Even for a full fee payer this is a bargain education for the resources that are available in the school. Current market price for such an education if you consider all buildings, swimming pool, land prices etc would come to about Rs. 15,000 – Rs. 20,000 per month. So everyone who goes to BNKS regardless of fee-paying status owes to the Nepali people and Nepal.

We also had a wonderful chance to meet with very kind bhai and bahini who are acting as SEBS reps (from A1) – Bibek 208C (Bibek_208@hotmail.com) and Maunta Manandhar 289C (manuntamanandhar@yahoo.com) .

Teachers we meet were: Mr. NP Sharma, Mr. BK Vaidya (still looks so young), Mr. CR Shakya (minus his famous jacket, he has a new one now), Mr. Keshar Khulal, Mr. IG Shrestha, Mrs. Hira Gurung, Mr. Khanal (pulled my chick this time too), Mr. Pradeep Sharma, Mr. ON Pant, Mr Nani Ram KC (Bursar), Mr. & Mrs. Prajapati, Atiram dai, Deepak Kayastha dai, Mr. LB Thapa, Mr. TL Karna, other teachers that I have already mentioned in my previous posting. Office Secretary didi/and dai , Kitchen Chefs and FOBS Excomm members.

Would like to thank everyone who made us feel very welcome. We took plenty of pictures and will update them soon.