Kathmandu: Indian envoy to Nepal Manjeev Singh Puri inaugurated a school building in Udayapur district and laid the foundation stone for construction of a campus building for another educational institution in Basaha in the same district, for which India has extended NRs 66.44 million as financial aid, a statement said.
The newly-constructed building of Shree Janata Higher Secondary School in Jogidaha consists of 12 classrooms along with separate toilets for boys and girls on each floor, compound wall and furniture.
He also laid the foundation stone for the Shree Narad Aadarsha Education Campus in Basaha.
The NRs 66.44 million financial assistance for the construction of these buildings falls under the Indian government's Small Development Programme Scheme as part of India-Nepal Economic Cooperation Programme, an Indian Embassy press release said.
Currently, more than 600 students are enrolled in this school and more than 65 per cent of them are girl students.
In his inaugural address, Ambassador Puri stressed on the importance of proper infrastructure for ensuring access to quality education to all.
The Ambassador urged students to make maximum use of the newly inaugurated building. He also announced the Mahatma Gandhi scholarship for two meritorious students of each school who score the highest marks in Class 10 for further studies in Class 11 and 12.
The Shree Narad Aadarsha Education Campus, affiliated to Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, was established in 2003 and more than 175 students are enrolled in the campus and 75 per cent of them are girls. The new infrastructure would provide much needed classroom space and create an improved environment for learning and contribute to the development of the education facilities in Udyapur district, it said.
Earlier, the Government of India has provided financial assistance of NRs 81.50 million for five completed and ongoing projects in the district. Additionally, the Government of India has, in the past, provided 11 ambulances recognizing the need of the people of the district.
Ambassador Puri also visited B.P. Koirala Institute of Health Sciences at Dharan, which is the largest institute providing specialized healthcare services to Eastern Nepal for decades.