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Active Education & Schools

Digital Shiksha Lab

A solar-backed ICT lab serving 640 students across 5 schools. Computer exposure jumped 9% → 88%.

Khandadevi, Ramechhap (Bagmati) 2024–2026 640 beneficiaries NPR 1,845,000

One lab, five schools, 640 students.

A 21-computer ICT lab with solar backup and an offline learning server at Shree Janata Secondary School — shared by four feeder schools.

Students in grades 6–12 get scheduled weekly computer classes; before this lab, 91% had never touched a computer. The offline server delivers grade 8–10 STEM content without depending on the village's unreliable internet.

Teachers train alongside students: a digital-pedagogy pathway turns the lab from a room of machines into a change in how classes are taught. The whole spec is documented so the municipality can replicate it.

"Our students used to see computers only in textbook pictures. Now they book their lab hour a week ahead."
— School principal, Khandadevi

At a glance

  • Program: Education & Schools
  • Location: Khandadevi Rural Municipality, Ramechhap
  • Duration: 2024–2026
  • Budget: NPR 1,845,000
  • Beneficiaries: 640 students · 18 teachers · 4 feeder schools

Four objectives, each with a number.

Weekly computer access for every student

Target: 600+ students in grades 6–12 with a scheduled weekly lab session.

Teachers who teach digitally

Target: 18 teachers trained through the digital-pedagogy pathway.

STEM content without internet

Target: grade 8–10 STEM curriculum served from the offline learning server.

A spec others can copy

Target: 1 replicable lab specification adopted by the municipality for feeder schools.

Success criteria

  • 600+ students in weekly classes
  • 18 teachers certified in digital pedagogy
  • Offline server live with grade 8–10 STEM
  • Lab spec adopted by the municipality

Where NPR 1,845,000 goes.

Budget breakdown (NPR)
ItemNPRShare
21 laptops + offline server1,050,00057%
Solar backup & wiring310,00017%
Furniture & room retrofit185,00010%
Teacher training (3 rounds)140,0008%
Offline content localization90,0005%
Monitoring & contingency70,0004%
Total1,845,000

Budget notes

  • Solar backup was non-negotiable — 14 hrs/week of outages.
  • Municipality co-funds feeder-school mini-labs from 2025.

Who this reaches

640
students (grades 6–12, 52% girls)
18
teachers trained
4
feeder schools
  • 640 students across grades 6–12, 52% girls
  • 18 teachers on the digital-pedagogy pathway
  • 4 feeder schools sharing the hub lab

From MoU to handover

Q3 2024
School MoU + procurement

Agreement signed; equipment ordered.

Q4 2024
Lab installed, first teacher training
Q1 2025
Student classes begin
Q3 2025
Municipality co-funds feeder-school mini-labs
Q2 2026
Handover to school management committee

Before → after

Students with any computer exposure

Before
9%
After
88%

Teachers using digital materials weekly

Before
2
After
14

Grade-10 computer-science optional enrollment

Before
0
After
61
  • Students with any computer exposure: 9% → 88%
  • Grade-10 computer-science optional enrollment: 0 → 61

People behind it

Local coordinator

School ICT teacher (part-time paid).

6 municipal youth volunteers

Setup and ongoing support.

Diaspora mentor

Nepali software engineer in Australia — monthly virtual sessions.

Partners

  • Ward office (room renovation)
  • Municipality education unit

How it aligns

SDG 4 · Quality Education

National alignment

  • SESP 2022–2032 digital pillar
  • Digital Nepal Framework 2.0

Lessons learned

  • Solar backup was non-negotiable (14 hrs/week outages).
  • Train two teachers per skill so transfers don't kill the lab.
  • Involve the municipality financially from day one.

This project profile is an illustrative example developed for program design and partnership discussions.