Thuli Maya Tamang never imagined she'd see a school up close. Now she is helping run one for the children of her village. Everyone in Pipara Simara in Bara, Thuli Maya's village of 70 households makes their living crushing stone. It's a hard life, but they've made some real sacrifices so their children have a brighter future. Wanting a better life for their children, they have decided that though they don't have much, they would do their best to get a school in their village. They raised enough funds to establish a primary school, and now each one of them contributes Rs 100 a month to keep it going. Before the neighbourhood school was started, children from Pipara Simara had to trudge 7 km away to Pathlaiya village, and only a handful of children went to school. Now all that is changing, and virtually all school-age children-enough to keep two teachers busy all day-have the opportunity to learn.

The only problem is the district's education administration, which is far from encouraging of such efforts. Children in Pipara Simara village are already half way into their first academic year, but the Bara District Education Office is still hemming and hawing about giving the school a formal license.