By A Staff Reporter
Kathmandu, Aug. 26: Real prosperity comes, not by building roads or airports, but by educating children.
This was the belief expressed by Nepali Congress leader and member of the House of Representatives Gagan Thapa at Teach For Nepal (TFN) fellowship application announcement programme on Wednesday.
Thapa, who is also a member of TFN’s leadership council, further explained that educating children meant more than just getting them in a classroom and in front of a teacher. “Education means delivering knowledge to the children in a way they understand. This is something we have not been doing,” he said.

However, TFN has laid the foundation for change, Thapa said, praising its fellows for delivering knowledge within Nepal’s existing educational framework and despite the prevailing limitations.
The lawmaker also stated that the education sector could not move forward with “business as usual” after the pandemic. “COVID-19 has exacerbated the educational inequalities. While some have been able to continue classes online, many have not.

A huge number of children have not received any education for the past two years. This is an immense loss for the country,” he said, adding, “Our focus after the pandemic should be on addressing this loss.”
He also commended TFN for producing fellows with strong ideas about how to solve education’s problems. “Everyone knows the problems but TFN fellows know the solutions,” he said.
Swastika Shrestha, co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of TFN, also spoke on the occasion and stressed the importance of education. She also said that the campaign for equitable education was no less than the struggles and wars of the past.

Ram Thapa, head of TFN’s recruitment and selection team, elaborated on the work of the movement and presented some notable fellows it has produced since its inception in 2013.