The School

Bihi School, an extension of Serang Primary School, born from a vision in 2022 guided by founder Nubtul Rinpoche and supported by Human Care & Education e.V and the Merck Family Foundation. Built to accommodate the growing number of students and staff at Serang Primary School. Bihi School became a reality from March 25 to October 2023. Nestled in the Bihi ward of Nubri valley at 2120m, Bihi School welcomes young learners to a more favorable climate compared to its predecessor, Serang Primary School, standing at 3200m where winter temperatures plunge to -15°C. Our strategic plan is designed for productivity and meaningful impact—grades 8 to 10 thrive at Serang School, harnessing the resilience of older students in challenging weather, while Bihi School hosts grades Nursery to 7 and special classes. This ensures not just a safer learning environment but also operational efficiency, cost-effective food transfer, and convenient access to medical facilities at the nearby Bihi Health Post. The heartbeat of Bihi School is community connection, achieved by employing local residents as staff, making a meaningful impact on students and the community. The official inauguration on October 22, 2023, marked the culmination of this endeavor. More than a response to overcrowding, Bihi School stands as an educational sanctuary, offering children not just more space but better living conditions and a pathway to a brighter future.

Nubri is one of the most isolated and undeveloped areas in the Nepal, isolated from Tibet by the main range of the  Himalaya, and from the rest of lowland Nepal by treacherous trails.The people of Nubri still practice traditional livestock herding and subsistence farming, and lacks access to  healthcare, education, and transportation, and often evern basic necessities, such as clothing, food, and shelter. Typically, beginning at a young age, village children work from seven in the morning until just before dusk, and face a life of limited opportunities. 

At the same time, these resource-limited families understand how important education is for their children, and are acutely aware of that an opportunity for their children to attend Serang Primary School will benefit their lives, as well as bring economic self-sufficiency to the Nubri Valley. 

Serang is located in Nubri-Kyimolung, also referred to as -"the Hidden Valley of Happiness," - a sacred spot associated with Guru Padmasambhava, one of the founders of Tibetan Buddhism. It is situated at a height of 3045 meters in Gorkha district Manaslu Conservation Area. Despite its remoteness and underdeveloped Serang and Nubri  offer breathtaking mountain views and an environment rich with wildlife (including Himalayan Tahr), in the midst of thriving Himalayan culture, language, and heritage. Sacred sites and monuments representative of the Tibetan Buddhist worldview  are found throughout the valley. The people of Serang and its neighboring communities live in a symbiotic relationship with nature and other sentient beings. 

Since 2022, Tulku Karma Rinpoche and Nuptul Rinpoche have offered monks under the age of fifteen the chance to attend Serang Primary School, in additional to their monastic studies. Initially, 24 young monks enrolled in the School, which increased to 36 monks after the first year. From 9am to 4pm, these young monks study the standard Nepali school system curriculum supplemented by classes on religion, culture, and Dharma. At the monastery, they are also taught lama dance, ceremonial practice, chanting, traditional music, and Tibetan spelling, grammar, and recitation. The Serang monks are encouraged to participate in after-school activities as well. 

Serang Primary School also has a hostel which houses up to 100 children, aged five to fifteen, enrolled in the kindergarten through grade seven, overseen and taught by 22 teachers and support staff members. Along with secular education, the school  also provides teaching in English, Nubri Tibetan dialect and Nepali. These subjects are complemented by health, math, science, computer, and social studies and moral education curricula that are currently used by the government of Nepal. All students participate in daily prayer and get instruction in Buddhism. The monk students have an even busier schedule, as they read Dharma texts and learn monastic rituals when they return to the monastery.