SOS Schools: Sanothimi Primary and Secondary School

The combined SOS Primary and Secondary School opened in 1973. There are over 700 pupils, 260 in primary and 460 in secondary. The school is ranked as one of the top schools in the country. The school system of the country is rather poor and so a large percentage of the population is illiterate. Some of the external students are provided with school uniforms and books by SOS Children thus making it possible for even the poorest children of the neighbourhood to attend school.

The school is a comprehensive school with students from the age of four to the age of eighteen (two years of nursery school plus twelve years of school). The older students look after the younger ones and help them with their school work. SOS children are taught together with children from the neighbourhood, which helps their integration into society later on. After the tenth form, students take their GCSE exams.. Students who do not pass this exam often opt for vocational training. Others then take their A' levels after the twelfth form and then go on to university. The introduction of computer education has made students acquainted with modern technology. Computer lessons start in the seventh form. The reputation of the SOS Schools in Nepal is so good that they are now used as model schools for the state school system.