Khumjung School (also known as Hillary School) is located in the heart of the Sagarmatha National Park in the Khumbu region, Solukhumbu district, Nepal. Founded by famous mountaineer Sir Edmund Hillary in 1961, the school has gradually expanded from its small but celebrated beginnings as it endeavours to keep up with the demand for education from the local people. Now, with an enrolment of over 300 pupils, the school teaches preschoolers and Grades 1 to 10. Khumjung School is the only high school in the Khumbu region and it is fed by six primary schools in the periphery villages. The school is situated in a picturesque Sherpa village at a height of 3790 m (13,000 ft), from where innumerable impressive mountains, including Mt Everest, can be seen.
Khumjung School has been very fortunate to receive help from many international friends and donors to ensure it can offer students a quality education even in its remote location. Since the school’s construction in 1961, Sir Edmund Hillary and the Himalayan Trust have supported the school with many projects and funds. More recently other organisations have become involved with the school,
A group of enthusiastic and responsive former students from Khumjung School organised a special meeting in Kathmandu on March 14th, 2009 and passed a resolution to form a ‘Khumjung School Alumni Association’. The meeting also has created an ‘Ad hoc committee’ to initiate the establishment and formalise the Association.
50 years ago the Sherpa people of the Khumbu valley took the choice to be educated and it was with great enthusiasm that those first ever pupils of Khumjung School embraced learning. The children at Khumjung School today show the same enthusiasm and passion for learning that their predecessors did, the same commitment to education, the same desire to learn. They make full use of the facilities, and now pupils from many different areas of the Khumbu valley are able to make use of the hostel facilities and therefore receive their education in Khumjung.
The Parent/Teacher Association consists of 14 or more members of interested parents and teachers. The Association is expected to:
support the SMC in setting the highest standards in all school activities;
support the authority and discipline of the school, helping the other parents and their children to achieve maturity, self discipline and self control;
The Teaching staff at Khumjung School are committed to a shared vision. Khumjung School values trust and consultation. Professional relationships are based on the skills of giving and receiving effective feedback. The school values the skills and experience of all the staff.
The teaching staff have a passion for education and an ability to communicate effectively. Through an ongoing investment in the professional development of the staff, Khumjung School can provide cultural and effective teaching that is tailored to the specific needs of the students.
Seek to develop each individual student's talents as fully as possible.
Effectively apply child-centred teaching methods and set the highest standards in work and behaviour.
Provide a high standard of formal education through a balanced curriculum.
Encourage a genuine love of learning so that work as well as play is regarded as enjoyable and allows the students to develop their personality.
Create an environment in which all pupils are encouraged to excel in whatever subjects they undertake.
Develop in each pupil the love and loyalty for their culture and motherland so that they can serve and give back in greater measure all they have absorbed at the school.
Develop a morally disciplined and happy community environment in which the children can foster friendships and achieve personal fulfilment.
Conduct extra-curricular activities and establish beneficial relationships with the people and organisations so that the school's facilities may be improved with their support.
