Shree Saraswati Secondary School
श्री सरस्वती माध्यमिक विद्यालय
Gorkha, Nepal · गोरखा, नेपाल
A public community school in the hills of Gorkha, giving children a quality education since 1960, and teaching them to care for their land, water and community.
Welcome to Shree Saraswati Secondary School
Shree Saraswati Secondary School (श्री सरस्वती माध्यमिक विद्यालय) is a public community school in Gorkha district, in the hills of Gandaki Province, Nepal.
Since it was established in 1960 A.D. (वि.सं. २०१६), the school has served generations of families from the surrounding villages, most of whom live and work on the land. Today it has 780 students.
We teach students aged 5 to 19, from primary to secondary level, following the national curriculum of Nepal. Our school is a member of the Eco National Network.
- LocationGorkha, Nepal
- Established1960 A.D. · वि.सं. २०१६
- Students780
- TypePublic, non-profit community school
- LevelsPrimary & secondary (ages 5–19)
- CurriculumNational curriculum of Nepal
To give every student a quality education that builds knowledge, good character and a lifelong sense of responsibility for their community and the environment.
Honoured by the Government of Nepal
Our school has been honoured by the Government of Nepal for outstanding academic performance at the higher secondary level among students of public schools.
Our school is part of the Eco National Network
As a member of the Eco National Network, our school is connected with other schools that care for the environment and work towards sustainability.
What we stand for
Quality education
Strong foundations in Nepali, English, mathematics, science and social studies, following the national curriculum of Nepal.
Learning by doing
Practical, hands-on activities that connect lessons to real life in our village and district.
Care for the environment
Students who understand soil, water, forests and waste, and know how to protect them.
Equal opportunity
Special encouragement for girls and for children from farming families to stay in school and lead.
Good citizens
Honesty, respect, discipline and service to the community.
Community partnership
Working closely with parents, local farmers and partners so learning reaches every home.
The Green Loop
Alongside regular classes, our students run a sustainability project called The Green Loop. They are turning wasted water into clean water, pollution into protein, and monsoon rain into a resource: one closed loop where nothing is wasted.
We live in the hills of Gorkha, where the springs our families depend on are drying up. Yet every day we watched our school canteen pour nutrient-rich water down the drain.
At the same time, we saw classmates coming to school without enough protein. With many fathers working abroad, our mothers manage farms and homes alone, and at around USD 20 a bag, chicken feed made eggs a luxury.
Then a science lesson taught us about duckweed: the fastest-growing plant on Earth, able to clean water and feed animals. We connected the dots, and The Green Loop was born.
Rich in rain, short of water
Gorkha was the epicentre of the 2015 earthquake, and the springs our villages rely on are drying up. In the dry season, women and girls walk far down the hillsides to fetch water. Yet every day, our school canteen poured nutrient-rich greywater down the drain. We saw four problems with one root: valuable resources wasted while basic needs go unmet. Gorkha receives about 1,700 mm of rain a year, around 80% of it in just four monsoon months, yet almost all of it runs off and is lost.
One loop. Four problems solved.
Instead of “use → waste”, we built a circle. The output of each step becomes the input for the next, powered by sunlight, gravity and biology, not electricity or chemicals.
- Capture the rain.Monsoon rain from our roof is stored and used for the canteen and bathrooms, saving spring water for drinking.
- Clean the greywater.Kitchen water passes through a grease trap into duckweed ponds, which strip out nitrogen and phosphorus.
- Grow protein.Duckweed doubles in days and reaches up to 35–45% protein. We harvest and sun-dry it as free poultry feed.
- Feed children.Our hens turn that feed into eggs and meat for student meals.
- Close the loop.Cleaned water drip-irrigates the school garden, surplus duckweed becomes compost, and the cycle begins again.
Built from local materials, run by students
Every part is low-cost and repairable with local skills, so any hill school in Nepal can copy it.
Rainwater harvesting
Gutters, a first-flush filter and a storage tank capture around 300,000 litres per monsoon.
Grease trap & settling tank
Removes oil, food bits and solids before water reaches the ponds. No electricity needed.
Duckweed ponds
A 3-cell pond series where a living plant cleans water while growing high-protein feed.
Polytunnel
A low-cost cover keeps the ponds warm so duckweed grows year-round in the cold hills.
School poultry unit
Laying hens turn recovered nutrients into eggs for school meals.
Drip irrigation demo
Shows local farmers how to use 30–60% less water than flood irrigation.
Water-quality testing
Students measure nitrogen, phosphorus and pH before and after treatment.
Digital records
Students log water quality, duckweed harvest, eggs and meals to track results.
Composting
Surplus duckweed becomes rich compost for the school garden.
What we expect to achieve
From one school to many
Year 1 · Build
- Measure greywater and design the system
- Build grease trap, ponds and polytunnel
- Install rainwater harvesting
- Start the poultry unit
Year 2 · Run
- Full daily operation
- Eggs served in school meals
- Regular water and food safety testing
- Community sessions for mothers
Year 3 · Share
- Publish a free replication guide
- Train neighbouring schools
- Drip irrigation training for farmers
- Grow the Gorkha school network
Sustainable farming in practice
Organic fertilizer from farm waste, careful crop care, and hands-on learning about healthy soil.
“For more than thirty years I have watched families rise before dawn to fetch water, and children arrive too hungry to concentrate. I refuse to believe these hardships must continue.”Krishna Prasad Gotame, supporting teacher
Hear it from our students
Our students explain The Green Loop in their own words.
Support or copy our project
We share everything we learn for free. If you are a school, partner or supporter, we would love to hear from you.
Shree Saraswati Secondary School
- AddressGorkha, Nepal
- SchoolPublic community school · Est. 1960 · 780 students
- FacebookUnder construction
- Emailsaraswatimavii.edu2075@gmail.com
Project contact
- NameSamjhana Khanal
- PositionSustainability Expert