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Dedicated to
improving the lives of people -- especially women and children -- in the
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Bright Futures funds innovative "share
the gift"
scholarships
Catherine set about to find a private school for Samip. There are many private educational institutions in Kathmandu, but Catherine discovered that the premier private school is Galaxy School. Founded by Geeta Rana in 1986 with just nine students and two teachers, Galaxy is now one of the largest and most prestigious schools in the Kathmandu Valley with 4,000 students and 500 teachers. Catherine spent three days visiting the school, meeting with teachers, interviewing students, observing classes, and talking with Geeta. It is Geeta’s educational philosophy, evident everywhere at Galaxy, that ultimately sold Catherine. Here’s what Geeta has to say about education at her school:
Galaxy has excellent facilities, including a library and science and computer labs. Music, dance, and drama are an integral part of the curriculum. The school also has boarding facilities, which was important to Catherine. She wanted Samip to board at school, ensuring that he would acquire the necessary discipline to learn, would have access to before-and-after school study programs, extra-curricular activities and sports, and would be well fed.
"Oh, didi [big sister], my future is bright!" -- 10-year-old Samip, upon learning that he could go to Galaxy School
Catherine
decided that Galaxy School would be the best place for Samip. She met with
Samip’s Samip enrolled at Galaxy School in April of 2001, and he is doing well. The school provides Catherine with Samip’s progress reports. Samip writes a postcard to her every month telling her of his life at school, and he sends her emails every now and then.
We have
developed an application and screening process by which future
scholarship recipients will be selected. Included is the Raven Test which
determines intellectual ability utilizing a non-verbal format. It is useful for
international applications because it does not require that the test-taker
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Bright Futures Foundation Copyright © 2007 Bright Futures Foundation. All rights reserved. Last updated 11/2/07 |
During
Catherine Wood's (our founder -- learn about her
“My
aim is to provide an all around education in which children are prepared to face
any crisis in life with moral dignity and to become useful and loyal citizens of
the country. Galaxy seeks to prepare a student not merely to pass examinations
or enter a profession, but also aims at creating a tolerant, balanced,
independent individual with the right attitude of mind and spirit and a desire
to help others. Its special characteristic is the wide range of activities that
it provides with the idea of developing a full personality and to bring out the
talents of the students for their own benefit and that of society as a whole.
Galaxy School is dedicated to the principle that the future of humanity rests in
the hands, hearts and minds of those who will accept responsibility for
themselves and others in an increasingly diverse society. This principle of
individual and social responsibility is realized in the context of a distinctive
comprehensive experience which nurtures in our students the emergence and
development of skill, perspectives and ethics necessary to better themselves and
society.”
English is the medium of instruction at Galaxy as it gives access to modern
knowledge not readily available in Nepali. Moreover, English is the language of
universal culture and diplomacy, and the ability to speak it gives students an
introduction to Western thought and culture. In recognition of the growing
importance of China in world affairs, Galaxy's students now also study Mandarin
Chinese. Students are encouraged to solve
their own problems and shoulder responsibilities. Much emphasis is given to
pre-primary and primary education since children are most impressionable at this
stage. Intellectual growth comes from a highly qualified teaching staff
conducting rigorous classes. 
parents and offered to send their son to Galaxy School through Class 12.
The family was thrilled, and so was Samip.
As his first act of assuming responsibility for his own education, Samip signed
a little "Moral Contract" with Catherine formalizing their expectations. In
return for Catherine's promise to pay for his education, Samip promises (1) to
work hard to get good grades, (2) never in his life to beat a girl or a woman,
and (3) when he has completed Grade 12, to do his very best to help a young
Nepali girl get an education in the same way that he has been helped. Click
Other people have liked Catherine’s novel approach with Samip and have chosen to
help other children go to Galaxy School with scholarships through Bright Futures
Foundation. At this time, there are 13 Bright Futures scholars attending
Galaxy School. All of the students have signed contracts similar to Samip’s, and
all of the students write monthly postcards to us. Galaxy School provides us
with each student’s progress reports. We monitor our students’ achievements
closely, and are very involved in their education. 
understand English. We have devised a set of definitive criteria by which
a prospective scholar’s application is evaluated. Recently, we set a goal
of having at least one student from each of Nepal’s 14 provinces. The 11
students currently under scholarship represent six provinces. It is important
to us that Bright Futures scholars have the desire to get the best
education possible and to remain in their own country. In that way, we hope to
educate the future leaders of Nepal. 