Devbala Karki Bisht

Founder and Principal of the Himalaya Inter College 

Devbala Bisht, Founder and Principal of the Himalayan Public School, has received accolades from the government recognizing the exemplary education she provides to children from the rural mountain communities.

In 1998, Devbala grew HPS into the bustling campus that the HEF founder, Jay Hardikar, saw when he arrived ten years later.

Devbala always wanted to educate small children from rural villages. While she applied for teaching positions, she offered free tutoring to children from poor families. Eventually, she decided to start her own school.

As a child, Devbala frequently visited her father's village, a tiny hamlet near Chakouri, 100 miles north of the family home in Nainital. Papa Ji approached their wealthy former landlord, Maharajah Singh Bisht, asking for help starting a school. The Maharajah gave them an old cowshed on the outskirts of his land. This small, tumbled-down building became the toehold for her dream.

The situation in Chakouri was desperate in the late 1990s. The once-thriving farming community could no longer support families. Inheritance laws, requiring the division of ancestral land among heirs, meant that farm plot sizes were shrinking. Climate change was already taking a toll. The hills were denuded of their dense forest cover of oaks and conifers. Employment was scarce, and the existing work was low-paid, often grueling manual labor. Young people were abandoning their mountain villages for marginal jobs in the cities. The local public school went to fifth grade with one teacher for 150 students. English was not taught, and almost no one attended high school.

Devbala was committed to the idea that poor children in remote villages could excel academically and professionally with a good education. "I wanted to prepare children for going out in the world, which meant teaching in English, the global language. Even if the children were good academically, if they didn't know English, they wouldn't have confidence or skills for college or jobs."

Devbala moved into the cow shed to start the first English-speaking school in the region. As she tells it, "I was so young. It was such a good opportunity for me. I was so happy that I would finally be the teacher! I would get a blackboard and a real classroom."

Walking the dirt roads and paths, Devbala went door to door, inviting children to join her. Local parents were skeptical that she could succeed because she was young, single, female, and unknown. They chided her, "You’ll be here for a few months and then return to the city." Farm families saw no value in paying to send their children to a private school. At first, only two children joined, Mohit and Prakash Mahara.

Over time, as people got to know her, more students came. Because of the distance, many came to class and moved in with her. Eventually, she had twenty children living in the cowshed with her. “We used the building as a classroom during the day and a hostel at night.” It was a grim place with no electricity, no kitchen or bathroom. It had housed cows for many years and bore all the signs of a well-used barn. She had no employees and did everything herself, carrying buckets of water for cooking and bathing from a spring about 1/4 mile away. "I struggled with everything - how to eat and survive."

The school was isolated, surrounded by forest and tea gardens. There was no town, only a few homes, a Police Station, and a Government Guest House. Wild leopards, which occasionally attack livestock and humans, lived in the forest, so everyone had to be indoors before dark. Getting groceries or supplies was an ordeal. Without a car, she traveled a full day by public jeep to the closest market town. The nearest phone was 25 miles away, and there was no internet. "I couldn't connect with anyone if I had a problem, not family, not anyone, but I had little children living with me, so I was not afraid."

"I was so young, and each day brought something new for me. I had so many problems. I learned many lessons!" Devbala had no curriculum, books, toys, or furniture. She had no real experience as a teacher or as a caretaker. There was no money, so improvements came very slowly. She wore all the hats, tackling each obstacle one at a time. "Step by step" became her mantra.

It was hard to attract or keep teachers. The Government schools paid more and didn't require the same dedication and hardship. Young teachers would come for short stints and quickly leave because they didn't like the miserable conditions in the dormitory or village. In contrast, Devbala lived with the boarding students in the hostel for 28 years. She got her first apartment on the school grounds in her late forties.

Gradually, she inspired others to join her. After six months, her mother’s relative, Bhupendra Popula came. He managed the administration of the school, as he still does 25 years later. In the early years, Devbala and Popula didn’t take salaries. "We had one room, and then some furniture, little things added, which was very good for us." Everyone chipped in to make the school succeed. "Our parents were not wealthy. They were educators but donated their salaries to help us." Out of their generosity, Devbala paid for two teachers and purchased supplies. Over time, the school became a family operation. Relatives arrived to work in the kitchen, the laundry, and the grounds. Her brother, Prakash, came and stayed on as School Manager.

HEF became involved in 2009, providing scholarships for students whose families could not afford the tuition. The Himalayan Public School now educates students through the twelfth grade. As such it is now called the Himalayan Inter College, HIC. With HEF’s ongoing support, by 2022, there were 50 teachers and 890 students. Staying true to their family’s mission of educating poor students from remote communities, 40% of the children are on scholarship, and 170 are from the lowest or scheduled castes. Many more come from needy families that make considerable sacrifices to send their children.

Devbala’s vision and indomitable commitment sowed the seeds of transformational change – not only at her school but also in the region. There are now 25 private schools teaching English in the area – but only HIC focuses on giving scholarships to local poor children.