Jyoti Building
	In the classroom
	In the classroom
	Rajat Bhawan

This institute is still known by its original name 'Vanasthali' though it’s nomenclature and the whole looks have changed. If not all the first name Vanasthali occupies the second place even in the changed context by love and admiration. Late Prof. Bhuwan Lal Joshi and an educationist late Hon’ble Vijayanandan joshi founded Vanasthali Vidyashram in 1951 AD jointly. This was housed in a two-storied mud building with tiled roof at Balaju, six kilometers from downtown Kathmandu. The first batch of students comes from the founders’ family to be followed by the children of the neighborhood. Classroom size grew gradually, though school education was considered to be a privilege of the wealthy people.

Late Marshal General Hari Sumsher J. B. Rana donated the land. To open a school itself was a great challenging task in those days when less then 1% people were literate in Nepal and the Rana autocracy was hostile to any academic activities. In spite of all kinds of harassments, the late founders were not to be daunted. But late Mr. Bhowan Lal Joshi’s quest for knowledge made him go for universities in the USA where he studied varied faculties of knowledge and become a professor later. In short time his versatile personality won fame, favor and love in the world of men of letters and passed away quietly. Another founder late Hon’ble Vijayanandan Joshi, a pedant and born-teacher remained a source of inspiration to fight the multifarious problems that school had been confronted with. He died of asthma and prostrate gland. The school was virtually crippled by the demise of them. Thus the school was left at the mercy of the amateurs.

Parents were skeptic about the ability and experience of the new leadership. Thus the number of students went down to margin. His Majesty’s Government came to rescue it from it’s immature death by providing it some financial and manpower support. Undoubtedly, the HMG’s assistance helped to prolong the life of the school but it had lost its vitality as well as the will to survive on its own. The new education system plan came into effect in 1973. Another sick school, Siddhartha English Boarding School, got amalgamated with Vanasthali Vidyashram and rename it by joining the first names from each of them Siddhartha Vanasthali Secondary School.

The amalgamation brought about nothing new but a new long name. The guards of Vanasthali Vidyasharm were chased away one after another. Appointing a new headmaster revitalized struggle for survival. But in three months, he too was chased away by the students and his followers. The coming and going of the new headmasters and the teachers had been a usual phenomenon of the school. Such a trend continued till the 12th successor, Mr. Laxman Rajbanshi, took over the school management in July 1973. He was threatened by the demoralizing situation in his own empire and hostile creditors outside. He was being overburdened by the public debt of Rs. 36,000 plus three months salary of the teachers. He mortgaged his personal image, peace and happiness. The sword of Damocles was hanging over the new headmasters head as well. There was a lack of everything – teachers, furniture, classroom, stationary, etc. Above all, there was a lack of moral courage among his colleagues. Besides financial problems, the academic standard was too frustrating to attract the talented students, which precipitate the situation. It was feared that the dilapidated school building would remain like a haunted house and would be deserted by the remaining children (78) in no time. Before it happened the century’s old building was pulled down to the earth by the monsoon rain and storm.

The heightening of the teachers' moral was the most difficult task the school was most confronted with. A new scheme had been worked out in order to won over the support of the parents. Intelligent as well as poor students scholarship, financial incentives to the teachers and several other benefits were offered to revive the moribund condition of the teachers and the taught. The untiring efforts compounded with hard labor of all teaching staff, a new image of the school emerged in to light. In two years (1975) all the debt was cleared and successfully placed the students in the merit list in the nationally controlled School Graduation Examination (S.L.C.). To some extent the result regained the lost prestige. The new students began to pour in every year. Number of students raised from 78 to 5,300 from class one to ten within 12 years and the teacher’s number (205) too swelled up considerably.

In order to maintain its reputation as the topmost school for last twenty five years on the basis of its SLC result, curricular activities and physical facilities, the management gradually went on cutting down the number of the students up to the manageable size. At present there are 3000 in school and 600 students in the college and 250 teaching and 150 non-teaching staff engaged in teaching learning exercise. With the opening of tertiary level classes (XI and XII) and Three Years Bachelor’s Degree in commerce and management (BBS) it has been renamed SIDDHARTHA VANASTHALI INSTITUTE.The Institute has been doing its best to satisfy the community’s demand for the quality education though there is no unanimity in opinion about what quality education is and should be, in fact. However, it has committed itself to develop it into a full-fledged Institute with multi-dimensional academic research in health, education and cultural activities. Therefore, classes for MA are being planned, besides teaching pure science. The academic Council has been set up aiming at promoting research work in various fields in science, art and culture at its own investment by providing researchers incentives plus laboratory equipments and chemicals for their purposes. Fund has been allocated for such activities. The institution has allocated some fund and will continue aiding it in order to help the Council to realize its aims. The Council, though a brainchild of the institution, remains an autonomous full-fledged organization. The Institute has also patronized Liver Foundation Nepal.

Above all, the motto of the Institute is to work for peace, good understanding and development of friendship between and among the people of different nationalities, It feels that for the stable peace on the earth understanding among the people of different nations is a must. Understanding leads to friendship, which only can guarantee peace. Therefore, it solemnly pledges to utilize its resources to preservation of peace through education, which is the most popular effective media. Keeping this motto in view, it has initiated the exchange programs with different countries. Exchange between the students, teacher, scholars and people of different vocations in a reciprocal basis was successfully carried out. Under this program it had received delegations from the former G. D. R., the U.S.A., former U.S.S.R., the U.K., India, Holland, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Japan and Afghanistan.

It is strictly a private institute. There are school and college managing committees headed by a Board of Directors. Its liabilities as well as assets belong to the institution as long as it exists; otherwise it is a public property, which can be claimed by none. With some surplus budget it has invested about 5 million rupees in the school building construction in the Multi Village East No. 1 besides offering affiliation to different school in Nepal. The institute has already purchased about 22 ropanies of land in Hetauda where it plans to start its branch from 2058. The institute has taken over the complete management of Tribhuwan Adarsha Secondary School situated at phurping since 1995. The main aim of either opening or affiliating different school in rural areas is to make education easily available to the children of under privileged classes with minimum cost under their natural geocultural settings.

The note- worthy feature of its delivery system is democratic in its spirit and collective responsibility in practice. All the school personnel’s are individually as well as collectively responsible. Teachers are involved in both decision-making and implementation as well. The sense of accountability in implementation has been proved to be the effective binding force of all the agencies of the institute.

To make the objective realistic and more progressive it expects unbiased criticism or suggestion from the education loving people in and out of Nepal. It believes that education is the universal asset and, therefore, to keep the educational environment clean and healthy is the responsibility of all. In recognition to the most commendable contribution to the development of the school into a full-fledged institute Mr. Laxman Rajbanshi, an educationist in Nepal, has been honored for life as the fonder of Siddhartha Vanasthali Institute and president of the Siddhartha Vanasthali Academic Council. Also in recognition to Mr. Laxman Rajbanshis contribution to the development of overall education system in Nepal in general and his outstanding service to the institute in particular, he has been recognized by awarding him with Gorkha Dakshin Bahu 4th class, Trishakti patta 4th class, Gorkha Dakshin Bahu 3rd class, Trishakti patta 3rd class, Gorkha Dakshin Bahu 2nd class by his majesty and a national education award along with a certificate of appreciation by the Ministry of education. He was an adviser to the Ministry of Education and culture and general Administration in 199. He was engaged himself in developing viable education system in Nepal as one of the members of the National Education Commission. He will remain a source of inspiration to the teaching community as well as the symbol of the institution.

This institution looks forward to receiving patronage from all without discrimination.