Introductory trainings in Saptari in collaboration with Dalit Jan Jagaran Sewa Samiti (Dalit Awareness and Welfare Committee) and in Siraha with Everest Memorial Youth Club were organized at the end of December 2011.This was for the first time that CEPP conducted its training in terai – the plains. There was enthusiastic response from the participants. Normally, CEPP did not include teachers in SMC training although the head teacher and a teacher are ex-officio members of SMCs. We wish to prepare SMC members before we mix them with teachers else teachers are naturally outspoken and tend to hijack points of discussions. From political-economy perspective teachers belong to higher social strata: high caste, relatively better-to-do, male and so on.Due to miscommunication between the organizers and CEPP, all the members happened to be invited this time. It was a different setting – some of the assumptions took place; some domination by the teachers etc. However, the teachers who were present were enthusiastic and supportive. In our experience in comparison to the hills, children who go to public schools are relatively worse-off.�Of course, the number of children in class rooms is very high and teachers need more support to build their confidence.One more point: parents were more interested in restoring the standard of public schools and could assert the difference between the two types of school in their lives.

Altogether 50 individuals (8 & 10 females in Saptari and Siraha respectively)�from 12 schools took part in the training.

In the photo participants play a tug of war to signify who is the most important of the stakeholders.