While most teachers stuck to textbooks, Anju Bhattarai broke the mold, teaching lessons that lasted a lifetime, lessons of empathy, creativity, and self-belief.
Anju Bhattarai, an inspiring Nepali educator, believed that children needed care, not fear. Instead of focusing solely on academic achievement, good grades, and strict rules, she made children grow, think, and empathize with others’ feelings.
When Anju lost her job as a teacher in Biratnagar for giving more importance to after-school activities instead of school academics, she never lost hope. The setback only made her more determined to find ways of teaching children without punishing them, and she started studying newer teaching methods. Now, as founder-director and principal of Aksharaa School, she continues to be an inspiration with her belief that education goes beyond shaping minds and hearts.
FIS Spring Meeting in Vilamoura- Anju Bhattarai
Anju’s tale teaches us that teaching goes beyond textbooks; teaching is about assisting students in building character, creativity, and compassion.
Academic Background
Anju Bhattarai, an inspiring Nepali educator, has contributed significantly to education and sports in Nepal. Her passion for learning and professional development reflects her ability to inspire and mentor many students. The following is an overview of her Academic background:
M.Ed. (T.U) Tribhuvan University (TU), Kritipur
Passed Year: 2072 BS
Beyond the classroom, Anju Bhattarai, an inspiring Nepali educator, has significantly impacted Nepal’s sports scene, particularly enhancing women’s participation and leadership. Her activities with various national-level organizations reflect her passion to build students and society.
Vice President Nepal SKI Association
2080 BS – Present
Nurturing Identity: Why Cultural Education Matters for Nepali Students
Are you among Nepalese citizens lacking in-depth knowledge of Nepali culture and values? Then do not panic—you’re not alone. Many of us grew up memorizing facts in classrooms but never truly understood the deep cultural and spiritual values that make Nepal unique. Unfortunately, many of today’s digitally connected children are walking the same path: connected to the Internet, but disconnected from themselves.
That’s where the role of an inspiring Nepali educator becomes essential. She says, “Culture is not learned from books: it has to be lived and felt.” This leads us to the significant question of imparting Nepali cultural values to modern students.
She mentioned that it lies not only in textbooks but also in experience. Our schools must remain the front runners in integrating values, respect for elders, love for nature, inner discipline, and spiritual teachings into our daily lessons. Chanting the Geeta, engaging in yoga and meditation, and understanding Buddha’s teachings of peace and compassion can help students build confidence and integrity.
But how can Nepali cultural values be preserved in a fast-changing world? This solution is hidden in what educators call the hidden curriculum, the values, behaviors, and traditions taught subtly through environment and example. Schools that embed these ideas into daily routines, festivals, language use, and moral stories are shaping students who not only learn but live Nepali identity.
The Four Pillars of Future-Ready Education in Nepal
Education extends beyond academics; it aims to shape individuals and societies. The humanistic approach to change emphasizes binding relationships, shared values, and mutual support. The inspiring Nepali educator Mrs. Anju Bhattarai states that a complete education must address a child’s intellectual, emotional, social, and physical development.
There has been an increasing opportunity gap for urban and rural Nepal students. City kids are a little removed from nature and their cultural backdrop. In contrast, those in the countryside are ignorant of the fast-changing world of technology, and this bridge that may have otherwise equipped both with the tools to survive the challenges that lie ahead.
For that, schools must embrace a holistic approach, with four essential pillars: absorbed in value-based education, experiential environmental education, personality development, and cutting-edge technical innovation. Alongside those four, the entire approach must rest on a Nepali cultural identity so that students grow to view themselves as belonging and proud.
By fusing these elements, values, environment, personality development, technology (including AI), and cultural preservation, educators can empower students with purpose, confidence, and compassion. Students who understand their heritage and gain future-ready skills are more likely to become responsible citizens who contribute meaningfully to society.
This educational transformation begins with visionary leadership. As an inspiring Nepali educator, Mrs. Bhattarai exemplifies how schools can become spaces of transformation where knowledge meets culture and tradition meets innovation.
The True Essence of Values: Nurturing a Compassionate Generation
What constitutes a good education? Is it a degree or the richness of one’s character? In today’s rapid pace of life, it’s too simple to get confused between education and academic achievement. But as Mrs. Anju Bhattarai, an inspiring Nepali educator, beautifully emphasizes, actual growth begins when learning transforms us from within and has the values within us. It’s not just about what we know; it’s about who we become.
Consider values as the inner compass that leads us to release bad habits, adopt good ones, and become kinder, wiser human beings. Just as raw clay needs to be molded and purified before becoming a proper vessel, our minds require continuous cultivation to serve our families, communities, and nation effectively.
While school equips us with knowledge, values shape how we use it. They teach us to reflect before we act, to seek quality over quantity, and to contribute selflessly to the world around us. A person may be intelligent, but without empathy, curiosity, or cooperation, that intelligence often falls short in real life.
Educators: The Heart of Value-Based Learning
A great teacher doesn’t just teach; they model. They lead by example, showing students how to be responsible, honest, and compassionate. Mrs. Bhattarai believes the best teachers are lifelong learners who listen, grow, and adapt with their students.
In value-driven classrooms, learning goes beyond books. Children learn to manage emotions, solve conflicts, work as a team, and respect different perspectives. These essential life lessons are often taught through the teacher’s behavior.
More Than a Teacher – A Role Model
According to Mrs. Bhattarai, a teacher has to maintain different roles: a motivator, a mentor, a counselor, a manager, and a researcher. Every teacher’s key point is observing students’ behaviors and moods. From this perspective, a teacher assists students in achieving academic success while fostering academic success and helping mature students become thoughtful individuals.
Teaching values is not only about upholding tradition; it’s also about sowing the seeds of realization, obligation, and kindness. If educators convey these values in addition to theory, they don’t just make high achievers; they grow a compassionate, leading generation.
Insights From an Inspiring Nepali Educator: Redefining Education Through Values
In this special RST YouTube episode, inspiring Nepali educator Anju Bhattarai, founder and principal of Aksharaa School, shares her expert view on the kind of education needed today. She emphasizes that true learning combines academic excellence with value-based education rooted in Nepali cultural values. Through her reflections on traditional vs. modern teaching, she advocates for nurturing ethical, goal-driven individuals.
Mrs. Bhattarai highlights the teacher’s role in guiding children beyond textbooks and discusses how schools can preserve identity through cultural activities and discipline. She also outlines the importance of parenting styles, introducing 4 types of parenting styles and their impact on child development. Her insights into teacher-parent communication and parental involvement during holidays offer practical ways to support personality growth in children.
This episode delivers a motivational real-life story and ends with a powerful message for teachers and parents alike, an unmissable guide for anyone seeking to raise responsible, values-driven youth.
