In the following winter- and spring-time
of 2002/2003, the interior-work like construction of windows (glass-sheets; moskito-nets),
doors, chairs, desks and tables was completed. This work was not only done with great
accuracy, it was done with love to details and perfect skills. All this, without use of
electricity or power-machines, just by hours and hours hard manual work.
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Precise work in details too
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Chairs for the guests to come
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Parallel to this "Hardware"-construction Liver Khan took care of the
"Soft- and Brainware"-Installation: School-uniforms, black-boards,
instruction-posters and books were bought, a teacher sought and found.
Because any succesful education-work has to
be rooted in the will and understanding of the parents, much time and energy were invested
by Liver Khan and fellows to asure the elders and parents (which had no
school-experience), that school-education is of worth and will be done with respect to
Islam.
As teacher a young man was selected, who comes from the Diamer valley and belongs
to Liver Khans family: Mir Gani, born 1983, absolving 10years school-education in the
Diamer-district, followed by 3 years family-financed college-time in Karachi.
Mir Gani, the 20years old teacher
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In the late springtime 2003 all work on the building was completed, so the first
expeditioneers could visit the complex and camp at the schoolyard. With direct view to the
upper part, the summit-region, of Nanga Parbat, about 18km airdistance away. Hopefully,
the next visitors and expeditioneers will support the education-work and the maintenance
of the building by a small donation. In the moment (spring 2004), the insulation and
protection of the floor is incomplete and needs improvement: Stone-covering in the
entrance-area and wood-layers in the classroom.
Morning view to Nanga Parbat (18km away)
from the schoolyard
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The building is orientated in
east-west-direction, with windows on the south- and north-side. The entrance is located on
the north-side, with two steep wooden staircases leading to the upper floor. This
upper-floor is in middle, in the staircase-area, open to the north-side, forming a nice
sitting-area like a balcony. The wooden walls in the upper floor are double-sided tight
plank-constructions, without sealing-compounds between the planks. The roof is also made
from a double layer of wooden-planks, without insulation. The drainage-system has to
become completed, the vertical tubes are already installed on the backside of the
building.
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The place for the building was carefully
choosen, in distance to the fields and located on a former steep slope-area (field of
Liver Khans family), which was levelled.
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View from upper Ser down to the school
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After the regular summer-holidays, in September 2003, the school-project was
started with education in primary-classlevel 1, with about 25 children from age 6 to 12.
In October 2003 Reinhold Messner visited and inaugurated the school with the name
of his brother: "Guenther Mountain School Diamer".
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Inauguration greetings to Reinhold
Messner
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The locals assured him, that after completing the harvest and fieldwork in mid
October, many more children will come to the school and participate in the lessons. To
attract the children comming to the school, each child is given a black school-uniform, a
schoolbook, a blackboard and a decorative sticker with the colorful logo of the school
(picture above).
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Interest and discipline independent from
age
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Solid furniture for the years to come
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Messner said, that he were very satiesfied with the construction of the building,
and impressed by the interest and intelligence of the children. He expressed his wish,
that the schoolwork should be extended to educate
also girls.
In the moment, September 2005, the schoolbuilding consists of ground- and
upper-floor. Each with 2 big rooms from size 6m by 5m on the east and westside of the
building, in the middle between this rooms are two small storage-rooms by size of each 2m
by 2m. Initially this rooms were planned as toilets, but it was found that this
installation would become to difficult.
It is planned, to use one room of the upper-part of the building for the
installation of a health-post, and the other room for use as an guestroom to be rented to
visitors like trekkers and expeditioneers. It is thought, that out of the income with
renting the guestroom, the needed money to maintain the building and buy school-books will
be earned.
Reinhold Messner has told to finance the teacher for the first 5 years, and as it
is published, he was assured by President Musharaff, that after this starttime, the
government will take care of the finances.
To supervise the effort of the school and
education, a daily logbook is kept by the teacher and a monthly summary-report will be
given to the education officials in Chilas, to
asure, that the school-education in the Guenther Mountain School Diamer is officially
respected and finds the same good support and professional supervision like the other
school-projects in the Buner-/Diamer-area.
In April 2004, the school got the first "Annual Examination" by Mr.
Faqirullah ADI, the "Director of education"in Chilas. From total 20 students
being examined 19 passed the check successfully, resulting in a very good total-result of
95%. For more details please consult the separate webpage with "Details of the annual examination 2003-2004".
So, finally the Diamer-valley region has become the first school-project by private
deed of expeditioneers, and we hope, it will set an example. Like many years ago the very
successful school- and hospital projects of Sir Edmund Hillary in the
Everest-Khumbu-region of Nepal.
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