Sanjay was one of the best students ever to graduate from the Solukhumbu mountain region of eastern Nepal. He graduated first in his year out of the many thousands of students in the 37 high schools across the region, a real achievement.

Sanjay grew up in Junbesi village, living in a single room with his parents and younger sister and brother. In common with many successful students, Sanjay’s parents are teachers who were able to help him and his siblings with homework and provide practical support in his studies. It is one of the key aspects of Stay At School’s initiatives that more children will do better if they have greater contact with key teachers, especially in the run-up to national examinations at the age of 16.

Successful in Science from an early age, Sanjay went on to upper secondary school before applying to medical school at the highly-acclaimed Patan Institute of Health Sciences. As he nears the end of his formal studies, he is looking forward to returning to his native Solukhumbu to work as a doctor at one of the small number of hospitals that serve a population of over 100,000.