Kathmandu, March 23 -- Many government schools in rural areas have dreary classrooms with broken benches and piles of dust, lacking a 'childlike' element. Such a condition is not caused by a lack of resources but neglect.

"Classrooms are the only place children can confide, have fun and just be themselves. Being in such classrooms, playing with colours can be a source of education and entertainment," says Samita Rana Magar, the founder of Project Rangichangi-an initiative that paints murals in government schools, especially in rural areas.

When Magar worked at Shree Narayansthan Secondary School in Asine-3, Okhaldhunga, setting up a library, she noticed a visible discomfort among students in their empty classrooms; they gravitated towar...