Bicycles have been provided to 53 girl students studying in Grade 11 in Matihani Municipality, Mahottari district.
These girl students are studying at Shree Ram Secondary School at Matihani-8 and they have been given bicycles to promote girl education, the Municipality said. The Municipality has been providing bicycles to the girl students enrolled in Grade 11 at the School since the last four years.

Handing over the bicycles to the girl students amidst a programme on Tuesday, Mayor Hari Prasad Mandal said the girl students would be further motivated to their studies after getting the bicycle as it would be easier for them to travel to school from their home.
“This initiative is an important part of women empowerment,” he said.
Shreesha Mishra, a teacher at the School, said that the girl students’ regularity to school has increased after getting the bicycles. “The girl students who have been given the bikes seldom miss school. They have started coming to school on time and putting in efforts in their studies,” he said.

Although Matihani is a municipality, most of the settlements in the town are of rural character and situated in outlying areas.
The girl students in the municipality are mostly from the Dalit, indigenous nationalities and impoverished communities. The parents of these girl students have praised this initiative of the municipality and said the bicycle has been supportive to their daughters in their studies.