Set in the Modi Khola Valley at a height of around 1,100 metres in Nepal is a small village called Birethanti. Well-known on the tourist roadmap, it serves as a starting point for trekkers on way to the popular Annapurna Base Camp. The Annapurna Range has three out of the ten highest mountains in the world.

Most tourists drive to Birethanti from Pokhara, Nepal’s tourism capital. It takes around 45 minutes to reach Birethanti by road from Pokhara. The people of Birethanti are friendly and warm. Many villagers have small farms, while others rear cattle.

Birethanti is dotted with small tea shops and souvenir sellers. And then there is the Shree Birethanti Secondary School, home to nearly 230 students, some of whom trek miles through the mountains to attend their class.

It is in this scenic town that Samsung opened its first Smart Class in Nepal. Samsung Smart Class is Samsung’s flagship citizenship initiative, aimed at bridging the digital gap between rural and urban centres.

Samsung Smart Class provides equal opportunities for quality education to children from all backgrounds.

“We want to support Nepali people because it’s a developing country. That’s why we have planned a Samsung Smart Class in Nepal. We plan to take the digital experience to more areas and more people in the future,” said Yubeom Won, Vice President of Samsung Electronics.

Shree Birethanti Secondary School has classes from Nursery to Grade 10th, but most students are in higher grades, as younger kids find it difficult to walk up to the school.

12-year-old Vishal’s first love is painting. He is among the 12 students who make the school’s dream team. The inauguration of the Samsung Smart Class means Vishal is now looking forward to spending more time in the classroom too. The shiny new tablets in the Samsung Smart Class are attracting students like Vishal from the painting class to the Smart Class.

“I like this class very much because other classes have white board and books, but here we have a screen,” Vishal said.

The School’s Painting teacher, Ku Hyun-Kim, says there is a buzz among the students about the Samsung Smart Class.

“Digital is a very high technique and art is a very old technique… The harmony between high technique and old technique is good for our students,” he added.

The inauguration of the Samsung Smart Class was a happy occasion for teachers and parents. Moreover, for many students the advent of digital education meant a sure shot way to fulfill their dreams.

“We are very happy that Samsung Smart Class has come to our school. We are lucky,” said Ranjana Magar, who aspires to become a teacher.

Across the world, Samsung has helped set up nearly 2,500 Samsung Smart Classes, helping nearly 700,000 students such as Vishal and Ranjana achieve their dreams. The Samsung Smart Class at Birethanti in Nepal will help Samsung take its vision of “technology to all” to the people in the Himalayas.