Founded by Rotarian Pat Price in 2008 Heartland Academy has had a partnership spanning more than 10 years with the Rotary club of Lane Cove. Commencing with funding support for resource purchases across the schools expanding library and sports department and more recently funding COVID learning material resource packs to students throughout the school. The school is founded on the basis of delivering a very practical style of education mixed with student centred, non-violent means of student management. Targeting particularly young women for scholarship education and marginalised Dalit caste groups who otherwise would not have the opportunity to attend school.
Heartland operates from Nursery to higher education, tertiary levels of grade 11 and 12, offering streams across Science, Management of Business studies and Hotel Management since 2015. The expansion into the tertiary sector was initiated by the clubs first Matching Grant in Nepal, where we saw the Lane Cove club partner with the Rotary club of Kathmandu West to support the internal class room development and resourcing of facilities for the schools three college level science laboratories, computer lab and Management stream lecture halls. In 2019 the club was again successful in attaining a Global Grant through partnership with it's in country partner in the club of Kathmandu West, as well as Australian clubs from Carlingford, Penrith and Mosman.
This grant has funded Heartland expansion into a further level of college education, specifically, the delivery of the nationally recognised teacher training course. With the aim of increasing the amount of qualified, trained teachers and build a greater level of skill and capability in Nepal's educational workforce. With the hope that these teachers once they have completed their studies will transfer to schools in remote, village areas and enhance the quality of education delivered in these areas.
To this date both grants have supported the scholarship provision of upwards of 680 students achieve tertiary level education. Heartland at present has upwards of 500 students and employs more than 60 Nepali staff. Since 2008 Heartland has directly supported more than 12, 000 disadvantaged Nepali youth receive a high quality education and indirectly impacted more than 40, 000 lives through its broad ranging education based activities.
