"But the reality in Nepal is that -- whether we like SLC, or education below it, or not -- prospective professionals would have to have come through that system, wouldn't they?" Yes. That is why, it's worth arguing that our time and efforts and resources there are BETTER spent on pushing and monitoring the government's work on universalizing primary education. I mean, look, it's a shocking scandal that so many Nepalis cannot read and write, and that the government appears happy to let donors and private funders come in and do what should have been its primary work. Still, the the solution is not to rush in with our own variously conceived help-one-kid-at-a-time formula in a do-good manner, but to really push the government to do its work WHILE spending our resources helping those who will provide a greater return on our meager investment. Obviously, not everyone will agree with this idea, and that's fine. That said, my sense is that a fairly sizeable cohort is already there -- waiting for help. oohi ashu