Welcome to my latest Volunteer Linking update from Nepal, where the weather has become very hot again! The fields are full of tall corn plants, and all around, everything is lush and green. Schools have opened again for the start of the new school year and we're busy concentrating on reading. Now that I'm starting to see more children coming back each day, I've been able to focus on improving the quality of the teaching within them. Thanks to your support, the children are a lot more attentive and confident in class now, which is helping them to learn faster.
Good news: more schools! 
There's been a five percent increase in the number of primary schools throughout Nepal within the last decade, which is fantastic news of course. It's meant a rise in the number of children attending school too, and a noticeable increase in the number of girls. Getting children into school is only half the battle though; what remains a challenge is the standard of education being taught. So let me show you the changes we’ve been making here to improve that, starting with... reading.
Unveiling the literacy room!
A big problem here is how many children leave school without being able to read or write basic sentences properly. Without these basic skills, the 40 percent of Nepal's children living in poverty don't stand a chance of finding a way out through paid employment. So the first thing I did upon returning for the new school year was set up a ‘literacy room’ in one of my schools. It’s a room where children can learn how to put sentences together by using cards that have letters of the alphabet on them. There’s a CD player in the room too, so the children can listen to songs and hear recordings of stories, which helps them increase their vocabulary.
Less exclusion, more inclusion
A lot of classrooms in Nepal can be cold due to the stone floors and walls, but there’s carpet in the literacy room, and being warm can make a big difference to a child’s concentration. With big, low tables that the children can quite comfortably sit around on the floor, it’s been great for encouraging interaction and group work amongst them all. The different activities enable the children to take turns and help one another find the answers, and the supportive environment is really helping those children that struggle to learn.
Spreading success far and wide
Now that the teachers can see the effect that interactive teaching has on a child’s motivation to learn, we’re setting up ‘good practice’ visits for teachers from local schools so they can come and see for themselves the impact that the literacy room is having on the children here. They can then implement something similar in their own schools, helping to improve the reading and writing skills of hundreds more children throughout the district. That’s where your support is really valuable – because it’s helping me pass on skills and knowledge to as many local people as possible, so thank you for your kind donations each month.
Better bond with teacher
Another thing we’ve introduced to help improve learning in my schools is something called ‘grade teaching’ for the youngest children. Its concept is simple – there is one teacher for the whole class all of the time, regardless of the subject being taught. We use this style of teaching in primary schools back in the UK, but in Nepal, there is a tendency for teachers to teach just one subject, and then move on to the next class.
This can be very unsettling for young children. They need reassurance, comfort, and consistency, and the frequent swapping of teachers was proving distracting for them and wasn’t conducive to helping them learn. But now, with just one adult, the children are starting to establish stronger and more trusting relationships with their teacher.
Reaping the benefits
And because there are fewer interruptions, we’re starting to see a huge improvement in the children’s concentration and behaviour. The classroom is a lot calmer, there’s more order throughout the day, and it’s enabled the teachers to feel more ownership of their class environment. That in turn, has motivated them to improve the methods they use to teach the class. They are now providing a lot more support for the poorest children and those that struggle to learn, and because they’ve taken on much more of a nurturing role, the children are keen to do their best in class.
Teaching teachers techniques!
I’ve been holding workshops for the teachers in my schools, encouraging them to see the difference that their own enthusiasm can have upon a child’s education. The attention span of young children can be short so it’s important that teachers vary the way they present topics in class, question children if they feel they don’t understand something and ask them to elaborate, and importantly, use different activities alongside text-book teaching to engage the children and motivate them to learn.
Giving every child a chance
On top of that, I’ve been reinforcing the importance of holding positive expectations for each child – especially the poorest children whose concentration suffers from coming to school hungry and tired after working around the home – so that every single pupil has an equal opportunity to learn.
There's much to be done still, but things have really improved since I began my placement back in 2011. Thank you so much for your kind support and for the lovely email messages that you’ve been sending. I feel sure that with your continued donations, together we can create a brighter future for the children of Nepal. I look forward to updating you again soon!
Beth
