Teachers taking charge!
Dear Supporter
Hello once again from Nepal, where, as usual times have been busy! I've just returned from an interesting week in the capital, Kathmandu, where I met with other VSO education volunteers to review what we've been doing over the past year and set targets for the coming year. It made me feel really proud of the changes that have taken place in all of the schools here, so thank you for helping to make this possible with your support. Outside of work, a huge storm brought the end to winter and the days are much warmer now. Red rhododendron trees are starting to bud and in a few weeks the valleys will be covered with Nepal’s beautiful red national flowers. After such a cold winter I'm really looking forward to seeing them again!
No notepad, no learning
Two thirds of Nepal's children are severely deprived and forty percent live in absolute poverty. Those that do go to school often can't afford notepads and pencils, and with such little investment in government-funded education, schools are unable to provide them either.
This means that children who come to school without a notepad and pencil can’t take part in lessons. They simply sit there, unable to learn, excluded from the rest of the class, whilst those with paper and pencils have the ability to write down answers, show them to the teacher, and generally join in.
I was really shocked and saddened by the exclusion that this was causing in the classroom and decided to use some of the VSO grant money to buy something more sustainable than notepads for them. So I chose small chalk boards because they can be wiped clean afterwards and then re-used time and time again, and this is much cheaper than constantly buying notepads, which need to be replaced when the paper runs out.
Show and tell
It's been so rewarding watching the poorest children scribble down their answers, practice writing letters and words on the chalkboards, and ultimately show it to the teachers.It’s something that they just couldn’t do before now, and because it’s helping to include them in the classroom, it means that they’re not such an easy target for discrimination now either. It’s finally made lessons interactive for them, which is encouraging them to learn and talk more easily to the other children in their class.
Your kind support has helped make science lessons much more stimulating for them too. I used a little of the grant money to buy some basic science equipment, and the teachers are just as excited about it as the children are! Watching them show the youngsters how to use a magnifying glass to look at patterns on leaves and plants last week was just fantastic. There was such a wonderful array of truly delighted faces, which just wouldn’t have been possible without your generous donations, so thank you so much for your support.
Unlock that cupboard!
It's not only a lack of resources that has up until now prevented children from learning, but the lack of any plans in place to help the teachers and schools develop too.
So In the last three months I've been helping the teachers write School Improvement Plans (SIPs) and define priorities for development. In the past, there's been a tendency to write a 'standard' SIP, and only change the names and number of pupils each year!
Once submitted to the District Education Office, they’ve been locked away in a cupboard and never looked at again, so it's not surprising that teachers have found the process very de-motivating! So, with my VSO district colleagues, I’ve held training sessions for the teachers on how to write a SIP that they can take ownership of, that represents their needs as well as the pupils’, and that will help them make lasting changes in their schools.
Moving beyond basics
In one of my schools I made questionnaires for the parents, and teachers and students to ask their opinion on the school's strengths and what they felt should be the priorities for development. I then shared the results with the teachers, which helped them to draw a really honest picture of where the school is at right now, and where they want it to be in a year's time. It's been great to see these documents written in a way that includes everybody involved and it’s really helping to empower the teachers too.
Since I've been here, I've seen a huge improvement in this school's relationship between pupils and teachers, and between the parents and teachers as well. The class environment has really improved too and we’ve worked out ways to support the children when teachers are absent. In the larger schools for example, we’ve set up a system for teachers with free periods to cover classes, and when a teacher is away in one of the smaller schools, we merge two classes together to make sure that none of the children miss out on a lesson. Having put these fundamental things in place over the past year means that the teachers can now aim higher in their SIPs and include specific goals for development, such as ways to support the most struggling children at school.
Teachers teaching each other
In a few weeks' time, final exams begin at school so I'll be busy planning training sessions for the next school year. Working with the teachers to produce their SIPs helped them identify areas in which they need further training from me. Many have asked for help on teaching in English and how they can continue to hold their lessons in more child-friendly ways, so this is what I'll be focusing on.
I'm really keen for the teachers to run some of the training sessions themselves so that they feel able to organise and hold training days independently when I leave here at the end of my placement. They really are very capable and I've seen a great improvement in their teaching skills since I've been here. I feel sure that with your continued support they can keep on improving the quality of primary education for children in Nepal. So, thank you again for your generous donations, and I'll write another update soon.
Beth
