Seems that not many entries have had so much to do with work ....... and that is why I am in Bhairawa. Since leaving Melbourne last November I have of course, learned a great deal about how education and schools operate in Nepal. The fundamental starting point in order to make suggestions that will be even remotely useful in my role as an education management volunteer. Matters like timetables and calendars through expectations of teachers e.g. no desks and chairs to be provided for most teachers in class and on to how decisions in Kathmandu play out here in the district. The biggest challenge for any Head Teacher in Rupandehi is simply having ‘enough’ teachers and rooms. Arrangements vary from a class with 90+ students in it, to subject teaching in a school with more class groups than there are teachers. One of our 12 focus schools does not have any toilets; most schools lack adequate rooms in some way (number, dimensions, security, flooring and so on). School Management Committees are not able to meet the minimum standards written to guide them. The political landscape in Nepal in the relatively recent past means that there was a population shift to the capital – some teachers here talk of an oversupply of teachers there.
Everyone is very enthusiastic about VSO’s presence and works hard to find ways to make our time productive. Communication using my poor Nepali and teachers’ varying levels of English remains an ongoing challenge. I am able to impress in a random encounter in a shop but discussions with a Head Teacher about planning often relies on the English teacher being available to also join us.
The use of low/no cost materials is often raised as something teachers are keen to improve in their work. For our 12 schools their experience leading up to our involvement, has been varied. A few schools have relatively large collections of books and other teaching resources sometimes unused for years, with knowledge of what is in the collection, lost. Superficially at least, this could be a result of agencies giving boxes of material with little training and even less follow-up. VSO’s approach is very much about training and working alongside teachers and managers rather than providing resources. There is a budget for us to provide classroom items, but it is small and the focus is on the professional experience of the international volunteer working alongside Nepalis. Other schools have very little as they have only recently been established. Both Nepali and international organisations are numerous and provide all sorts of different support based on their view of the needs.
Enrolment of students has increased substantially in our district over recent years though there are still students to reach. Our project aims to enrol all children in the catchment of the chosen focus schools and to help staff improve the quality of education in order to increase retention.
One task I am working on is continuous assessment. Until this year, students from class 1 onwards have had exams three times a year to assess their learning. The district has introduced continuous assessment in classes 1, 2, 3, but as with any new policy, anywhere, there are many points to raise and implementation issues to understand and discuss. It is many faceted and is a very interesting issue for me to work with.
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