Why culture is so important in classrooms?

When working in Nepal, to be effective and impactful to any extent requires deep cultural understanding. For this reason, designing education programmes around Nepali culture is the key to our project's success. For children and teachers, seeing Nepali traditions and culture being incorporated into classrooms through resources, stories and songs helps them feel more connected to their education and encourages them to attend and appreciate school.

Dance is important for the early years classroom

Classrooms in rural Nepal should feel cohesive with the local environment, villages and culture. For children, this means that school is connected to their family, traditions and houses. One of the most important ways that we do this is through games, songs and dances. Singing and dancing are extremely important in Nepali culture, and given that they are also some of the most effective teaching methods, it makes perfect sense to include traditional rhymes and dances into classrooms.

Our founding director, Durga Aran, even used the tune of a classic traditional song “Resham Firiri” to create a song about hand washing and brushing teeth, which is now being taught in training sessions. It would be wonderful to think that children are teaching this version to their parents and wider communities.

We have created other songs that teach children their numbers and colours in both Nepali and English.

Below left: Our colours song Below right: Children singing our counting song

Finding and adapting resources to suit local environments is one of the fundamental ways that we incorporate local culture into classrooms. Storybooks about children that live in suburbs and eat pizza are very much inaccessible to young Nepali children, as they live vastly different lives. Therefore, resources that are relevant to local culture will always be the most valuable.

There is a lack of culturally appropriate English Language story books for children in Nepal. First Steps Himalaya has published the first of a series of stories in simple English suited to young Nepali children living in rural villages.

Culturally appropriate Nepali story books are so important to young children.

Use of recycled bottles as shakers and for science in the classroom.

Whilst there are many wonderful Nepali teaching resources and books, it is also important to utilise aspects of the local environment in learning. Using painted stones and recycled bottles to teach shapes, numbers and letters is a simple but effective way of using these natural resources. The best thing is that teachers can create these themselves from readily available materials.

Play dough Nepali letters

Corn cobs found in most Nepali households are painted, strung together and turned into letters.

Nepali letters painted on stones

Coloured stones are perfect for doing numeracy activities in Nepali and English.

The importance of culture in classrooms cannot be understated. Children should feel proud of their culture, and seeing it being implemented into almost every aspect of their school is an important part of developing appreciation and value for education.

For more information about First Steps Himalaya visit www.firststepshimalaya.org

Teachers are the key

Did You Know in Nepal:

• Young children are often allocated the smallest, darkest space in a school, often without a teacher!

• Most teachers have not received any training in modern child-friendly teaching methods

• Children under 7 do not have their own classroom teacher but are effectively ‘babysat’ by a rotation of subject teachers

Imagine being a child spending your days in this bare, dark, chaotic space. This is a typical classroom for young children in rural Nepal.

Now imagine if those children could learn in a classroom like this:

Let’s help these children thrive!

With the help of generous people like you, First Steps Himalaya is deeply committed to improving teaching across rural Nepal so as many children as possible can have access to kind, nurturing learning environments.

Young children thrive at school when they have consistent routines, interesting resources and interested adults around them.

Well-trained, enthusiastic teachers are the key to creating successful classrooms where children can learn and thrive. Look at the difference trained teachers can make to a classroom!

This teacher at Dyali School, Sindhulpalchok has her students’ full attention as they practice letter sounds using hand-made flash cards. She is using techniques learned at First Steps teacher training,

Enjoying a story at Mulkharka School. Look at the bright and useful hand-made learning resources decorating the classroom walls.

This teacher’s use of natural materials at our Sangachok Nursery develops a sense of curiosity in young children.

Children working in a small group, focused on puzzles at Sangachok Nursery, Sindhulpalchok

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Annual Appeal 2022

Help us transform education in rural Nepal!

$50 can buy art material such as crayons, paint, coloured paper for a classroom

$100 can pay a teacher’s salary for a month

$250 can allow a teacher to attend a week-long teacher training workshop

There is a huge need for improved education in rural Nepal. Please help us give children the education they deserve.

For more information about First Steps Himalaya visit www.firststepshimalaya.org

Creating Inspiring Leaders

Successful organisations need strong, inspiring leadership. This is true for First Steps Himalaya and for the schools we work with in villages across rural Nepal.

Founding director, Durga Aran is an inspiring leader and he has recently started to share his leadership skills and techniques with the head teachers at the schools we work with.

“Improving education for children at these small village schools is an evolving puzzle,” says Durga. “When we started First Steps Himalaya in 2008, we concentrated on improving the physical classrooms, but quickly realised that a beautiful classroom full of resources was meaningless unless you have a skilled teacher. Since then we have focused on up-skilling and empowering village teachers, so they can create their own nurturing learning environments.”

Change needs leadership

However, while some schools improve rapidly when their teachers go through the First Steps teacher training workshops, others lag behind. “Over time, it has become apparent that the quality of the school’s head teacher has a lot to do with this, “ says Durga.

“Schools going through change need strong leaders who support their teachers, inspire pride and are active in their school community. Recently, we have added Leadership training to our programme to help ensure long-term, sustainable change for these small village schools.”

Durga’s Journey

Durga’s childhood was characterised by a lack of opportunities. This is a typical story for many children in rural Nepal.

Durga grew up in a small village, north east of Kathmandu, the youngest of eight children. He dreamt of going to school but his parents didn't understand the value of education. Instead, Durga was sent to look after his sister's child when he was just six years old.

When he finally attended school, there were no resources and the teachers were often absent. At age 15, his father arranged his marriage, and he then spent years working in restaurants in Kathmandu.

Needing to make a change

“As a young adult, I wasn’t happy to accept the limited choices I was being offered,” says Durga “Something in my personality forced me to keep pushing to improve my situation.”

Starting in a restaurant as a dishwasher, Durga quickly worked his way up to restaurant manager. He went on to run his own trekking and tour company before becoming the Founding Director of First Steps Himalaya.

“When I looked back on my own childhood, I wanted to give other Nepali children a better one,” says Durga.

Since 2008, First Steps Himalaya has impacted thousands of lives through improved education, teacher training and community support across rural Nepal.

“Sometimes I can’t believe how far I have come. I grew up uneducated with very limited choices and now I find myself educating rural Nepali school leaders on how they can improve their schools and the lives of their students. I am so proud. I could never have imagined the impact our work would have.”

Learning to Lead

Many Nepali head teachers are quite resistant to change in their schools. Although they may be happy for their staff to attend training and get new ideas, they are uncomfortable with embracing change themselves. However, once they relax and enjoy the activities, they begin to identify simple changes they can make within their school.

In rural Nepal, many people in leadership roles have had little exposure to quality leadership ideas or how to manage teams. In a school setting this results in a disorganised, hands-off leader with demotivated teachers and poor outcomes for the children.

Simple steps for big improvements

First Steps Leadership Training for schools consists of several workshop sessions specifically tailored to village school head teachers and management committees. It introduces concepts such as:

• Leadership styles

• Practical goal setting

• Time management techniques

• Importance of supporting your team

• Multi tasking skills

Recently, Durga has delivered these workshops to Nepali schools via Zoom. “I left Nepal in March 2020 in a flurry, catching the last scheduled flight out of Nepal before the borders closed.” However, with border restrictions lifting, Durga is returning to Nepal to deliver his Leadership Training in October and November in person.

“These schools need strong leaders to give their students a quality education. These children are the future leaders of Nepal. I can’t wait to get back!”

For more information on First Steps Himalaya visit www.firststepshimalaya.org