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