Situated in the hills south of Pokhara, Syangja is a place of great beauty with orange groves and pretty villages. There are fine views of the Annapurna mountain range on a clear day too. However, schools here are similar to others across rural Nepal: dirty dilapidated classrooms with teachers lacking knowledge of child friendly teaching methods. Our Syangja projects commenced in early 2019 thanks to support of rotary clubs in Scotland and Nepal.
The project commenced in 8 schools with a refit of four early years classrooms in each school. That in itself was a huge challenge given the remote locations of some of the schools. Once classrooms were painted, carpeted and fitted out with low tables suited to young children, the project turned to supporting the teachers to have a better understanding of child friendly methods.
Director, Durga Aran and Supervisor, Dhan Maya Gurung travel to the remote schools with supplies.
Delivery of classroom furniture and carpet, Syangja style!
Soon, children were starting to enjoy their classes, becoming much more focused and eager to explore and learn. They attended more regularly and gained a love of learning. Teachers began to realise that child - friendly teaching methods were easy to implement and were in fact more enjoyable for everyone!
A series of practical hands on teacher training workshops in contemporary practices was provided. These were well received from teachers who previously had no idea about classroom layout and how to create their own learning materials from basic items found locally.
Hands on teacher training
As well as learning about behaviour and classroom management at teacher training, participants learn how to create their own colourful learning materials.
Teachers begin to see the importance of active movement for young children in their overall development as well as understand the key concepts of behaviour management. Each workshop held over a week encouraged the teachers to supplement the curriculum with a variety of fun activities that would engage the children in their learning.
Project school teachers attend practical hands on teacher training in Walling, Syangja.
"I learnt so much from the new training. Now, I create my own resources from local material. The children love the changes”. Punum Gurung, Shree Tallo Kumendung School.
"It is so important to have the training that First Steps Himalaya provided. It was very effective and we can already see significant changes in our school. Thank you so much for your support.” Kamal Gurung, Head teacher Shree Tallo Kumendung School
A local supervisor visits each school on a regular basis to check on progress and support teachers with new ideas and activities. Teachers are assessed on their use of child friendly teaching techniques, behaviour management and the creation and use of resources. The Nepal management team conduct twice yearly monitoring visits to assess progress, talk to head teachers and make recommendations.
Challenges
Any project in rural Nepal is bound to face all sorts of challenges, but no one could have foreseen COVID and its impact on the project. Suddenly Nepal was under lock down, schools were closed and movement very restricted. This period was used to prepare training that could be delivered either online or face to face. The result was an even better more robust training course that has raised the bar in training delivery and outcomes for teachers. Other challenges have included the geographical location of some schools, the lack of class teachers for young children who instead are taught by a rotation of subject teachers. Ideally, young children should have their own dedicated class teacher, and this has been difficult to achieve in some schools due to staffing.
Before and After
The before and after photos speak for themselves. The classrooms are now brightly decorated with resources created by the teachers who have a range of fun activities to supplement the curriculum. Children are engaged in their learning and look forward to coming to school.
Classrooms at Shree Himali School prior to the project.
Teachers at Shree Himali School have really embraced change. Classrooms are bright and welcoming and teachers include a range of activities that engage children in their learning.
Teachers at Shree Jethi Kanya School before the project had little idea of how to teach the youngest children.
A teacher at Shree Jethi Kanya School uses home made flash cards to work on literacy with her students.
Children at Shree Janahit School before the project sat in dark dilapidated classrooms taught by untrained teachers.
The ECD teacher at Shree Janahit School putting into practise what she has learnt at training
What’s Next?
Project Director Durga Aran says "It has been fantastic to see how simple changes and a bit of training can bring about transformation in the way that young children are taught. I am so pleased that teachers are now so much more motivated and really enjoy what they do. Working with the Rotary Club of Himalayan Gurkhas has been an absolute pleasure. They really got involved and helped us organise the fit out the classrooms working into the long hours to complete the job. They continued to coordinate with us to ensure smooth operations."
As the current 5-year project comes to a close in March 2024, we are already in discussion with rotary clubs for the next phase in Syangja. This will involve opening up teacher training for more schools in the Walling area and refresher training for teachers who show commitment and motivation.
