1. Background
This programme is being run for three groups of educationalists: teachers
from the five schools supported by Nepal Schools Aid (UK), programme officers from the NGO, ECCA, and staff associated with
the Nepal Education Ministry. It was created following a fact finding mission by two of the Nepal Schools Aid Trustees in
November 2009 in which the heads of our five schools were asked “what support do you most need from us next?”.
Their answer was “teacher training”, but our efforts to have this defined or clarified met with little success,
some schools didn’t answer, some could only say “child centred education”. Following discussions with ECCA
and our return to the UK we have created TWO training courses, each of two days duration and with a broad outline as shown
below. We have been given little or no information to help us so we are very much in the dark but trust that our judgement
is sound:
2. The Aims
Our
basic research and reading tells us that Nepal’s education system is in need of a thorough overhaul if the country is
to compete and survive in a global world economy. At a simple level this means that the medium of English must predominate
in ALL Nepal schools. At a deeper level students must be trained in a “Quality Education System” instead of one
which chases the piece of paper signifying a “pass”, and this means that students must be trained to THINK as
opposed to REMEMBER. In turn, schools must be owned and governed in a manner which facilitates this and therefore the Heads
of schools must learn how to manage their schools differently.
Nepal Schools Aid has acquired the services of four highly trained UK teachers who are paying
their own expenses to pilot these aims in our first Teacher Development Week.
3.
The Programme
Course 1 Creating A Learning
Environment
This will focus
on concepts such as Quality Education, Child Psychology, Life/Social Skills, Child Centred Techniques, UK/Nepal Comparison
and the detailed programme will be created by mid February.This
course will run twice on March 30/31 and again on April 1/2 for a different group of people. The tutors
will be three UK teachers from Haverigg School in Cumbria UK.
Course 2 Managing ChangeThis will focus not so much on skills but on professional management of a school as an organisational system.
Concepts covered will be Quality Education, The school as an organisational system, Change Management, Managing The Environment.This course will run only once and will be tutored by Mrs J Brockbank, Head
Teacher at Haverigg School and Dr B Metters of Nepal Schools Aid.
4. Who should attend?
First, the management course is for Head Teachers/managers
only as most of the course will be at a practical level discussing their specific situations. The Teaching Skills course is
for anyone nominated by the Head who he/she thinks will benefit from the course and add value to the school. It is NOT to
be attended as a reward! Naturally the WHOLE programme will be conducted in English and be highly participative with lots of activities
which must be conducted in English. So, we must make absolutely certain that the ONLY teachers who attend this are good
English speakers AND that it is in their own best interests to start developing their English language skills as soon as possible.
We will have videos of classes run in the UK to watch so once again a good level of English is required to maximise the benefits
of this. 
