Footprints Project
Since 2005, travelers like you have helped us change the world through micro-donations.
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A total of
17022
Travelers
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donated
$39801.2
(100% funded) -
to help improve
Education
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in
Nepal
Quality Education program report
The funding received from the Footprints program is integrated into our 3-year quality education program in the Sotang district. The 2nd year of the program was conducted from November 2009 to September 2010. It forms part of an ambitious program to improve the education of the vast Solu Khumbu region of Nepal with over 47,000 children, nearly 1500 teachers in 267 schools that extend from the impoverished foothills to the base of Mt Everest.
The Footprints program is helping to improve the education of 11,941 children, 379 teachers in 70 schools in the Sotang district, which is part of the Solu Khumbu region. Unlike its more prosperous Sherpa communities that live beneath of the shadow of Everest, Sotang is in dire need of support. Educational facilities are basic with some schools accommodating over 100 children in one classroom, where teachers have little or no training and where children regard textbooks as a luxury. It is therefore not surprising that educational outcomes are among the lowest in Nepal.
Program Objectives
- Develop child-centred teacher training methods
- Provide relevant and appropriate teaching materials and resources to schools
- Increase teacher and student attendance, increase girls’ enrolment in schools, and reduce drop-out rates of children from schools
- Promote mechanisms for reliable and fair annual assessment of student achievement
- Ensure that the key teachers are selected and extra training given for their capacity building in classroom support and management.
Activities
The following workshops were conducted between November 2009 and September 2010
Training workshops | Status | Date | Region | Female | Male |
Key teacher training | 1st year Sotang | 29 Nov 09 to 04 Dec 09 | Salleri & Sotang | 6 | 10 |
10 days main training course | 2nd year Sotang | 16 Dec 09 to 04 Jan. 010 | Sotang | 102 | 190 |
Refresher training | 2nd year conducted in villages of Sotang, Bung & Basa | Sotang - 30 Aug 10 to 4 Sept 10 Bung - 7 Sept10 to 12 Sept 10 Basa -22 Aug 10 to 27 Aug 10 | Solu Khumbu Salleri Sotang, Bung & Basa | 122 | 219 |
School management training | 2nd year conducted in villages of Waku, Sotang, Bung, Basa, Gudel, Cheskam, Kanku & Pawai | Basa -9 March 10 to 11 March 10 Waku – 13 May 10 to 17 May 10) Sotang -21 May 10 to 23 May 10 Bung -25 May 10 to 27 May 10 Cheskam -14 Sept 10 to 16Sept 10 Gudel - 18 Sept 10 to 20 Sept 10 Kanku-5 March10 to 7 March 10 Pawai -17 May 10 to 19 May 10 | Sotang Sotang, Waku, Bung, Gudel, Cheskam, Kanku & Pawal | 157 | 496 |
In School support | 2nd year | Continue between Feb 10 to Oct 10 |
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Challenges
There have been significant ongoing challenges in improving the level of teacher training in rural communities. These include:
- The commitments and skill of the teachers is often disappointing – teaching skill and experience is limited
- The percentage of new untrained teachers being appointed
- Knowledge of subject content often very weak
- Parents often don’t understand the value of education, and encourage students to work as porters, help in the fields, look after other children
- School Management Committees, parents and even headmasters often have a poor understanding of the role they can play in improving education standards in the school
- Lack of teacher learning materials
- Lack of support for the poorest students
- Class sizes are high and classrooms are small
- Lack of stationery for the children
- Limited areas or facilities for the children for recreation.
Program Outcomes
- Improved teacher training as is evident by the workshops attended by nearly 300 teachers
- Access to more relevant and appropriate teaching material and resources - including regular supplies of textbooks and writing books to all schools in the district
- Increased teacher and student attendance and girls’ enrolment, and reduced student drop-out rates – with encouraging figures over the last two years
- Improved understanding of quality student assessment by trained teachers and Government agencies - as is evident from the marked improvement of support by the district education offices
- Development of a team of education resource personnel and a Key Teachers Program to implement ongoing training and support activities – again encouraging signs with 16 outstanding teachers being selected for advanced training.
Future plans
Activities in Sotang provide part of an overall 9-year program in the Solu Khumbu region. From November 2011 the program will expand into the nearby district of Nele with 10,606 children, 282 teachers in 53 schools. However to ensure the sustainability of the program and improve educational standards further refresher training and key teacher training workshops will continue and further educational resources supplied to the Sotang district.
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