Classroom learning Improvement Programme (CLIP)

The situation in Nepal

‘The quality of education [in Nepal] is generally poor…schools often lack child- and girl-friendly facilities, and child-centred teacher-learning environments. Only just over 50% of teachers are trained, they rely on simplistic teacher-centred classroom practices’ (UNICEF)
Formal training and teaching qualifications are still viewed as a secondary requirement in order to teach in schools. Most of the public school teachers in Nepal use traditional methods of teaching which comprises of lecturing and memorisation; they do not know how to introduce student participation to generate a creative and active learning process. It means that the use of child centered learning pedagogy is missing.

Public Schools in Nepal often lack appropriate funding and resources to adequately hire qualified teachers. As English is an international language, it is becoming more and more of a required skill for job placements, educational advancement and future success. Many classes are delivered in English by Nepali teachers, who frequently have only a basic knowledge of English themselves. Therefore, there is limited opportunity for Nepali students to expand their knowledge and use of the English language without direct contact with a teacher fluent in English.

Other subjects such as Mathematics and Science, which play vital roles in opening doors to success, are also taught in a conventional way. The result is that there is a high repetition and dropout rate amongst children.

Schools are also unsuitably equipped with no or limited furniture (desks, seats, blackboards) and a lack of toilets and clean water supply, all of which adds to an environment not conducive to learning.

What GAN is doing

Poor teaching performance has a negative effect on a child's quality of education.

Teacher training on child-friendly and child-centred learning pedagogy is at the core of our Classroom Learning Improvement Program (CLIP). One of our major projects has been aimed solely at English teachers; in recent times this has been expanded to teachers of all subjects. The core of our teacher-training programmes lies in giving the maximum opportunity for students to be creative and realise their inner potential, and to give teachers the skills and attitudes necessary to accomplish this.

GAN trains the maximum number of teachers from the project areas in child-friendly and child-centred pedagogy The training workshops focus on the use of Child Friendly Child Centred Teaching Techniques as well as simultaneously developing the communicative English of the teachers. Although the teachers are academically qualified, Classroom Communicative English Training was found to be teachers’ greatest need as the majority of them lack these skills in the absence of relevant exposure. Training workshops also cover the making of teachers’ own teaching aids, using locally available no/low cost resources.

To ensure sustainability of the training, frequent observation of classroom teaching and feedback sharing and bi-monthly reflection sessions are organised by GAN staff, visiting experts and personnel from the District Education Office.

In 2010 only GAN organised two separate workshops on "child centred pedagogy for change" in partnership with International Baccalaureate (IB). GAN also organised a number of Primary English Teacher Trainings, "ETTE" (English for Teaching - Teaching for English) in partnership with the British Council, Nepal. These types of auxiliary courses are occasionally run by GAN in an effort to transform best practices and learning from the training/workshop into the real classroom situation.
The other area where GAN works is in the physical improvement of the existing classroom situation - at very low cost- to make the class child-friendly. GAN encourages all its partner schools to establish child-friendly classrooms. A child-friendly classroom is one where: children's work is displayed on the wall; both the teacher and students set norms and commitments; and where students are able to learn interactively, through pair/peer/group work.
A small portion of support is focused towards improvement in school amenities like furniture, safe play grounds, drinking water, toilets and so on.
Access to education does not equate to simply going to school - minimum levels of infrastructure and a child friendly environment in schools are fundamental in order to keep children in the classroom.