Kedar Bhakta Mathema, former Vice Chancellor of Tribhuvan University; Asko Luukainnen, Finnish Ambassador to Nepal; Peter W Bodde, US Ambassador to Nepal, and Shekhar Golchha, Director at Golchha Organization attended the event.[break]
Shisir Khanal, Co-founder and CEO of Teach For Nepal, a national movement that aims to solve the most pervasive social injustice in the country, said, “Today, in Nepal, a child’s place of birth and the socioeconomic context of their parents determine where they study. Over 80% of Nepal’s children are enrolled in public schools but when they sit for the SLC exams, less than 40% pass whereas those who can afford to go to private schools, they secure higher marks and pass and have the option of continuing with their higher education.”
Teach for Nepal plans on bringing Nepal’s outstanding university graduates to teach in public schools for two years.
The public launch marked the beginning of this approach to end education inequity. This year, 33 young graduates, selected from over 500 applications, begin teaching in 16 schools in Lalitpur District. These young individuals, called Teach for Nepal Fellows, come from all over Nepal and are engineers, journalists, writers, scientists, and development activists.
The not-for-profit organization has further plans to increase the number of Fellows every year and place 50 Fellows in 2014 and 100 Fellows in 2015, reaching to more districts and underserved communities in Nepal. Over the long term, it is set to build an alumni network that will work inside and outside of the education system to support long-term transformation.
During the two years of placement, the Fellows will have the opportunity to participate in leadership training programs and workshops.
“The programs will be designed to enhance the Fellows’ skills set in presentation, project management, communication, critical thinking and writing,” noted Co-founder and Director of Training of TFN, Swastika Shrestha.
TFN, being a part of the Teach For All global network, aims to expand educational opportunities internationally by increasing and accelerating the impact of independent social enterprises that enlist their nations’ most promising future leaders in addressing educational needs.
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Applications open for ‘Teach for Nepal Fellowship’
