header banner

Transforming schools

By
The earthquake has caused terrible damage and deepest distress. We now have to pick up the pieces. And maybe we can find a few long-term benefits. We're thinking mainly of schools. So many children have had their education violently interrupted. So many will be traumatized. They deserve something better from now on. Let us hope that we can utilize this disruption to reform and recreate a better educational system.

The first and most obvious task is, of course, to define minimum standards for school buildings. Guidelines exist in the filing cabinets of the government. These must be brought out and reviewed by structural engineers and educationists sitting together.

They can be innovative. Mud (adobe) can still be used if it is skillfully laid. We've seen the prototype in Bardiya which was completed in three weeks and which is climate responsive and earthquake safe.We must insist on good windows that light every corner of the classroom. Floor space needs to be at least 1.5 meter-square per child, giving them easy access to and from their desks (especially in the event of an earthquake!) and enabling the teacher to wander around visiting each child.

There must be space in front of the desks for children to come out and perform a song or carry out a science experiment. Let's also consider acoustics. Every classroom needs soundproofing to block out the noisy lesson next door.

We must raise the standard of desks. Can we abolish those terrible long benches for ten children in a tight row? There should be small desks for two children. There are compelling educational arguments for them to sit in pairs. This is what they do in the high achieving schools of South East Asia. If we sometimes want them to work as a group of four then one pair simply turns round to face the pair behind them.

So many changes need to be made. A seriously defective part of the system is the pre-schooling. There should be an Early Childhood Development center available for every 4-5 years old. Their aims are 'social, intellectual, physical, emotional development'.

But what really goes on in the limited number of centers in existence? They don't even have teachers! They have 'facilitators' who often have no significant educational background themselves. They are given just 16 days training from instructors who themselves may have very limited knowledge and experience.

It's difficult to be a good preschool teacher. In many advanced countries they are specialist graduates and can be paid as much as a college lecturer. They need to know about the importance of imitative and creative play, the need for rhymes, singing and dance, and the complex process of introducing literacy and numeracy. It's a highly skilled job requiring thorough training.

All ECD centers must be properly equipped with carpets, cushions, low desks and toys. They need a library of bright picture books to be read aloud to the class. And, of course, there must be clean running water, hygienic toilets and first-aid equipment which the facilitator has been trained to use.

Ineffective ECD centers must be contributing to the current level of failure in Class-I level and subsequent absenteeism and dropout. It should be a top government priority to deal with this.

What about the teachers? Can we do more to improve their professional knowledge, their attitudes, and their morale? Until we review the content of their initial training and subsequent professional development they will remain under-qualified. The main universities must address a basic question: What does a teacher really need to know?

The answer will have to include some learning theory. But it must also contain clear practical guidelines on how to carry out a simple classroom science experiment, how to organize a social studies investigation in local culture, how to encourage creative writing, how to mark every child's homework effectively. At present very few of them are learning these things. One helpful solution might be to provide simple documentary training films showing authentic examples of good classroom lessons taking place.

This brings us to the weakest area of the education system—the leadership. There are of course many sincere and dedicated school principals. But there are an enormous number of seriously bad ones.

Some of them falsify student attendance to get larger per capita funding. Many of them turn a blind eye to exam cheating. They often ignore unauthorized staff absences. All this sets a very bad example for their students. It undermines the key values that schools are meant to instill.

We need a new generation of school leaders with genuine understanding of children's learning needs. They must support and encourage their staff. They must help them become creative professionals. We're talking about school principals and we're also pointing at Resource Persons whose job it is to inspect schools, monitor standards and advise.

A new, strong government agency is needed with a vision of what schools in Nepal can really achieve. Its main task will be to raise the classroom skills of teachers. The students are longing to be taught properly. It's possible to think that, with better leadership and clear practical guidelines, our schools could achieve quality equal to the best in Asia.

The earthquake shook us physically. Let it also shake us mentally in order to achieve something amazing in our educational system. My former boss, the Vice Chancellor of Kathmandu University, said last week, "We can turn this difficulty into endless opportunities to build a better, sustainable and more harmonious society for our future generations". Yes, let's do that!

The author was the Founder Principal of Kathmandu University High School and is now an independent adviser

+++


Related story

E-learning centers in Banepa community schools

Related Stories
SOCIETY

In lack of good schools in Siraha, children go to...

1 min read
SOCIETY

‘Send children of civil servant to community schoo...

1 min read
SOCIETY

Community schools outshine private ones in Rolpa

1 min read
Editorial

Prioritize Rebuilding Flood-Damaged Schools

1 min read
SOCIETY

NCC training: Transforming students into capable c...

1 min read