Make Classrooms Safe Again in Remote Nepal

The dZi Foundation works in partnership with remote communities in Nepal to create lasting improvements in their quality of life. dZi catalyzes community-led solutions that improve public facilities, public health, income levels, and educational opportunities while also strengthening community unity and empowerment. In partnership with Nepali community members, dZi has completed over 300 distinct projects of varying size and scope over the past decade in the areas of education, income generation, public health, and increased community unity and empowerment.

dZi has spent over a decade working in these communities supporting school construction and building the capacity of PTAs. Though sound school buildings and engaged parents are key to quality education, our community partners clearly stated a need for more holistic programing to improve dropout, truancy rates, and academic performance. In response to this need, dZi has developed the Quality Education Program (QEP) with the goal of improving school environments, school governance, and the quality of instruction.

Using a community-driven approach, we are now expanding on a 2-year pilot of dZi’s QEP, an initiative that aims to improve retention and academic performance for 3,531 students across seven communities in Eastern Nepal. The project has three focus areas: school governance, teacher training and curriculum development, and student health.

The Quality Education Program objectives:

• Increase stakeholder engagement through community visioning workshops and training for school management bodies, including School Management Committees and Parent Teacher Associations. Workshops help community members and school staff develop a collective vision and define roles and responsibilities for school management and staff, community members, local government, and other partners. SMCs and PTAs are important stakeholders, and their active involvement is critical for schools to function effectively.
• Increase knowledge and capacity of teachers in two key areas: early childhood development (pre-primary instruction) and multi-grade teaching techniques.
• Improve school sanitation and hygiene through renovation or repair of school toilets.
• Decrease school absences during menstruation through teacher training on supporting menstruation hygiene at school.
• Increase parent and student knowledge of healthy nutrition and hygiene practices. With increased road building, processed foods are flooding these remote areas. The QEP aims to provide education on a balanced diet and cover this topic and other life skills in parent-focused programing and teacher-led child clubs.