Promoting Innovation in 50 schools of Rural Nepal

by Institute of Cultural Affairs (ICA) Nepal

Project Report | Feb 1, 2022
Distributing STEM items and Orientation

By Yunusha Kafle | Program Officer

Distributing STEM Kits to School Principal

ICA Nepal team visited schools of Sindhupalchowk that lies in the rural part of northern Nepal. The project team visited following schools or met with their School Management Team:

Shree Krishna Secondary School, Gola
Shree Ekuwa Basic School, Ekuwa
Dharmadwar Basic School, Thakram
Shree Shova Basic School, Simma
Pawakhola School, Karmarang

The activities carried out during the visit were:

1. Orientation to School Management Committee and Students on STEM

ICA Nepal coordinated with 5 schools of Sankhuwasabha district. Teachers, students and parents participated in the orientation. There were 145 participants in the whole event. Participants learned about history of STEM in Nepal and in the world, importance of STEM Education, current scenario of STEM education in Nepal, things to do for promoting STEM education in the country.

2. Assessment of STEM related need of the school with School Management Committee, Students and Villagers

Among 6 schools, only one of the school had an Information Technology (IT) section and needed upgrade. Rest of the schools do not have IT facilities and seriously need support so that they are able to provide quality education to the children with hands-on practical experience of learning. It was also found that children had very little foundational knowledge regarding science, technology, engineering and mathematics. They had hardly any exposure to STEM materials. For many of the students, it was the first time they were hearing about the basic terms associated with Science.

The villages are backward and do not even have steady flow of electricity in their houses. They are dependent on solar light that is very dim to do any activities after dusk. Many children of this district are sent faraway to live by themselves so that they are able to get quality education. However, it seems still far before they are really exposed to quality education. The continuity of STEM education is highly essential in these schools so that more children get quality support and they do not have to leave their native home unwillingly (children of these communities live away from home even for secondary and lower secondary level of education).

3. Distribution of STEM materials to the School Management Committee

ICA Nepal distributed STEM related equipment to schools. Schools were happy to receive STEM materials and have requested additional support along with rigorous training needed to develop taskforce force for STEM Education. They were committed improve STEM education in the school

Orientation with School Management Committee

School Children waiting for Orientation

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Aug 5, 2021
Promoting Innovation in 50 schools of Rural Nepal

By Yunusha Kafle | Program Officer

ICA Nepal conducted series of interrelated activities in the last two months to promote STEM education.

1. Awareness Raising Program on STEM Education

Considering the restriction measures due to the pandemic, ICA Nepal hosted series of awareness-raising programs on the need for STEM education virtually. We reached more than 200 people online. Representatives from local NGOs and schools, along with the public, participated.

In these sessions, participants discussed the relevance of STEM in Nepal and several strategies that can be adopted to promote STEM education. Some of the ideas highlighted in these discussions were: formation of a STEM club, short engineering workshop, robot making workshop, teachers training, quiz competition, online seminar, science exhibition, documentary, promotional videos, educational strengthening, lab computer, Do It Yourself (DIY) toolkits, graphic designing, tap local skills, such as making Doko (wooden container with holes for carrying materials in the backside), etc.

2. Preparation for the Establishment of STEM Library in rural Nepal

Schools are shut for more than a year as preventive measures against the COVID-19 pandemic. Many students are unable to attend online classes. In this regard, we collaborated with local implementing partners to establish a STEM Library. ICA Nepal is closely coordinating with Women and Children Learning at Changuranayan and Community Training Center at Sindhupalchowk for this purpose.

Learnings:

1. Collaborating with local and indigenous STEM experts.

2. There is a greater need for promoting STEM education in communities and not just in schools during the pandemic. Community libraries would facilitate providing STEM education to larger groups of people all time.

Next Steps:

We have planned the following activities for the next months.

1. STEM training for teachers and students at Community Level

2. Supplying STEM Equipment to community training centers and schools

Links:

Find us on our website

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