Strong Foundations: Early Education in Rural Nepal

Early childhood education (ECE) classrooms in Nepal help ensure school-readiness in many important ways:

• Young children develop social skills and connections outside of the family circle.
• They gain early literacy and numeracy skills that will help them learn more quickly in their early primary school years.
• They form regular attendance habits and learn how to behave cooperatively in a group/classroom setting.
• They gain exposure to the Nepali language - which, although it is the national language and is typically the language of instruction in Nepal's primary and secondary schools, is not necessarily what is spoken in the children's homes.

But the quality of a pre-primary classroom is only as good as its teacher. As in so many places worldwide, early childhood educators in Nepal are (mostly) women who may not be fully trained and certainly are not extravagantly paid! Many have finished their own schooling only through Grade 10; almost none have professional development or networking opportunities available to them now that they are working.

This is where ETC comes in. Through our ECE networking activities, teachers in the 23 ECE classrooms we are currently supporting learn from each other and from our staff and external education specialists. They share their experiences, challenges, and successes with their peers; brainstorm strategies; and enthusiastically apply the knowledge and resources they have gained in their classrooms.

Not only do the teachers feel happier and better supported in their jobs, but the hundreds of children they teach every year benefit from a more enriching (not to mention visually appealing) environment!

If you would like to read more about early education in Nepal and how ETC has helped improve it in years past, please click on one of the links below to read our guest blog posts on the Global Campaign for Education website:

• Early Childhood Education in Rural Nepal
• Pre-Primary and Eary Childhood Education in Nepal

As always, we thank you for your support of our important work in rural Nepal.

Links:

• ETC's Facebook page
• ETC's YouTube channel
• ETC's website (photos and publications page)

The Nepali New Year 2080 began on April 14th (1 Baisakh), and therefore schools have been closed for the holiday period. They are reopening now, during this last week of April, for the new school year.

And hundreds of new and returning pre-k and kindergarten children have more enriching and attractive early childhood development classrooms in which to learn this year - thanks to your support!

Recently, ETC has provided lots of new furniture and classroom materials to the 23 ECD classrooms that we support. Twelve of these classrooms are on the campuses of primary and secondary schools, and the remaining eleven are affiliated with the schools but physically located off-campus in village buildings because of space constraints.

We've also provided playground equipment on school campuses where it was most needed.

Some of the new items have been "test-driven" already, as you can see from the photos, and all of them will be put to very good use in the months and years to come!

Last school year's ECD classroom enrollment total was 477 children (243 girls and 234 boys), and we expect that there will be many or more during the school year that is just beginning. Every one of those kids deserves a great place to learn and grow. Thank you again for helping to make that happen! 

Links:

• ETC's YouTube channel
• ETC's Facebook page
• ETC's website: photos and publications page