PSD NEPAL Partnership for Sustainable Development

PSD Nepal, 370 Thirbum Sadak 3

Dillibazar, Kathmandu, Nepal Tel: +977-1-4411648

© www.psdnepal.org / info@psdnepal.org

Director: Bishnu Bhatta / Report: Samuel Johns

PSD Nepal 2019 2 Kathmandu, Nepal

Report Content

This report on Bhimsen HSS (Higher Secondary School) in Baglung comprises of 3 main sections

PSD Nepal

Introduction to PSD Nepal and background on projects & rural work across the country

Bhimsen HSS

Spring 2019 update includes a focus on;

1. Introduction to Baglung District in Nepal, location of Bhimsen HSS

2. Teacher training and collaborative course run by staff at Bhimsen HSS

3. Long-term plans at Bhimsen with 2025 vision for improving teaching-learning outcomes

LRTT

Introduction to the new partner of PSD Nepal, based in the UK, LRTT (Limited Resource Teacher

Training), starting work in Chitwan, southern Nepal in Summer 2019, with plans to expand to

Baglung and rural schools including Bhimsen HSS in 2020.

Appendix

Photographs taken by Bhimsen HSS staff of teacher training days in Baglung District

PSD Nepal 2019 3 Kathmandu, Nepal

1. PSD Nepal

Large parts of the Nepali population live in poverty and are unable to access education, health

services, information and resources necessary to bring positive and lasting change for

themselves, their environment and their own community. PSD was formed in 2002 to support

the underprivileged communities of Nepal, and in particular the disabled, women and children,

and youth. PSD Nepal has just marked its 15th anniversary of service in Nepal.

PSD Nepal envisions a Nepali society where all citizens achieve their full potential. PSD Nepal's

mission is to forge partnerships and link communities with resources and opportunities to

improve the lives of community members. Development is focused on health and sanitation,

environment, information technology, youth development, and education, with a special thrust

towards the underprivileged, the disabled, and women, children, and youth groups. PSD Nepal's

overall goal is to ensure that all communities have access to quality education, health and

sanitation services, and the knowledge and resources needed to live sustainably.

PSD believes in three key principles regarding the execution of all of its programmes:

Sustainable development can be best achieved through active involvement and

partnership of all the stakeholders

Sustainability may be social, economical or ecological; all of these have to be considered

while planning and implementing any development program and initiatives

Development should be local, implemented by local people in their own environment

PSD Nepal bases its work within community centres and schools, targeting the underprivileged,

the marginalized, the disabled, women and children, and young people to further their personal

development and contribute towards the overall development of their communities.

In Baglung District, PSD Nepal has run projects in Resha, Bhakunde, Bihun, Sima, and

Bhimpokhara, for over a decade. These projects have included summer volunteer projects - with

international volunteers from the UK (ODA, BVDA), USA, Canada, and Australia. Three key new

project developments include;

Teacher training: upskilling rural teachers, in partnership with LRTT (overleaf) & CRED

Bhimsen HSS 2025 vision: improving education & teaching-learning outcomes at the HSS

Medical electives: sending medical volunteers to PHCs (Primary Healthcare Centres)

PSD Nepal 2019 4 Kathmandu, Nepal

2.1 Bhimsen HSS: Baglung District

Bhimsen HSS is found in Baglung District, located 275km west of Kathmandu, in the centre of

Nepal. This region of Nepal is known as 'foothills territory', with hills up to 1000m or 1500m in

parts, slowly rising in the north, in the direction of the High Himalaya. Baglung Bazaar itself is

situated on a plateau overlooking the Kali Gandaki gorge directly south of the Dhaulagiri

Himalayan range. Annual average temperatures range from a maximum of 26.6°C and a

minimum of 19.1°C. Highs above 35°C & lows below 0°C are rare. The average annual rainfall

recorded is 1,061 ml. Rainfall is heavily affected by the monsoon and mostly occurs during the

months of Jun-Sept. The remainder of the year is mostly dry & sunny, with rare snowfall. The

district is starred below;

The geography of the district of Baglung is known for fertile farming land. Terraced padi fields

and intensively cultivated land dominate the rural landscape. Alongside rice, corn, millet, wheat,

and potato as the staple crops of Baglung, medicinal plants are also grown, and small scale

mining exists for iron, copper, and slate. The altitude differentials in the district are marked,

with the lowest point at 650m (Kharbang) and the highest altitude 4,300m (Dhorpatan). As such,

a number of climatic zones exist across the diverse landscapes of Baglung district. These include;

upper tropical (3% area), subtropical (37%), temperate (39%), subalpine (19%) and alpine (2%).

Subtropical (from 1000-2000m) and temperate (from 2000-3000m) zones dominate the

landscape as the most common forms of climatic zones.

Terraced fields, waterfalls, rushing rivers, temperate forests, deep gorges and caves are

abundant throughout the Baglung area. Baglung is the vantage point for trekkers to Mustang,

Dolpa and Mt. Dhaulagiri, as well as being home to the only hunting reserve in Nepal. Dhorpatan

Hunting Reserve is a prime habitat for blue sheep and snow leopards.

PSD Nepal 2019 5 Kathmandu, Nepal

2.2 Bhimsen HSS: teacher training

The 2025 Bhimsen HSS vision, supported by PSD Nepal, aims at both up-skilling of teachers at Bhimsen HSS and an emphasis on new learning-methods and diversified approaches to education for students. With 21 teachers from Bhimsen HSS, a staff fieldtrip was conducted with a view to share 'best in class' teaching techniques and re-apply these across a number of schools in Baglung district. The focus on new learning-methods was centred on specialized knowledge for the technical streams at Bhimsen HSS, including chemistry and physics. Further, social skills with other schools were encouraged so as to benefit both schools mutually. The teacher training visit allowed best practices to be shared. This included lesson planning, school strategy modelling, and teaching techniques. Time was spent developing co-ordination and co-operation among the different teachers, SMC members, and education officers. This also allowed strategic planning for new practices of school modelling and influencing teaching-learning outcomes. The visit allowed some time to observe and enjoy both beautiful and historically important places in Baglung district. Activity undertaken: Educational and observational excursion November 30 - December 2 2018 Day 1: Observation of Amar Secondary School and sharing good practices among head teacher, teachers, SMC member, education officer and resource persons & observation of Turture Lake Day 2: Observation of Rudra Lake and observation of Dhorpatan Valley Day 3: Observation of Tribhuvan Secondary School to learn the effective practices, and sharing experiences about using ICT, Science Lab and sports. Visit of Galkot Secondary School, Galkot to share professional academic and administrative issues. Discuss between head-teacher, SMC members and educational officers. Observation of Ghodabadhe hill and view tower Teacher involvement: 21 Teachers, 5 SMC members, 1 education officer of Kathekhola rural municipality and 2 resource persons. Location: Kathekhola, Kharbang & Dhorpatan Baglung. Cost breakdown

- Bus fair: 50,000.00 NPR & lodging/food for three days: 1750*29=50,750 NPR - Total: 1,00,750 NPR (50% funded by PSD Nepal, 50% by Bhimsen HSS)

PSD Nepal 2019 6 Kathmandu, Nepal

2.3 Bhimsen HSS: 2025 vision

The 2025 vision for Bhimsen Higher Secondary School in Bihun, Baglung, is to raise the bar and

improve teaching-learning quality. Emphasis is on the quality of delivery and reception both for

a) teachers who require up-skilling and new pedagogical methods and b) students who can learn

in new ways, diversify across a range of learning-methods, & improve specialised knowledge in

line with the technical streams offered at Bhimsen HSS. 2020 is the indicator year for this vision.

PSD Nepal funding agreement

Following a productive meeting in Kathmandu between PSD Nepal & Bhimsen HSS (represented

by Tikaram Sapkota) on the 26th April 2018, we have agreed continued support at Bhimsen HSS.

With a view to incentivising initiative at Bhimsen HSS, and also in support of the new social

enterprise arm at PSD Nepal, we are looking to move towards a 'needs based' funding model of

support for projects at Bhimsen HSS. This would entail some of the below - examples of 'needs

based' projects include: sports days, IT equipment, teacher conferences, etc.

TRADITIONAL THINKING NEW 'NEEDS BASED' THINKING

NGO support & thinking with 'hand outs' Social enterprise thinking with 'hand ups'

Generic donations to generic causes Specific investments to specific projects

Generalised environment of need Localised needs-based pitch

Risk of complacency & lack of accountability Drives initiative, responsibility, accountability

Macro-level evidence of benefit Micro-evidence & clear ROI on projects

Needs-based funding

This new model is based on two key activities to ensure the success of the 2025 vision;

1. Responsibility - with school-based projects consistently communicated to PSD Nepal

2. Initiative - with locally-generated ideas demanding creative thinking & planning

Current funding amounts to NPR 280,000 per year (NPR 23,300 per month) to Bhimsen HSS.

Contingent on the success of the above, this figure will increase for monthly investments, and

can be supported by 25% gift aid claimed for UK donors - PSD is awaiting UK charitable status.

Monthly project ideas

Teacher training - delivery skills in Bihun (large groups) & specialised skills in Kathmandu

Leadership courses - team building and senior leadership courses in Kathmandu/Baglung

IT training & up-skilling - delivery skills in Bihun (large groups) & specialised skills in KTM

Lab maintenance, support & training - physical infrastructure & training in situ in Bihun

Sports day & extra-curricular activities - materials to fund monthly sports in Bihun

LRTT teacher training

Starting from Summer 2019, PSD Nepal will be working with LRTT (Limited Resource Teacher

Training) to provide teacher training camps at Bhimsen HSS, serving both the school teachers

and surrounding communities (up to 100 staff in total), inviting teachers from other schools. For

more information on this please see overleaf, point 3, for LRTT information.

PSD Nepal 2019 7 Kathmandu, Nepal

3. LRTT Teacher Training

PSD Nepal is developing a new stream of teacher training for rural school staff, in Chitwan in 201

with plans for 2020 in Baglung District, in partnership with LRTT (Limited Resource Teacher

Training). The benefit of such upskilling would be clear; on top of short-term volunteer trips,

with international volunteers serving in schools and local communities, LRTT would provide

long-term sustainable transformation and improvement in teaching standards in rural schools in

Baglung. Plans are being laid for teacher-training to commence with LRTT.

LRTT are working hard to make quality education a reality for all. From their website;

Vision: Teachers have the power to change the world. Our vision for 'a world in which all

teachers are empowered to unlock the full potential of every child' is what energizes us.

Impact: We can prove we're making a difference. As part of our commitment to

excellence, we track every teacher through their LRTT journey to measure our impact.

Mission: Our strength is in our diverse community. Our community is at the heart of

what we do. More than 5000 teachers from over 30 countries are engaged in LRTT.

They summarise both the challenge and the opportunity in teaching below;

[Below, staff from Bhimsen HSS in Baglung District, Nepal]

PSD Nepal 2019 8 Kathmandu, Nepal

Appendix

Photos of 2.2 Bhimsen HSS teacher training, taken by staff of Bhimsen HSS

PSD Nepal 2019 9 Kathmandu, Nepal

Appendix cont.