School Sector Reform Plan 2009-2015

Just over a month to go now and we will be off to Kathmandu to deliver the teacher training programme we have developed jointly with Haverigg Primary School. For those of you not regular readers we have two courses, for teachers "Creating a learning environment" and for Head teachers "Managing change". You can see a detailed description on our main website at www.nepalschoolsaid.co.uk
Now, the Nepal Ministry of Education has recently published a far reaching document which is a reform plan of the entire education system 2009-2015. Specifically the plan covers Early Childhood Education, Basic & Secondary Education, Literacy & Lifelong Learning, Teacher Professional Development and a great deal more. From our viewpoint working with Primary Schools a great deal of the plan's focus is on the physical infrastructure of the school system, so it outlines standards on things like buildings, classrooms, toilets, furniture. It sets increasing standards for initial qualifications to become a teacher and the selection process for Head teachers. School management is focused on relationships with the School Management Committees, local communities, local councils, together with governance outlines, teacher contracts, mandatory school opening days, standards of teacher attendance and much more.
This document is most valuable to us in that it gives us a template for the development of our five supported schools as well as some idea of where we may best be able to assist the Ministry of Education in our future dealings with them.