A personal message to all our supporters

In one weeks time Nepal Schools Aid will begin it's most ambitious programme of work in Kathmandu. Many of you will already know about it, the "Teacher Development Programme" in which we, together with a group of four teachers from Haverigg Primary School in Cumbria, UK will run a series of teaching skills and management courses. This would be ambitious enough if we were doing it only for the teachers from our five schools in Kathmandu, but we're not. We have invited delegates from a Nepali organisation which supports 400 schools and even more delegates from Nepal's Ministry of Education.
Why would we do this you might ask, putting ourselves under extra pressure? Well firstly we are more than happy to spread our "capability message" as wide as possible to try and influence the masses of aid which is spent on maintaining dependence on the donor rather than creating a state of independence. But secondly we are being selfish in trying to influence corporate Kathmandu to back our approach financially so that future groups of UK teachers will visit Nepal to spread their skills without having to pay for it themselves!
So, on to our message to all our supporters in the UK, from the company that funds almost 50% of our work to the child at the primary school who sold a few cakes or put a few pennies in a pot:

THANK YOU from all of us at Nepal Schools Aid and on behalf of the 700 disadvantaged children who within a week or so will be getting lessons from better equipped teachers.

Nepal’s education minister resigns

Under pressure from all sides, especially his own political party, Ram Chandra Kuswaha has resigned from his post as Minister of Education. News update here

The big question everyone is now asking is whether he will face charges.

NSA Chairman blogs against corruption

The news from Nepal about corruption in the Ministry of Education and how it has adversely affected the country's School Sector Reform Plan, prompted Nepal Schools Aid chairman to pick up his blogging pen and write to the Nepal Economic Forum on the matter.

Self righteous anger doesn't get us anywhere, but at least his article cited other prominent Nepali writers who are starting to point the finger at Nepal's institutionalised corruption coupled with dereliction of duty on the part of some donors as well as offering this UK charity's prescription of values as a means to improve.

Read the article in full here at Nepal Economic Forum

Education Minister charged with corruption!

A disturbing report from Nepal today tells of Nepal’s Education Minister being charged with corruption leading to a number of aid agencies suspending their support. Specifically their support relates to 25% of the costs involved in implementing the School Sector Reform Plan which we described here a few days ago and is the basis of our upcoming teacher development week in April. The report is reproduced below and we will keep this blog updated with developments.

Bloody brilliant!

“International donors which had been funding or have pledged to fund various education projects including the School Sector Reform Programme (SSRP) have suspended aid on the projects demanding action against education minister Ram Chandra Kushwaha who has been charged of corruption.
Representatives of the international donor community met finance minister Surendra Pandey Monday and said they will not resume providing aid until a convincing action is taken against the minister.
The aid suspension follows a probe by the Public Accounts Committee of the parliament on the minister. SSRP will be adversely affected by the aid suspension as international donors fund 25 percent in the programme. nepalnews.com”