Views Volunteer Service Overseas (VSO) Re-building Nepal’s Education System
British Educational Suppliers Association (BESA) Looking ahead to the new
school year Caroline Wright,
Daphne De Souza is currently volunteering as an ‘Education and Gender Policy Adviser’ in Nepal’s Ministry of Education. Daphne has been a VSO volunteer since February 2014. Following the recent earthquakes, Daphne decided to stay in Nepal and continue her important work.
Becoming a volunteer “I was born in Tanzania and lived there until I was nine years old. As a result, I’ve always wanted to take a career break and volunteer in a developing country. At a pivotal time in my 16 year career in UK Central Government, I researched VSO and was so impressed by their ethos and values that I decided to apply to become a volunteer. I’m now volunteering as an Education and Gender Policy Adviser at a time
where Nepal is facing key challenges like how to increase access to school and improve the quality of basic education (grades 1 to 8). I’m supporting the School Sector Reform Programme (SSRP) - a seven year education plan for the country which focuses on access, inclusion, and quality. A typical day could include waking up at the crack of dawn, buying fruit and
vegetables for the day and cooking breakfast and supper in advance. I catch the 9.30am Government bus to the Ministry and chat to colleagues on the way in broken Nepali. Typical office tasks include working on a draft donor evaluation report, developing briefings for the Minister or coordinating a working group of experts about I also help my colleagues with their English whilst they support me with my Nepali. The evening may involve going to a documentary screening with friends and other volunteers. After the Nepal earthquake Nepal experienced a massive earthquake on 25th April 2015 and a second
large earthquake on 12th May 2015. Sadly, thousands of people lost their lives and many more were left homeless. Thankfully all of VSO’s staff and volunteers survived the earthquake. Following the earthquake, I was given the opportunity to return home, but I made the decision to stay. It was a very difficult decision, as I had no disaster relief experience and I did not want to be a burden on scarce resources. However, the partner organisation I’m working with was keen for me to return to work as usual. People in the community where I’m living also wanted me to stay and help. The earthquake has had a devastating impact on Nepal’s education system,
as many schools have been damaged or destroyed, threatening to undo years of improvements. Initial assessments by the United Nations (UN) indicate that over 35,000 classrooms have been destroyed, directly affecting more than one million children. My role has changed since the earthquakes. I have mostly been ensuring that
children in the affected areas have access to temporary learning centres, sanitary facilities, textbooks and psychosocial support. I’ve also been helping to raise money to fund the work. Sharing Skills I’d definitely recommend volunteering to education professionals. Quality
teaching is one of the main priorities for Nepal’s education sector. I have witnessed first-hand how VSO teacher trainers have effectively shared their skills and how it has vastly benefited the children in those schools. The volunteers also gain skills as they learn to adapt their teaching methodologies to match the environment. VSO is all about sharing skills.
community and the additional volunteering that I do.
my career opportunities on my return and open up new areas that I may have previously not looked at.” VSO is currently recruiting volunteer teachers. For more information contact:
u020 8780 7500
uenquiry@vso.org.uk uwww.vso.org.uk/bethevolunteer/education
September 2015
director general designate of the education sector’s trade association BESA, welcomes in the new school year and shares the association’s recent research findings on the affect current policy changes are having. The new academic year
has begun, with a stream of new policy changes continuing to affect all schools. The Deregulation Act 2015 is one example, which comes into effect this month, removing the role of local authorities in fixing the dates of school terms and leaving the decision to school leaders and governors. Academies and free schools already have powers to set their
Caroline Wright
own term dates and the session pattern of the school day, but DfE research conducted in July 2014 found that of the academies opened since May 2010 only 8 per cent had increased the length of the school day, with a further 6 per cent planning to do so. By contrast, 87 per cent of academies had made use of their freedom to procure services previously provided by local authorities from elsewhere. Our Strategic and Curriculum change research released in
September to BESA’s members, considers the extent to which these recent Government policy changes have had an impact upon schools. The most significant changes are in CPD and training.
Schools are more negative about the impact on resources since the start of the majority Conservative Government, more so than with the previous coalition. The exception to this is in resourcing CPD and training in primary schools, with 50 per cent citing a positive impact on spending in this area. 26 per cent of schools indicate a need for significantly more CPD and training provision based particularly on the new assessment policy changes. There is a divide between primary and secondary schools on
the effect of changes in national testing, reporting and accountability and their likely impact on future resourcing. Primary schools are most likely to have a high demand for CPD and training, while secondary schools are expected to focus significantly more on print and digital resources, and accessing schemes from commercial assessment providers. As these policy changes continue to put pressure on schools,
I have learnt so much both at my placement, my I feel that this will enhance
it is interesting to consider the affect that this is having and not surprising that the need for CPD and training is cited as an increasing requirement. Finding appropriate high quality training is of course a challenge for schools. As ever, we recommend that schools visit the BESA website, HYPERLINK "
http://www.besa.org.uk"
www.besa.org.uk to consider our member organisations first, as they all abide by our code of business practice and are committed to supporting schools’ needs. These member organisations recognise that it can be hard for teachers to get time away from schools and therefore offer training in many formats, ranging from quick online training courses to tailored face to face training days.
uFor information from BESA contact: uCaroline Wright u020 7537 4997
ucaroline@besa.org.uk uwww.besa.org.uk
www.education-today.co.uk 7
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