TEACHING ENGLISH AT BUDDHIST MONASTERY

In Nepal, there were around 1.4 million students enrolled in grade one in the year 2005. However, in 2015 only 400,000 students took the School Leaving Certificate (SLC) exams, with less than 200,000 students graduating with their SLC: approximately 1 million students dropped out before Grade 10 and 1.2 million students did not graduate from secondary school.

Almost two-thirds of students in Nepal attend public schools, with a significant number failing to graduate at the end of Grade 10 and almost 90% of those failing the SLC exams do so because of English or Science subjects. Public schools in Nepal do not have sufficient resources, both in terms of manpower and infrastructure, being unable to hire and retain teachers, nor ensure adequate training prior to hiring and ongoing training for their teachers. In remote areas where there are not many teachers, primary level teachers are often teaching secondary level students, all of which severely affects and compromises the standard of education in Nepal.

Education in Nepal is particularly theoretical in its nature, with more emphasis placed on learning theories and facts from textbooks than developing practical knowledge. For some adults, working as a teacher is considered to be a last resort for those who cannot get into other fields of work. In addition, due to inexperienced and untrained teachers, students spend the majority or all of their time repeating and memorizing in lessons, rather than developing their understanding and problem solving skills.

With a focus on higher grades and academic excellence, rather than the overall development of students, little or no attention is given to extra-curricular activities like sports, art, craft, yoga or physical and mental developmental activities. The children, therefore, do not have the opportunity to find a form of expression they enjoy to explore their own skills and interests.

Many children in Nepal suffer from one or more form of disability. The 2015 constitution says that education is a fundamental right and provides free primary and secondary education for such children, through braille and sign language. However, nearly a third of these children are unable to attend school and special education schools in Nepal often lack proficient teachers, accessible learning materials, suitable infrastructure and a supportive classroom environment.

The right to education exists across the world, irrespective of gender, race, religion, disability or financial status. However, in Nepal these educational rights are not always supported and discrimination and poverty stand in the way of nearly half of the population attaining a basic level of literacy through education. The literacy rate for across the country is below 60%, with the rate below 50% For Nepali women, due to the barriers that poverty and a patriarchal society present. Literacy rates are even lower in marginalized communities, due to discrimination, poverty, the need for children to work to support the family and poor education provision and resources.