Home Study International—Nepal
The most
recent census (2002) reveals that 40% of the population of Kavre District is
comprised of children under the age of 14. While the number of children is
phenomenal, the lack of educational resources for these children is even
more startling.
The average teacher of a middle school has only a 12th standard
education. The average English-medium school teaches all the subjects in
Nepali. The tuition of the average school is beyond the reach of the average
family. Even local government schools charge a fee that is not always
affordable.
While there
is nothing wrong in gaining an education in one’s mother tongue—in this
case, Nepali—it is preposterous to expect a high school graduate to be
competent in English if he/she desires to pursue quality education or a
scholarship. Competing in the job markets with graduates of private colleges
in India and the upscale colleges in Nepal, the underprivileged students,
without the basic mastery of English, find themselves disadvantaged and
handicapped. Just the grasp of English would give these students the edge
they deserve just as much as another student.
Realizing that a good-quality English
education is a paramount need in the community, Scheer Memorial Hospital
found an innovative, inexpensive way to provide this. Using a US-based
home-school curriculum that is recognized by the Maryland State Board
of Education, Scheer began a Preschool class in September 2002. Sponsors
were secured to cover the $800 for the curriculum and a $75 a month stipend
for a volunteer teacher for the school year. The hospital provided a room
and furniture. September 2003, a Kindergarten class and a second teacher
were added. The third school year that began September 2004 has 30 students
with all the children from poor families completely sponsored ($130 a year
covers tuition, books, two sets of uniform, and a full meal with a glass of
milk each school day) and 6 teachers (3 Western volunteers and 3 Nepali
assistants who are being trained to independently teach the US curriculum).
Construction of a new school building was also made possible through a grant
from the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Finland and the Finnish Ministry of
Foreign Affairs.
The new building consists of a central
gymnasium the size of a basketball half court. On either side of the
gymnasium are three classrooms. Along the third wall, facing the entrance
are two offices and two sets of bathrooms.
The school has come a long way in three
years. Our primary focus is quality education to the poor in the community.
Secondly, our goal is nurture—each class in limited to a maximum of 12
children. This enables teachers to spend a lot of one-on-one time with the
children. Thirdly, we stress the need to build a strong
foundation—enrollment of new students can occur only at preschool or
kindergarten level to enable all the children in the class to learn English
at the same pace without feeling incompetent or awkward. Finally, but most
importantly, we develop creative, cognitive, and social skills
FIRST—children are first taught to be comfortable with one another,
expressive in thought and play, coordinated in tactile abilities. We do not
rely on rote memorization.
While this type of educational system is
the accepted norm in Western countries, it was initially looked upon with
skepticism in the community, especially when the 4-year-olds in our school
cannot read or write as well as a 4-year-old attending a government school.
However, the school has gained much popularity over the three years. A good
example was a made at a recent children’s party on the hospital grounds. One
of the games was a simple relay race consisting of various stations. Each
station had a fun, educational exercise such as putting a jigsaw puzzle
together, stacking tins according to size, rhyming words, etc. The Home
Study Extension children, being friends and classmates, naturally formed a
team against other community children. The result was astounding. While they
could not read and write as well as the other children, they were
far-advanced in skills that would foster a well-rounded, advanced
educational future.
To best describe the benefits of this
school is to tell you about Suraj. Suraj is 7 years old, but stands shorter
than a 4-year-old. Malnourished and weak, he came to school the first day in
his only set of clothes. His faced was sallow yellow and terribly chapped;
his hair was a light rust from lack of vitamins; his nails were cracked all
the way down to his skin; and he could not stay awake for more than an hour.
After six months at school, his face had a healthy glow, his hair was black
and his nails were strong. The hospital provided him with a complete
physical examination and he was treated for worms and given vitamins. Today
he is alert and exhibits a great sense of humor.
Even more encouraging than his physical
changes is that fact that his parents consented to enroll him in the school.
Surat’s father cleans bathrooms at the hospital. Being illiterate, he never
considered school as an option for his son. When the hospital insisted on
knowing why he wasn’t sending his child to this “free” school, he responded,
“My son is a cleaner’s child. He was not born with the brains to study.” It
took over a year of persuasion before he agreed to send Suraj to school.
Home Study International-Nepal is more
than about bringing a quality US-based education to the children of Nepal.
It is about uplifting the many, who like Suraj’s family, see no horizon of
hope. Everyone has the right to change one’s destiny—that’s what we believe;
that’s what we want our community to believe in too.
To sponsor a child, help with operating
cost, or volunteer as a teacher, contact info@scheermemorialhospital.org
