Ann Marcer in Nepal: New equipment for schools

Namaste,

Since my last visit to Phillim at the end of 2017, I have been raising money to buy essential equipment for the primary schools we visited there. These schools had all been devastated in the earthquakes of April and May 2015, and had no teaching resources. In one mathematics class I visited, where the students were learning how to measure angles, not a single student had a protractor and most didn't even have a ruler.

Equipment for one school, laid out to show what was being supplied.

Before the journey up to Phillim in October 2018 I spent a few days in Kathmandu with the sole purpose of buying educational equipment using donated money. Rajan, the Vice Principal of Buddha Ma Vi School met with us and we managed to order and pay for a range of equipment for these primary schools. We also had to organise and finance this new equipment to be transported, by porter, up to Phillim.

"Can you find Nepal?"

We had talked with a couple of the teachers last year about what basic equipment they really needed, so we had a shopping list!
Key things were a class set (30) of mathematical measuring equipment for each school, teaching clocks, a globe, magnets and instructional posters.

Look at the photos of this equipment put to good use.

Finding that the yellow magnet attaches to the metal frame.

"Make your clock say 11 o'clock."

Learning to draw a circle with a new pair of
compasses.

Using an alphabet poster in an English lesson

In primary classrooms in UK extensive use is made of small individual A4 size whiteboards. I had found during my VSO placement that home-made versions of these were very popular with Nepali teachers. I had not been able to find any for sale in Nepal, so had brought out around 100 small whiteboards in my luggage from the UK.

We also bought a laminator, so that teaching materials, made by the teachers could be covered and preserved. This was a new concept for most teachers.

Look how high I can jump!

One thing I had noticed last year was that in the schools, whereas boys had footballs or volleyballs to play with, there was nothing to encourage girls to take part in active play. This year we brought with us three dozen skipping ropes and some badminton sets, so that we could encourage the girls to play. What fun they had, as you can see from the photos.