A Visit from Classrooms in the Clouds: Nepal
Four teachers, sponsored by Classrooms in the Clouds: Nepal, and the Chairman, Sherpa Dawa, visited the UK in June for two weeks. SI Chester enthusiastically support this charity and, last year, assisted them in obtaining a grant from the SI Educate to Lead International President’s Appeal.
Two club members recently attended a Friends of CitC afternoon, hosted by the Wirral based UK trustees, and then welcomed the teachers to The Bishops’ Blue Coat Church of England High School in Chester for a morning visit to observe classes and speak to staff and students. It was the first time these teachers had been out of Nepal, never mind in the UK. They spoke at an assembly in full traditional costume and were found endearing by the students.
During their UK visit they went to primary schools, but it is through SI Chester that a link has formed with Bishops’ High, in particular with the Science department and will incorporate STEM topics. Days before the visit science students also Skyped with a school in Lukla, Nepal and exchanged lesson details concerning hygiene and hand washing.
The school and SI Chester are currently fundraising to enable a teacher exchange. The Nepali schools we support are the ‘forgotten ones’, unaided by governmental bodies and disaster funds because of their remoteness, challenging accessibility and mountain locations. Great work is already taking place thanks to our partner Wirral based charity, but teachers have little training and are only up to a GCSE standard themselves. This is where teacher exchange will be so beneficial.
