Nestled between India and China, the landlocked country of Nepal is a geographically, culturally, and linguistically diverse nation. The opening line of the Nepalese national anthem can be translated to mean, “we are hundreds of flowers making one garland,” and celebrates the rich heritage of diversity in races, languages, faiths and cultures. Since declared the national anthem in 2007, school children across the country begin the day with these words from the rugged Himalaya in the north, to the rolling hills of the mainland, and the flat river plains of the south. As a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant (ETA) in Gorkha, Nepal from 2014-2015 my day began by singing the national anthem alongside my students. As I learned the meaning of the Nepali anthem, I began to wonder how the diversity of over 125 ethnic groups and 123 languages are addressed through the process of education.
Through a grant provided by the Sigur Center for Asian Studies, I was given the opportunity to travel back to the village where I taught during my Fulbright experience and conduct research on local perceptions of quality education. In the field of education, the term “quality” is frequently used but rarely defined in clarity. With government funded reform initiatives seeking to improve equitable access to “quality” education in Nepal, the purpose of my research project is to explore how school headmasters, teachers, and parents understand quality education in the culturally and linguistically diverse local context.
I conducted interviews with headmasters and teachers at three public schools and facilitated group interviews with parents at each of the three schools. Central interview questions explored the importance of local curriculum, national curriculum and global curriculum. The interviews revealed a common consensus that education should develop a student’s knowledge of oneself, their community, the nation, and the world. “A quality education gives students the freedom to know how to live a quality life,” a headmaster explained. “Without knowing where you came from, how can you know where you want to go?” he added. In summary, interviews have uncovered a desire for education to help students preserve their native culture and languages, while also providing the skills and knowledge to expand opportunities by making global connections.
Participants also expressed how an increasing pressure to teach all subject in English at public schools has emerged over the past ten years. English is commonly viewed by parents as a gateway to increased professional opportunities and economic growth. Interviews have revealed mixed views on the relevance of using English as the medium of instruction. “English is an international language and also the language of technological innovation” a teacher explained. “If we want Nepal to play a part in technological innovation, we must teach our students English,” he shared. Another teacher explained how English medium of instruction is not a “synonym for quality education.” He described how there is a common consensus that if a student is able to speak English, that student has received a quality education. “We must not be narrow minded in thinking that English medium of instruction is a synonym for quality education…look at Japan, China, and Singapore, English is not at the center of education in these countries and the students are very high performing,” he described. Similarly, one parent explained how Nepali language learning is more important than English language learning since it directly applies to the students’ immediate surroundings.
Since perceptions of quality education in Nepal are nuanced, school choice provides a doorway for parents to more intentionally develop the skills, knowledge and worldviews of their children. Yet, the socioeconomic context of Nepal leaves the less affluent with fewer choices and therefore fewer opportunities. In the light of inequality’s shadow, teachers and school management members are viewed as drivers as quality education in Nepal’s public schools. It takes the entire community to weave together hundreds of unique flowers to form one cohesive garland. Thus, the connection and sharing of knowledge between parents, teachers, school leaders, and students ties together local perceptions of quality education in Gorkha, Nepal.
By Emily Hall, Sigur Center Field Research Grant Recipient. Emily is a master’s student in the International Education Program at the George Washington University. Emily’s areas of interest include understanding and supporting teacher quality and teaching quality in developing country contexts through the lens of cultural anthropology. Her master’s thesis examines local perceptions of quality education in Nepal and analyzes government funded educational reform initiatives seeking to improve equitable access to quality education.
