Education is the backbone of development in any community, and Jeetpur Simara Submetropolitan stands no exception. To discuss the problems of the local education system and dream about a brighter future for students, a collaborative event was organized with key stakeholders such as the Provincial Assembly Members- Mr. Dev Narayan Chaudhary, Mayor-Mr. Rajan Poudel, principals, officials from the Education department of Jeetpur Simara Sub-Metropolitan- Harish Bhatta, College chiefs, the management team of Simara college, media persons, local politicians, and educators from various institutions. The event, facilitated by the Bits Ladder Team, explored critical issues in the education system, discussed the impact of Teaching Assistants (TAs), and crafted a vision for the future of education in the region.

The Collaborative Dialogue: Key Issues and Insights
The event was lined up with a series of activities that would generate valuable insights into the current state of education in Jeetpur Simara Sub-metropolitan. 

Activity 1: Anticipated Problems in Education

• First Full Group Activity: The major problems besetting the local education system were identified. Many issues were mentioned that seem to hinder the quality of learning.
• Lack of discipline and reward mechanisms: It is hard to keep both students and teachers motivated once proper discipline and recognition mechanisms have not been met.
• Poor Monitoring: Schools are unable to monitor the teaching and learning processes properly and effectively.
• Lack of Continuous Assessment: There is a shortage of ongoing assessments to track student progress, hindering personalized learning.
• Insufficient Moral and Practical Education: The education system is often criticized for not incorporating moral values and practical skills that are necessary for real-world success.
• Teacher Shortages and Lack of Training: The shortage of qualified teachers, along with limited opportunities for professional development, affects the overall teaching quality.
• Influence of Politics: Political interference in school management undermines the implementation of educational policies and practices.
• Less Involvement of Parents and Insufficient Infrastructure: The disconnection between schools and parents, along with poor physical infrastructure, negatively impacts the learning environment.
• These issues present a grim picture of the challenges that obstruct effective education in Jeetpur Simara Sub-metropolitan.

Activity 2: Positive Changes After the Appointment of Teaching Assistants (TAs)

• These challenges, on the other hand, have been addressed positively with the introduction of Teaching Assistants. The participants discussed the progress witnessed after the appointment of the TAs:
• More Awareness of Learning: With the help of TAs, there is increased awareness of learning needs and improvement in classroom engagement.
• Extracurricular Activities: Schools have been in a position to conduct more extracurricular activities, with TAs providing administrative support, and thus enhancing student experiences.
• Improved Integration of ICT at Schools: Use of Information and Communication Technology in the classrooms has been enhanced, making the mode of learning quite dynamic.
• Better Monitoring-More Regular Classes: TAs contributed to better monitoring of the teachers and assurance of regular classes with appropriate staffing.
• Child-Friendly Education: Inclusion of TAs supported the movement toward child-friendly education methods, where students are assured of a nurturing environment.
• Increased Utilization of Local Education Materials and Labs: TAs have advocated for the utilization of local education materials and the use of science and ICT labs for practical learning.
• These improvements reflect the transformative impact of having dedicated support staff like TAs in schools, helping bridge the education system's gaps.

Activity 3: Envisioning the Future of Education

• The final session was utilized to develop the vision for the future of education in the region. Participants outlined many key aspects that should inform the direction of education in Jeetpur Simara Sub-metropolitan city:
• Practical, Skill-Oriented Education: Education should focus on practical applicability in real life for career building and employment opportunities through skill-based learning.
• Curriculum Design with Realistic Goals: The design of the curricula should be done considering realistic goals that are to be set regarding the local setting and students' needs.
• Creativity in Education: There should be a creative approach toward teaching and learning to build up innovative capacities and critical thinking.
• Available Technology: Technology use is to be user-friendly and widely accessible, integrated in the learning process.
• Inclusive and Relevant Education: The education shall be inclusive, relevant, and according to the needs of the diversified communities, ensuring the inclusion of emotional intelligence and behavioral skills.
• Equity and Accessibility: Schools should be equally accessible for all students, especially in rural or peripheral areas.
• Government Support: The government should provide adequate resources and infrastructure for the schools to function properly and smoothly, implementing the designed curriculum.
• Uniform curriculum in all schools: Public and private schools must all have the same set of curricula to offer equality in education among its regions.
• This discussion showed that there is a huge need for an all-round approach in education that not only addresses community-specific needs but also changes in the job market.

Conclusion: The Roadmap to Reforming Education
This collaborative event has cast light on the looming challenges and opportunities that exist in the education system of Jeetpur Simara Sub-metropolitan, starting from infrastructural deficiencies to the transformative impact of the Teaching Assistants themselves, thus painting a picture of where the system is and where it should be. Looking ahead, collaboration, innovation, and a shared commitment toward ensuring the improvement of learning experiences for all students form the bedrock upon which the future of education will rest in Jeetpur Simara Sub-metropolitan City. Emphasizing skill-based, inclusive, and accessible education, will lay the bedrock for a generation of learners who are academically competent but also practically capable and emotionally intelligent to succeed in the real world. This event marked a collective effort to reform the education system, ensuring that it aligns with the needs of students, teachers, and the community at large. The insights and vision shared during the discussions will undoubtedly serve as a roadmap for creating an education system that fosters innovation, inclusivity, and meaningful learning outcomes for all.

On the occasion of constitution day, I utilized the holiday to travel to Tilathi Koiladi rural municipality of Saptari district to share my teaching experience and train the teachers employed in the Mahakavi Bidhyapati Boarding School. It took me around 8 hours to reach the destination and those 8 hours I spent watching the variety of landscapes offered by the Terai region of Nepal. Though it took me a whole day to travel I really enjoyed my trip as I got to board on the window seat of the bus.

The peaceful environment of Tilathi was heartwarming. I was amazed to witness the presence of trees and greenery inside the village which I find rare in the villages of Terai region. Almost every house in the village had a tree planted in and the environment was free from unwanted garbage. One of the greatest fears in the Terai region is mosquito bites but surprisingly Tilathi has very few mosquitoes in comparison to other other villages I had ever been which impressed me a lot. On many occasions, I could smell the fragrance of flowers on the streets of the village which is enough to express the beauty of this village. There are a number of sightseeing spots for outsiders like me to visit and witness the true beauty of the village. Several ponds and fields full of grains planted dancing along with the eastern breeze in the evening is truly an amazing experience to witness and I really felt blessed to be there at that moment of time. In the race for development, many villages are trying to become a city but in my opinion, the village should remain the village and pursue a developed village. I would consider Tilathi as a well-developed village that has pure cultural reflection and a true taste of a village that connects us to nature in this busy world.

I may get apart from Tilathi but there shall always be some part of Tilathi in my heart and I am really thankful to Shailendra Dai for providing me with such a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Observations

  The purpose of my visit to ILC in Tilathi is to share my experience and enhance the effectiveness of the school by providing training to teachers. I spent 2 days observing the teaching practices and environment of the school. The observations are:

• Managed physical infrastructure
• Availability of enough teachers for the total number of students
• Learning to check through class work is done
• Cleanliness issues
• Irregular assembly practices
• One-way communication among teachers and students
• Physical punishment practices
• Lack of cross-questioning practices
• Lesson planning not done
• Lack of activity-based learning (other than pen and paper)

Reinforcing the teachers

It is very obvious that without proper training the teachers teach in the way they had been taught. But with the passage of time and the demand of creativity, logic, leadership skills, and critical thinking among the students to cope with the environment and stand tall among others is increasing. Hence, I tried to make teachers realize the importance of themselves for the betterment of students and society as a whole. The training was conducted after the completion of classes every day. The glimpse of training are:

• The alternative to physical punishment is to make students attentive in the classroom.
• Student segregation and seat management techniques.
• IQ-based questions for teachers.
• Conducting group activity.
• Lesson planning practices.
• Backward planning.
• Handling the A/V tools.
• Typing practice.
• Let them observe the class taught by the trainer.
• Reflection session on unhealthy social practices

Impact

It would be early to analyze the impact of such short training, as analysis needs time. Although there are some small but major changes which I find is worth of.

• Cleanliness awareness
• Assembly conducted on a regular basis
• Physical punishment is reduced to the lowest
• Teachers have a broader mind setup of responsibility
• Apart from academics, social ethics, and disciplinary behaviors are reinforced
• Classroom activities include students approaching whiteboard with markers and speaking in front of the class.

What could have been done better?

• More sessions on lesson planning
• More reflection sessions
• A well-planned training sessions
• Frequent group activities
• Weekly test
• An exam of teachers to measure the effectiveness of training
• Motivating sessions should be introduced

Conclusion

Provided to prepare for training and the time period to conduct the training I would say it is a fruitful achievement where teachers are now aware of their actions and their importance in building the base for those students. The subject matters included in the training program were enough but with the time constraints the reinforcement could not be done, however, teachers are now aware of techniques and activities to be carried out. A well-motivated teacher would go beyond the boundaries by themselves to carry out the research and reflect on it during their teaching sessions.   Further, teachers can also use backward planning for themselves and their children’s future if fully dedicated to following what they learned. But of course, reinforcement on a timely basis would surely improve the learning and teaching quality.

Although being in the same district all the 3 schools have very different backgrounds on an operational basis as NSKAB is primary level, MTS is Secondary level and KUKLBSS is the girls school. In the first week, I tried to observe and understand the tradition of teaching practices. Besides that, I also tried to understand the concept and views of different teachers regarding the use of A/V classes where I found the following observations:
Observations in NSKAB:

• Lack of teachers
• SMC’s member and office helper’s involvement in teaching practices
• Teachers prefer the traditional method over the A/V method of teaching
• Lack of awareness among teachers about the importance and potential use of computers
• Lack of proper routine including A/V periods
• A/V class is conducted only by the BITS LADDER facilitator which is two times a week

Observations in MTISSS:

• Lack of proper seating arrangements for students
• Both students and teachers show keen interest for the use of A/V medium for teaching and learning
• practices
• Proper routines for A/V classes are yet to be developed
• Presence of self-learning and research teachers

Observations in KUKLBSS

• A/V classroom is regularly used for nursery class only
• Lack of proper routine regarding A/V classes
• Students are keen to learn through an A/V medium
• Absence of subject teachers in A/V room during classes conducted by BITS LADDER facilitator
• A/V class is conducted only by the BITS LADDER facilitator which is two times a week
• Students have access to the ICT room during leisure and recess time.

After a week-long observation of the schools it was necessary to carry out a few activities for the betterment of the teaching and learning practices.

• Deep discussion with head teachers for the routine set-up and presence of subject teachers while
• conducting the A/V classes
• Practically showing the teachers how to be effective facilitators while teaching in an A/V medium
• Facilitating the students in the absence of teachers
• Teaching the students in regular classrooms during internet and electricity disturbances

It totally depends on teachers and the school management on the use of technology for teaching practices. The schools whose teachers are aware of importance of the computers have surely made an impact in comparison to other schools where teachers resist the change. The overall impact in all the schools is listed below:

• Students have learned to operate the A/V tools and browse the A/V tools by themselves
• Preprimary students are involved in extracurricular activities like dancing and singing
• Students with mobile and computer access at home are involved in studying activities at home as well
• Students involvement is high in practicing problems displayed on boards

Impact on NSKAB

• The headteacher is dedicated to using the A/V room and frequently uses it during the leisure period for
• teaching practices as there is a lack of regular teachers.
• A general report on the progress of teachers and students
• Prepared by: Bhupendra Yadav,
• Cluster Impact Lead, Bits Ladder International Pvt. Ltd.

Impact on KUKLBSS

• Students pursue by themselves the A/V learning method
• The number of students who uses ICT and surf the internet by themselves
• The teachers show readiness to learn and explain through A/V medium

Impact on MTISSS

• The A/V medium for teaching is used most of the time
• Other teachers who don’t have access due to improper routine are keen to learn and teach through
• the A/V medium
• Exemplary videos are used to assign the project work to students and students complete them as well
• Teachers share their experiences with other teachers

What could have been done better?

• A proper training program for the teachers to make them aware of the use and importance of
• computers in today’s world and where we stand.
• Some sort of rules and criteria should have been laid down for the technologies provided.
• Continuous monitoring, supervision, and feedback should be done
• Proper routine could have been much more helpful

Conclusion
The school's teachers are yet to understand the importance of the opportunity provided as it has come free of cost which has not been producing the results desired. The human nature of “resisting change” of some teachers has prioritized the traditional method of teaching over the A/V medium. On the other hand, those teachers who want to teach through the A/V medium have to face the lack of a proper routine schedule to teach properly. Hence, I recommend asking the schools to set a proper routine at first and follow it in a proper way if a fruitful result is desired.