Nepal Don Bosco Society provides training for staff from reconstructed schools

(MissionNewswire) Nepal Don Bosco Society organized a teacher training program called “Empowering Teachers” in the city of Manthali, Nepal. The three-day program provided training to teachers and administrators from 10 schools in four districts that were rebuilt after the 2015 earthquakes. The training team included Father Stephen Biswakarma, principal of the higher secondary section of Nepal Don Bosco School in Siddhipur-Lubhu, who shared life experiences in providing quality education to students.

There were 31 participants who came to learn how to revamp policies and strategies to provide holistic education to students. Session topics included child-friendly teaching, best practices of the schools, personality of the teacher, media impact on student life and back to nature. The participants and school authorities were appreciative of the ongoing effort of Nepal Don Bosco Society to support schools with such programs.

Thought-provoking messages were shared by Hemanta Budathoki, chief guest at the training and the education officer of the Manthali municipality, and the organizing team led by Father Augusty Pulickal, director of Nepal Don Bosco Society.

Twenty Salesian missionaries at nine different centers in the country’s eastern, central and far western regions are working to rebuild the educational foundation in Nepal. A host of relief and recovery programs were undertaken in the immediate aftermath of the earthquakes and continue with the goal of providing quality and value-based academic and technical education in the country.

“Teachers are the backbone of the Salesian educational system and need our support in helping to ensure their work is valued and respected,” said Father Gus Baek, director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “Salesian teachers face many challenges educating poor youth. Many of their students have faced severe poverty and often lack basic needs such as food, clothing and shelter. Some were previously living and working on the streets, and others have faced war as child soldiers or become refugees in war-torn communities. Salesian teachers, who often come from similar backgrounds, meet these challenges head-on, providing education and hope for a brighter future.”

Nepal is among the least developed countries in the world, with about one-quarter of its population living below the poverty line. Salesian missionaries are still hard at work with long-term reconstruction efforts after a devastating 7.8 earthquake struck Nepal on April 25, 2015 with a second striking on May 12, 2015.

More than 8,000 people died and close to 20,000 were injured as a result of the earthquakes and their aftermath. Forty of Nepal’s 75 districts were affected, 16 of them severely, with homes, schools, buildings, cattle, fields ready for harvest and other property destroyed. More than 500,000 people were displaced and in need of shelter and other assistance. The United Nations reported that more than 1,300 schools were destroyed during the earthquakes.

The construction of schools that can withstand earthquakes and provide access to education for the youngest and most vulnerable children is the daily commitment of Salesian missionaries in the country. The goal is to help equip youth to have the education and skills necessary to change their lives and become agents of development.

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Sources:

ANS Photo (usage permissions and guidelines must be requested from ANS)

ANS – Nepal – Nepal Don Bosco Society empowers its volunteer teachers to improve the teaching in the reconstructed schools

Nepal Don Bosco Society Facebook

Salesian Missions – Nepal