E03: Teacher's and Government's role in classroom for equal learning opportunities (Nepal)

Transcription and translation by Chatgpt. Pragyee: And now, going back to the topic of pedagogy, you mentioned office hours and meeting students after class. Some students can be a bit shy or less confident, and I was wondering if you noticed how you tackled that or if you built a relationship with them. Also, did you observe any trend where students from economically challenged backgrounds tended to be shyer? Just curious about that observation. I see what you mean. I haven't really noticed a general pattern based on their background, but when a student is struggling a bit with performance, my approach is to give them a little extra attention in a subtle way, encouraging them indirectly and helping them understand the subject matter better. That sounds like a thoughtful and supportive approach. Rajendra: I don’t really look at it in terms of the student’s family background or situation affecting their math learning. It’s not how I generally perceive it. So, when a student struggles, do you try out different approaches to help them, or does the school provide any resources like professional training for teachers to bridge that gap? Pragyee: I’m curious about how that support works. Rajendra: So, generally, teachers do receive training on things like pedagogy, instructional materials, and evaluation, but when it comes to differentiated learning, that type of training is quite limited in Nepal, and the practice is also not very widespread. However, if a student struggles, you would give them a bit more time and support, which is great! Rajendra: When it comes to training, there’s generally a standard training that covers teaching pedagogy, instructional materials, evaluation methods, and so on. However, what you mentioned about differentiated learning is quite rare in the Nepalese context, and the practice of individualized learning resources is even scarcer. But whenever I noticed a student struggling, I would give them a bit more time. The school also had a policy of providing additional classes for those whose performance was a bit low, to help them catch up. Pragyee: You mentioned additional time and additional resources right? Rajendra: As for additional resources, I’m not entirely clear on what exactly they entail, but it’s similar to remedial classes, kind of like extra tuition. Pragyee: So, you mean like tuition classes? Rajendra: Yes, somewhat like that. Pragyee: So, like you said in the context of Nepal individualized learning practice is quite rare. Do you think Individualized learning should be promoted and how can schools or the government can assist with it ? Rajendra: So, in general, individualized learning is not that common, and the policies are there, but the practical implementation is lacking. Teachers are still mostly focused on a mass education model, with large class sizes and a curriculum that needs to be completed within a certain timeframe, and exams that rely on pen and paper. This makes it a bit challenging to truly individualize the learning experience, but it’s definitely a necessity to help every student reach the required level.