Improvement of pedagogical practices should be the focal activity and
connecting element among the institutions working to improve the quality
of education in Nepal. To improve pedagogical practices, it is recommended
that the stakeholders in the education sector:
Support effective initiatives. Various agencies, people and systems are
already bringing about positive changes in student learning. These need to
be recognized and supported. The motto should be: start small, experiment,
and then expand successful initiatives. Implementation should be step-wise,
coordinated and linked, rather than a one-time event.
Prioritize teacher preparation. To improve pedagogical practices in Nepalese
schools, it is vital to prioritize teacher education. Steps should be taken
to deliver teacher training effectively, using no-cost materials or low-cost
materials that can be purchased with school funds. Pre-service and in-service
teacher preparation programmes need to clearly explain the underlying
philosophies and concepts relating to student-centred pedagogy. Teacher
preparation programmes must particularly focus on modelling the desired
pedagogical practices and must allow for extensive practice of the methods
by the trainees, followed by debriefing and discussion.
Rethink the curriculum. Revise the curriculum to reduce the information
load. Instead of continuing to promote content-acquisition, the curriculum
should emphasize the skills required to seek, analyse and use information
from various sources. Classroom time should be devoted to learning these
useful skills, rather than to learning facts. In addition, non-cognitive skills need
to be integrated across the curriculum and in all subjects.
Revise assessment practices. Improvement in the curriculum and pedagogy
should be accompanied by improvements in assessment practices. A
continuous assessment system, portfolios, observation, self-assessment, peer-
assessment, and other appropriate practices should be encouraged.
Keep up-to-date. It is important for curriculum developers and teacher
educators to keep themselves up-to-date with the pedagogical research and
innovations, and to try out best practices.