EDUCATION

Tips for Your College Visit

2009-12-23T22:34:00.000-08:00

Review the programs of study the college offers. You may not have a specific major in mind, but you probably know where your interests and aptitudes lie. Besides, you can always change majors if you decide to go in a different direction. Studies show that college students change their majors an average of three times. If you're not sure about your major, the college academic advising office can help you narrow your choices.

Consider the college's overall environment. Think about how much time you expect to spend inside and outside the classroom. After all, there's more to college than just attending class. It's a chance to meet new friends, take part in fun activities, and connect with the campus. Be sure to check out the clubs and organizations on campus. Most colleges have athletics and intramural activities to help you de-stress. And most also have clubs to suit just about any interest. Some of the more fascinating we've observed are the Paranormal Society, Japanese Animation Club, and Skydiving Club, not to mention clubs tied to specific majors. Check with the college's student life office for a full list of clubs and organizations.

What sets the college apart from other schools? It takes a little digging, but you should be able to find what makes the college distinctive. Is it well-known for a specific program or approach to learning? Some colleges do some things especially well. And some have unique components such as required service learning or internships as part of the college experience. Make sure to ask about the college's mission and vision on your tour. Tour guides may not have this in hand but they can get it for you.

Take a close-up look at campus facilities and technology. You can tell a lot about a college by the way it looks because it reflects the pride the institution has in itself. Are the buildings and grounds well-maintained? Is the technology in classrooms and labs up-to-date? And how large is the library?

What kind of professors does the college have? Some colleges tout the number of Ph.D.s they have in the faculty ranks, and that's important. But equally important is their reputation, how approachable and accessible they are for students, and their teaching style. Find out by sitting in on a class during your visit (make arrangements ahead of time).

What support services are available to you? Find out about such things as counseling and tutoring services, financial aid, health services, and career help either for part-time jobs while in school or for your chosen career. Pay special attention to the level of customer service at these offices. Are they friendly and helpful?

Big, medium, or small? Colleges typically range in size from 1,000 to more than 40,000. What size college suits you? Smaller colleges tend to create a greater sense of "community," allowing you to get involved and get to know fellow students. Larger colleges or universities tend to create more anonymity, though there are certainly opportunities to get involved. Visit a small, medium, and large college to see what feels comfortable.

Residential campus or commuter campus? A residential campus has residence halls used by both out of town and local students. And while some urban schools have large commuter populations, they often have student housing as well. If you plan to live in a residence hall, check out one or more of them while you're on campus. Are they appealing and close to where you're going to class? And while you're at it, stop into the dining facilities and get a sample of what they have to offer.

What is the college town like? Remember you're not going to spend all your time on campus. Get into town and see what kinds of amenities it has in terms of entertainment, recreation, dining, and other things important to you. Also note any companies where you may want to intern or seek eventual employment.

No matter how you go about selecting a college, it's always a good idea to visit the college firsthand. You can learn a lot from a college Web site, but nothing beats experiencing the real thing. So get out there and plan your visits!

Grant Money For College Education

2009-12-23T22:06:00.000-08:00

With the job arena still very clearly demonstrating the recent recession in the economy, more and more jobseekers are unfortunately finding that the jobs available are going to people that have higher college educations. Just like any difficult situation, there are a couple of ways to respond to this fact; one is to be upset that you are getting passed over for positions you easily qualify for simply because you do not have the required diploma. The other way of responding is to acknowledge that in this day and age, corporate hiring teams require that new employees be highly educated, and start looking ways to pay for some advanced schooling. One of the many grants for a college education would be an excellent option to research.

For the most part, there are four types of federal and state government agency grant programs available to those who are interested in securing grant money for a college education: the FSEO Grant, the Pell program, the Academic Competitiveness Grant, and the SMART program. All four grants are operated by the United States Federal Government, in which money is granted to a qualifying individual for a university-level education, and because these are grants - the money never needs to be paid back to the granter. All four programs mandate that you submit the FAFSA application for Federal student support, and some require that you meet other standards too. Let's take a quick look at each program, what the program is, and who qualifies for it.

The FSEO Grant, or Federal Supplemental Equal Opportunity program, is awarded based on monetary need of the applicant. Individuals who are awarded this grant demonstrate a measurable financial need and are given a pre-defined amount of grant funds according to how much FSEO money their respective educational institution has, and on how much financial assistance they are receiving from other fiscal sources. The Pell program provides more financial assistance than the FSEOG, with less stringent financial need requirements. Naturally it has additional suitability stipulations like attending an eligible school, making good grades in your classes and of course, being a US citizen or resident. For younger students, this option may be best saved for when you no longer have to record your family's income on the FAFSA application.
The Educational Competitiveness grant only applies to first and second year students, and is primarily based on how difficult your studies were in earlier schools. Each state holds its own opinion of what a "difficult" course of study in high school is and these courses can be research on the US Department of Education's official web site. Along the same vein, the SMART Grant, or Science and Mathematics Access to Retain Talent program, is addressed at the third and fourth year level with students enrolled in technical fields of study like mathematics and various types of engineering.
If by some remote chance you don't qualify for any of the programs discussed above and find that you cannot apply for a government grant - then you may need to expand the scope of your search. There exist a large number of available grant programs and other financial assistance initiatives that will contribute large sums of money to send qualified individuals to college for a higher education. For example, the American Medical Association sponsors a number of programs that will train doctors and other medical personnel. And if for some reason you have expended all available grant programs without success, there are a number of low cost loans available from state and federal government agencies and non-profit foundations that are pretty easy to apply for and nearly any college student should meet the requirements for.

Automaticity is a Myth

2009-12-23T22:04:00.000-08:00

Summary: Sight Words, Dolch Words, Whole Word, Balanced Literacy--all the methods that start by having children memorize word-shapes--assume that it is possible for average children to recognize (and name) many hundreds of words by their shapes. Children must do this quickly, even instantly--an ability that is called automaticity. This ability is praised and promoted on hundreds of websites and in thousands of schools. It's routinely said that children "must" achieve automaticity.

I argue that this claim is sort of a sick joke, like telling all children, "You must learn to dunk the ball." I've just finished a thorough analysis of this issue for Improve-Education.org. Here's how the piece startsDuring the last dozen years the Education Establishment has stepped back from Whole Word, or pretended to, and retreated to a mixed-bag approach called Balanced Literacy. This is the official position in many public schools. In this shift to Balanced Literacy, the Education Establishment pretends there is much greater emphasis on phonics. Isn’t that progress? In fact, this claim is often a lie.

That’s because children may be forced to start reading by trying to memorize --with instant recall--the 220-word Dolch List. While there may be far fewer Sight Words to learn in total, all of them just happen to be at the very beginning. Sight Words are thus a bridge that children have to cross to reach the land of reading. Many don’t make it to the other side, and end up illiterate or dyslexic.Thousands of websites, experts, and schools categorically state that children must master their Sight Words. Typically, these claims make it seem easy to achieve the magical skill called automaticity. Easy? Sure, easy for some, like gymnastics or speaking fluent Russian. I would counter that only people with exceptional memories can attain automaticity. For most people this goal is a distant mirage (as I’ll prove).What we’re dealing with here, it seems to me, is a truly outlandish swirl of quackery, at the center of which is the Myth of Automaticity."

The boy and hung

2009-12-23T21:57:00.000-08:00

State standards operate under the assumption that most people don't know what their kids need to learn, nor how well they have to learn it. That's why the State thinks it has to set standards for every school.

But I think every parent knows this much - their child needs to be able to read and enjoy it, and be able to do all the simple operations of arithmetic in their sleep, and to be able to write to express themselves to their own and their reader's satisfaction.

Those are the Three Rs - Reading, 'Riting, and 'Rithmetic. Anyone who thinks their child doesn't need to do all three well, is welcome in School Hell. Fortunately, parents like that are few and far between.

In School Hell, though, state standards can mess with the Three Rs. Popular modern "curriculums" can tell you that basic arithmetical skills are not necessary, because kids can use calculators. Word processors can give children the feeling that skill at spelling and grammar are something a machine can do for them. Video games, programs that read books to children, etc. can lull administrators into thinking that if children are "exposed" to books, that is as good as children being able to read well for enjoyment.

Wouldn't it be better if the child just loved to read and was constantly picking out his or her own books to read for enjoyment?

When I was in Junior High, I had a psycho-nazi teacher from hell who gave us a summer reading list. She said we could just pick out a certain number of the books on the list and do reports on them. I noticed that none of the Tolkien books were on the list. (This was at the end of the sixties, and it was the first wave of mass popularity of "The Lord of the Rings" in the U.S.)
Having just finished "The Hobbit", I asked if I could exchange one of the books on the list for "The Fellowship of the Ring."

It was as if I were Oliver Twist asking for "more," only she didn't throw a ladle at me. But it was forbidden. Now why on earth would a teacher forbid a child to show initiative? Why couldn't I exchange "The Fellowship of the Ring" for, say, "Charlotte's Web"? We'd had that book read to us probably three times in grade school. It wasn't like I was trying to weasel out of reading something on the list. I would have read all of them, just to be able to present a book-report on something by Tolkien. None of my classmates had read him yet, but lots of them loved to hear me tell them about "The Hobbit."

Here was a kid dying to turn his classmates on to something fine, but the teacher was ready to report him and send him off to Mr. Bumble.
Looking back in the distance (this was almost forty years ago) (sigh), could it have been that the teacher just hadn't read Tolkien, and was afraid of facing something in her classroom that she didn't have total control over? That's my theory, anyway.

5 Ways to Encourage Reading

2009-12-12T21:25:00.000-08:00

Have you ever had to read a book on a topic that you didn't care about. We all have. Think back to those dry history books filled with a series of dates, or overly technical science tomes. And sometimes that is part of life - at times we have to read, even if we aren't inspired by the topic. But boring books don't inspire our children to read. A case in point: I was talking with the principal of a local school recently.

She lamented that the children just didn't like to read. Many of the kids grumbled when it came time for the required "sustained quiet reading" period each day. I offered to observe and when I did, I saw the children wandering the room, looking at the spines of the books, whispering to friends, sitting on the cushions on the floor in the reading corner.

The teacher was grading papers and handing out bathroom passes. There wasn't a lot of silent reading going on.I could diagnose part of the problem-the students were bored! And to be honest, the problem wasn't dry reading material. In fact, they were literally surrounded by interesting books. They just needed to be introduced to books in a positive way.I found a large nature section in the class library. It gave me an idea.

I offered to take over one class session. The principal assigned me the second grade class, which I took on a short walk to a nearby restored prairie. At one point, I had the kids gather 'round as I showed them a gall on a goldenrod plant. I picked a stem and passed it around, and had the kids guess what made that round ball.

Answers ranged from: "It's going to be a flower!" "It has seeds inside!" But they were fascinated to learn that a little goldenrod fly laid its eggs on the plant, the larva emerged and started nibbling on the stem, and the plant formed a gall around the larva, which becomes its protective home for the winter.

In the spring, the larva turns into a fly, and emerges through a small hole! And then I let the students know that I found out all of this information in a library book, and I love learning new things like this in books. On the way back to the building, the children were finding more galls and looking closely at other interesting weeds.

Now they had questions that they wanted answered! "Where do you think the ant was bringing that piece of food?" "Have you ever seen a spider spin a web before?" "Do you know how to make a cast of an animal track?" "What kind of tree did this leaf come from?"Back in the classroom, I pulled out an armful of nature books.

The kids gathered round. I invited them to each select a book that looked interesting to them. The excitement! Now these books, the same ones that looked so boring a bit ago, held the answers to their questions!Here are FIVE fresh ideas for encouraging reading .

Nature sketchbooks. Ahh, freshly sharpened colored pencils and an excursion into the out-of-doors. I recommend the book Wild Days Creating Discovery Journals by Karen Skidmore Rackliffe for inspiration.

She has a good chapter on language arts and nature journals. Explore the out of doors, and then come back inside and read up on what you saw. Model the enjoyment of reading. Show kids that there is a wealth of knowledge to be found in books. When you read something interesting, share it with them. As the parent or teacher, demonstrate a love for reading. Let the kids see you read.Read out aloud to your kids, and choose books that are above their reading level but within their comprehension level. Let them feel the thrill of learning something Encourage your child to start a collection of some sort.

Some suggestions: a joke collection , read joke books for some great jokes to tell friends, a recipe collection , read the recipe and make a snack or a meal, a marble collection (read up on all the various types of collectible marbles.Who can you share this collection with. Friends, pen pals, and grandma will all appreciate the thought and effort put into a favorite collection Start a monthly family newsletter or classroom letter.

Each person writes an article. Articles could be on topics like watching a butterfly emerge from its cocoon, what we saw on our trip to the mountains, how to articles, like choosing a new kitten, how to transplant strawberry plants, how to make a habitat for a praying mantis, etc.

A trip to the library for a book on the chosen topic helps fill in facts and details.Finding a topic your student cares about can make reading a natural extension. I hope that with these five ideas you will inspire your student to read. It's worth developing your child's interest in reading, because it will provide a benefit to your student in every area of his or her life.

Eye Movement and Speed Reading

2009-12-12T21:02:00.000-08:00

Eye movements in reading should have the same kind of automatic response as driving a car or word processing an e-mail. Training students to read faster helps build this automaticity by reducing line fixations and the amount of time spent on each fixation. So, how do our eye movements affect our reading ability? Most people would probably say that their eyes follow the print, left to right, at a consistent rate across the page. However, this is far from the truth.

Using sophisticated cameras and computer analysis, scientists have found that our eyes fixate on several places in the line in a rather herky-jerky motion. In fact, when our eyes move, they aren’t even looking at the words, but are just moving from one fixation to the next. Eye movement accounts for only about one-tenth of the time spent on each line of reading text. In other words, reading consists of a series of individual glances at each line of text and the corresponding meaning-making of each glance.

The greater the number of fixations per line and the more time it takes to make sense of each fixation, the slower the meaning-making will be. Better readers have less fixations per line and rapid processing of each word. This is what Marilyn Adams in 1995 refers to as automaticity and is the necessary prerequisite for reading well. This automatic processing develops as the reader becomes able to quickly and effectively apply the semantic, graphophonic, and syntactic cueing systems to the text.

Of course, the number of fixations per line and the duration of each fixation should depend on the degree of reading difficulty. Reading unfamiliar material or subject-specific vocabulary requires slower processing. Also, the purpose of the reader should determine reading speed. Reading a biology text for a test is quite different from reading a Goosebumps mystery for fun.

The problem is that poor readers tend to read everything in the same way, that is with too many fixations and taking too much time to process the words.Specific speed reading techniques have been developed to vary the reading rate according to the degree of text difficulty. Speed reading will also help call attention to, and even break, many poor reading habits. Effective speed reading will also maintain or improve reading comprehension as students increase their silent fluency rates.

Nepal - Educational System—overview

2009-12-10T23:52:00.000-08:00

Since 1951, the country established an education system with free primary education to all children. In 2000, while the education was not compulsory throughout Nepal, the country was committed to providing free universal education from grades 1-10. Under the Ninth Five-Year Plan, compulsory primary education was implemented in five districts of Chitwan, Ilam, Surkhet, Syangja, and Kanchanpur with the policy of extending free compulsory primary education all over the country gradually.

Despite these strong commitments, in 2000, various estimates of literacy in Nepal placed the rates between 23 and 41 percent of the adult population with a large gap between male and female rates. The Central Bureau of Statistics has been collecting literacy statistics since the first census in 1952-1954. For the censuses in 1952-1954, 1961, and 1971, literacy was defined as the ability to read and write in any language. For the census in 1981, the definition was expanded as the ability to read and write in any language with understanding. For the census in 1991, the definition was further expanded to add performance of simple arithmetic calculations. However, no functional testing was done in collecting the data that is estimated to be inflated by 10 to 25 percent. In 1996, the literacy rates in the eastern development region were 54.20 percent for males and 29.57 percent for females; in the central region, 50.19 percent for males and 20.75 percent for females; in the western region, 58.24 percent for males and 32.82 percent for females; in the mid-west region, 46.94 percent for males and 17.60 percent for females; and in the far west region, 48.98 percent for males and 14.85 percent for females. These statistics point at the dismal situation of female literacy rates in Nepal, which are among the lowest in the world. The literacy rates also vary according to ethnic grouping. The economically advantaged high caste ethnic groups like Marwari, Kayastha, Brahmin, Thakali, and Newari have literacy rates between 60 and 95 percent. While lower castes such as Dhobhi, Dusadh, and Chamar have rates below 25 percent.
Primary education grades one to five typically begins at the age of 6 years and lasts until the age of 10 years. The second official level of education is the lower secondary level, which comprises grades 6-8 ,three years. The secondary level is comprised of grades 9 and 10 (two years). The School Leaving Certificate S.L.C examinations are held nationally at the end of grade 10. Since 1992, the higher secondary level of grades 11 and 12 has also been initiated primarily through private schools. The academic year typically starts in Srawan (July-August) when the government's financial year starts. The Nepali calendar year is based on Bikrami Samwat (BS), which is different from the English calendar. For example the year 2001 A.D. was 2057 BS until March 2001 and then changed to 2058 BS in mid March. There is some pressure to start the school year in Baisakh, April-May to allow the tenth grade students to have one complete year before their SLC examinations. Education in grades 1-10 is free in Nepal and available to all. In 1996, the school system in Nepal had an overall enrollment of over 4 million students of which 77 percent were primary students, 17 percent were lower secondary students, and 6 percent were secondary students. The language of instruction in public schools is in Nepali, which is the mother tongue of slightly over one-half of the population.

Nepal has a dualistic system of schools with both public and private schools. Education in private schools is expensive and typically affordable only by the elite. Most private schools have English as the language of instruction, and many also utilize computers in the curricula. In 1995, there were 3,077 private primary schools, 2,417 private lower secondary schools, 1,370 private secondary schools, 332 private higher secondary schools, and 132 private tertiary schools. At the lower secondary and secondary levels the numbers were proportional to the public schools.

Nepal Celebrates 'Education Day'

2009-12-10T23:42:00.001-08:00

the people aware of their importance?

What makes them work hard? What induces them to love their country? A simple answer to all such questions is education. Thinking about the importance of education, all Nepalese celebrate Feb. 24 Falgun 12 in the Nepalese calender as "Education Day" with much pleasure.
Bhanubhakta Secondary School
R. KharelThere is a proverb in Sanskrit that says "Vidhya Dhanam Sarba Dhanam Pradhanam." It means "Of all the wealth, education is the greatest." It cannot be stolen by thieves. Neither can it be confiscated by the king or the government. The more we give it to others, the more it increases. Because of which, education is regarded as the greatest wealth.

The founder of modern education in our country was Junga Bahadur Rana, the founder of the autocratic family rule of Ranas. When he visited England, he was impressed by the English education system, their cultural language and technological advancement. Realizing the importance of the English language, he hired an Englishman from British India to teach his sons English. Thus, he established a private English school at the Thapathali Palace the present Nepal Rastra Bank building in 1953.Another Rana prime minister, Rana Uddip Sigh, had a liberal vision towards education. He opened Thapathali Durbar School to the children of the Ranas and high officials. He shifted this school in Ranipokhari, Kathmanudu. In 1877, he established a Sanskrit school near Rani Pokhari with a goal to give Sanskrit education to all talented scholars.Later, during the rule of Prime Minister Chandra Shamsher, the doors of Durbar High School was opened for common people as well.

After Chandra Shamsher, Bir Shamsher became the prime minister who changed the name to Bhanubhakta Madhyamik Vidhalaya (Bhanubhakta Secondary School). The Sanskrit Pathashala school was run in the ground floor and Durbar High School on the first floor. Now, the School of Sanskrit is also running on the ground floor and Bhanubhakta Secondary School in the first floor where thousands of Nepalese are studying. Though Durbar High School was established as early as 1853, no significant progress in modern education was made during the Rana regime, which lasted for a century (1845-1950). The literacy rate of Nepal in 1951 was only 5 percent.

After the fall of the Rana regime and the introduction of democracy in 1951, an educational wave swept over Nepal. Nepal began to be exposed to the outside world; people became more conscious about education and the government formulated plans to educate the people. Education in Nepal has not flourished, but improves gradually. Now, the literacy rate of Nepal increases year after year and has reached 54.1 percent males at 65.5 percent and females at 42.8 -- for the year 2001.The combined efforts from the government, private industries and internal agency programs have been functioning very effectively. The country is progressing slowly but steadily to reach its goal of 100 percent literacy in the near future.

Comprehensive Program to Support Restructuring of Nepal's Education System

2009-12-10T23:42:00.000-08:00

PHILIPPINES - ADB is backing a comprehensive program that will help restructure Nepal’s primary and secondary education system.
The program supports the Nepal Government’s Education for All program (EFA) for 2004-2009, a high priority national program that serves as the sole framework for basic and primary education in the country. Even with several development partners, the EFA still has a financing gap of about $55 million.
The Government wants to develop public education into an integrated 12-year system - eight years of basic education and four years of secondary education. Beginning with technical assistance in 2004, ADB, in coordination with other concerned donors, has helped the Government to begin planning for a holistic approach to this development.
“Through this program, ADB will support both EFA and the preparation and transition to the 1-12 year school system,” says Ayako Inagaki, an ADB Senior Education Specialist. “The reforms and restructuring should result in a more equitable, inclusive, effective, and holistic education system.”
The program will offer support to the EFA through the joint financing agreement a harmonized system for development partners to support EFA. The first phase will support EFA through a joint financing agreement, and help prepare an education reform and restructuring program that will integrate the current system into the planned 12-year framework.
This subprogram, to be carried out over January 2007 to July 2009, is backed up by a $30 million loan from ADB’s concessional Asian Development Fund (ADF). The loan carries a 24-year term, including a grace period of 8 years, with an annual interest charge of 1% during the grace period and 1.5% thereafter.
In addition, a $2 million grant from the ADF will facilitate planning and a smooth transition into the 12-year school system by strengthening policies and programs, and helping realign governance, management and financing structures appropriate for the 12-year school system.
The second subprogram will support the early implementation of the 8-year basic education system in a few districts. The third subprogram will support the initial phased implementation of the restructured 12-year school system.
The second and third subprograms will be processed separately by ADB, based on satisfactory progress of prior subprograms. The second phase is expected to require an $8 million grant from the ADF, while the third phase may be supported by $25 million in loans and grants, also from the ADF.
The Ministry of Education and Sports is the executing agency for the project.

Education in Nepal

2009-12-10T23:27:00.000-08:00

Modern education in Nepal began with the establishment of the first school in 1853. However, this school was only for the members of the ruling families and their courtiers. Schooling for the general people began only after 1951 when a popular movement ended the autocratic Rana family regime and initiated a democratic system. In the past fifty years, there has been a dramatic expansion of educational facilities in the country. As a result, adult literacy (15+) of the country was reported to be 48.2% (female: 34.6%, male: 62.2%) in the Population Census, 2001, up from about 5% in 1952/54.

Beginning from about 300 schools and two colleges with about ten thousand students in 1951, there now are 26 thousand schools including higher secondary, 415 colleges, five universities and two academies of higher studies. Altogether 5.5 million students are enrolled in those schools and colleges who are served by more than 150 thousand teachers.
Despite such examples of success, there are problems and challenges. Educational management, quality, relevance, access are some of the critical issues of education in Nepal. Societal disparities based on gender, ethnicity, location, economic class, etc. are yet to be eliminated. Resource crunch has always been a problem in education. These problems have made the goal of education for all a challenge for the country.
Administration
Structure
Years in schools, colleges and universities
External links

Administration
The Ministry of Education is the apex body responsible for initiating and managing educational activities in the country. The Minister of Education, assisted by the State/Assistant Minister, provides political leadership to the Ministry. The Ministry, as a part of the government bureaucracy, is headed by the Secretary of Education and consists of the central office, various functional offices and offices located at the regional and district levels. The Central Office or the Ministry is mainly responsible for policy development, planning and monitoring and evaluation regarding different aspects of education.
With a purpose of bringing education administration nearer to the people, the Ministry has established five Regional Directorates and 75 District Education Offices in five development regions and 75 districts respectively. These decentralized offices are responsible for overseeing nonformal and school level educational activities in their respective areas. Regional Directorates are mainly responsible for coordinating and monitoring and evaluation of education activities and the District Education Offices are the main implementing agencies. NCED[citation needed]is an Apex body for teacher training in Nepal. There are 34 Educational Training Centers under NCED to support the teachers in pedagogical areas. ETC Sunsari, ETC Dhulikhel and ETC Tanahun/ Educational Training Center Damauli, are the leading training center under NCED. NCED was established in B. S. 2050 but it could not take speed much until Arjun Bahadur Bhandari was appointed as an Executive Director. Now it is running in full fledged and implementing "Teacher Education Project" to train the pre-service and in-service teahcers throughout the country. Structure
Education in Nepal is structured as school education and higher education. School education includes primary level of grades 1-5, lower secondary and secondary levels of grades 6-8 and 9-10 respectively. Pre-primary level of education is also available in certain areas. Six years of age is the prescribed age for admission into grade one. A national level School Leaving Certificate (SLC) Examination is conducted at the end of grade ten. Grades 11 and 12 are considered as higher secondary level. Higher Secondary Education Board (HSEB) supervises higher secondary schools which are mostly under private management. Previously these grades were under the university system and were run as proficiency certificate level. Though some universities still offer these programs, the policy now is to integrate these grades into the school system.
Higher education consists of bachelor, masters and PhD levels. Depending upon the stream and subject, bachelors level may be of three to five years' duration. The duration of masters level is generally of two years. Some universities also offer programs like M Phil and post-graduate diploma.
Legally, there are two types of school in the country: community and institutional. Community schools receive regular government grant whereas institutional schools are funded by school's own or other non-governmental sources. Institutional schools are organized either as a non-profit trust or as a company. However, in practical terms, schools are mainly of two types: public (community) and private (institutional). A third type of school is the schools run by the local people enthusiastic towards having a school in their localities. They do not receive regular government grants and most of them do not have any other sustainable financial source. Supported and managed by the local people, they can be thus identified as the real community schools.
Except one, all universities/academies are publicly managed and are supported by public source fund. However, public universities also provide affiliation to private colleges. Two academies of higher education are single college institutes whereas other universities have constituent and affiliated colleges across the country.
Years in schools, colleges and universities
1. Nursery 2. Lower Kindergarten (LKG) 3. Upper Kindergarten (UKG) 4. First Grade 5. Second Grade 6. Third Grade 7. Fourth Grade 8. Fifth Grade 9. Sixth Grade 10. Seventh Grade 11. Eighth Grade 12. Ninth Grade 13. Tenth Grade 14. SLC (School Leaving Certificate) (not a class but a test) (1 year) 15. 10+2 (I.A) (two years) 16. Bachelors (three or four years) 17. Masters (two years) 18. Ph.D. (two years)

Multiplying by Nine With the Finger Method

2009-12-10T23:09:00.000-08:00

Can you do the nine-times tables on your fingers?

When you learn how, you'll never have to stare at the multiplication tables charts for nine again. The best part is, you only need to be able to count in order to learn this!

And if you practice using the finger method, you'll be a whiz at multiplying any digit by nine, and never have to "guess" and hope you're right again.

You can learn it now, in a few simple steps that you'll never forget. But you must remember that it is not meant to be a crutch. You must practice it a lot in order to get it to the point where you don't need to do it on your fingers every time you want to multiply by nine.

At the end of the article, you'll find a great, free resource where you can find a fun way that will make you love to practice it, and it will also teach you why the method works.

Let's get down to multiplying:

First, you have to number each of your fingers. With your hands palms down, thumbs almost touching, start from the left and call your L. small finger, "one." The left ring finger is "two," the left middle finger is "three," etc. until you get to the right pinky, which is "ten."

That was easy!

Now, to multiply any digit by 9, you simply bend the finger that has that number inward. In other words, if you were to multiply nine by three, you'd bend the three that's the left middle finger. Bend it inwards, beneath your hand.

Notice the number of fingers on the left of the finger that's bent. There should be two of them. That's how many tens there will be, making the answer, "twenty-something."

Next, notice the how many fingers are on the right side of the finger that's bent. There should be seven of them. That's how many units there will be, making the answer, "twenty-seven."

Warning! - This should not be used as a trick. Don't make it a crutch. Practice it until you know the "nines-times-tables" by heart. If you still need to use your fingers after a day or two to practice, then you really haven't practiced enough.

There is a "master method" for using your fingers to learn to multiply. You only need one method for all the numbers from 6-9, so you don't have to learn a bunch of different "multiplication tricks." You can find out more at Learn to Multiply.com

TOEFL iBT Transitional Words

2009-12-10T22:59:00.000-08:00

Transitional words, called also linking words or signal words, are of huge importance for building your written and spoken responses at TOEFL iBT Exam. As the name suggests these words help you to move from one idea to another in a smooth and coherent way. They also signal the reader or listener what will follow after the transitional word. That is why transitional word will be helpful not only to do better in your TOEFL iBT Speaking and TOEFL iBT Writing but also to better comprehend the information presented in the TOEFL iBT Reading and TOEFL iBT Listening sections. The use of transitional words is not only limited to the Test of English as Foreign LanguageTOEFL: but also to any other English tests, like IELTS International English Language Testing System, FCE: First Certificate in English, CAE :Certificate in Advanced English, CPE :Certificate of Proficiency in English, etc.
In this document we provide a list of some transitional words and their usage within the text. We do not claim that this is the complete list of transitional words, but we may state that it covers the most common transitional words. Studying this list will greatly improve the organization of your responses and thus enhance your chances of better result at TOEFL® iBT Exam.
Transitional Words Grouped according to their Purpose

To add extra information

and
also
additionally
alternatively
and then
apart from
as well
as well as
besides
besides that
coupled with
equally important
finally
first, second, third, and etc
following this further
further
furthermore
indeed
in addition (to)
in fact
last, lastly
last but not least
likewise
moreover
not only …, but also…
not to mention
or
then, too
too
what is more

Example: Likewise the speaking section, the TOEFL® iBT writing papers are sent to the ETS's Online Scoring Network where they are scored by certified raters.
To give examples

for example
as an example
chiefly
for instance
especially
illustrated with
in this case
in another case
in particular
in this situation
including
markedly
namely
notably
on this occasion
particularly
in particular
specifically
such as
take the case of
to demonstrate
to illustrate
as an illustration

Example: Most of English Language Exams are divided into separate parts that test different language components. For example, TOEFL iBT has four sections – Reading, Listening, Speaking and Writing. Some other exams, including Cambridge FCE, CAE and CPE include Use of English or Grammar in their formats.
To clarify the information you have presented

above all
I mean
in other words
in this case
that is to say
to put it in another way
under certain circumstances
up to a point
what I mean is

Example: To put it in another way, five are the components that you should pay attention where preparing for any English Language Test – Reading, Listening, Speaking, Writing, Use of English or Grammar.
To present consequence

accordingly
as a result
consequently
for this reason
for this purpose
hence
in that case
otherwise
so then
subsequently
therefore
thus
thereupon
under those circumstances
wherefore

Example: As a result, most ESL :English as a Second Language books and training programs are organized around this kind of division and closely follow this format.
Once again, using transitional words and phrases help you write or speak organize your thoughts in more logical and understandable way. Transitional words clarify the conjunctions and transitions between ideas and thoughts and thus facilitate the reader or listener’s comprehension. From that perspective, the right usage of transitional words will pay back with a better score on your TOEF iBT Exam.

GIRLS’ AND WOMEN’S EDUCATION IN NEPAL

2009-12-10T22:51:00.000-08:00

Girls’ and Women’s Education in Nepal 1Education in Nepal has had, and continues to have,
dedicated, talented educators. Yet, reminiscent of a
jigsaw puzzle, most but not quite all of the essential
pieces of a dynamic education service, are in place.
Empowering women and girls through education
takes more than the pieces, it requires their sensitive,
correct interlocking. It must be holistic.There have been decades of enlightened policies,
and an amazing list of incentives, designed to
increase girls’ enrolment and achievement. Yet the
impact has been marginal. Either holism was never
achieved or it has been shattered.The Cheli-beti Programme is reflective of many of
the strengths and strategic weaknesses of education
programming. The Cheli-beti Programme for out-
of-school girls, launched in 1981, is considered by
many as one of Asia’s leading success stories in girls’
empowerment. Cheli-beti was shaped by the
participating girls’ needs, songs, and vocabulary. It
triggered the girls’ self-discovery of how to improve
life in their remote rural villages. The end-of-project
evaluation focused on outputs. Since then, Cheli-
beti has inspired, and been modified into, Nepal’s
national girls’ out-of-school literacy programme.
However, in the seven years since project completion
there has been no impact evaluation. An assessment
of what is and is not sustainable is essential in
guiding Cheli-beti’s off-shoot programs.The following case study is designed to prompt
discussion on the holism needed in girls’ and
women’s basic education. Within this framework,
the focus is national policies and implementation
mechanisms.I. The Challenge and The GoalsNepal’s literacy rate has climbed slowly and steadily
from the extremely low rate of 5% in the early 1950s
to approximately 48%1 today. Less than half as manywomen are literate, as men. The breakdown is 30%
of women and 66% of men. Human and national
development remain impaired by the high level of
illiteracy.The illiteracy rate is nearly twice as high in rural
Nepal as in urban areas. It is sharply lower in the
mountains and the Terai than in the hills, higher in
the far and mid western regions than other
developmental regions, and higher in lowest-caste
compared to high-caste groups. Within each tier of
these profiles, women’s literacy rate lags behind that
of men.By the end of this Five-Year Plan (1998-2002), the
aim is to increase women’s literacy rate to 60% and
men’s to 80%. This would achieve a 70% literacy
rate in 14-45 year-olds.The need for more extensive and more effective
interventions targeting women was reinforced when
MoE identified that the gender differential in adult
literacy rose from 24% to 27% between 1985 and
1995.To narrow the gap, HMG is marshalling resources
to enrol (1998-2002):2.9 million women and 1.1 million men in literacyclasses0.78 million children in out-of-schoolprogrammes2.2 million in post-literacy trainingA related goal is to reduce dropout to below 25%.
The dropout rate for the last five years averaged
29.6%. All initiatives are driven by preference to girls
and women, although specific breakout targets are
not defined for all components.Between 1992/93 and 1996/97 1.4 million of the 1.8
million enrolled in non-formal education
programmes graduated and were deemed literate. An
estimated 70% were women.1 Unless otherwise indicated, the source of statistics is theStatistics and Computer Section, Planning Division,
Ministry of Education, His Majesty’s Government of
Nepal, MoE documents or interviews with MoE senior
managers.

GIRLS’ AND WOMEN’S EDUCATION

in NepalGirls’ and Women’s Education in NepalApproximately two-thirds of the 928,000 children
not enrolled in primary schools in 1996 were girls.
The stark reality is that 40% of primary school aged
girls do not attend school in Nepal.The 1996 gross enrolment rate for girls was 99%
(GER boys-135%), signifying large numbers of under
and overage children. The net enrolment rate (NER)
for girls was 59%, compared to 79% for boys. The
drop-off in girls’ enrolment accelerates in the higher
grades as does the gender differential. The proportion
of girls to boys in lower secondary (Grades 6-8) drops
to 38%, down to 36% in upper secondary (Grades 9-
10), and plummets to 24% in higher education.Alarming dropout and repetition levels exist in Grade
1 for both girls and boys. In 1996, nearly one in four
Grade 1 girls dropped out and nearly 40% repeated.
Only 37% of girls, and 38% of boys, who start Grade
1 are expected to complete the five primary grades.
Approximately 10% of children enrolled in Grade 1
complete primary school without repeating at least
one grade. Multiple repetition is common.MoE goals aimed strategically at increasing girls’
participation include: increasing the NER of primary
school-age girls from 58% to 85% by year 2002;
opening 10,000 Early Childhood Development
Centres by year 2002; promoting the recruitment of
at least one female teacher in each primary school;
and ensuring there is a primary school within walking
distance of each village.Each presents a formidable challenge. There are still
no women teachers in about 40% of the Nepal’s
primary schools (Basnyat-interview) and strong social
and political barriers obstruct female recruitment.
Despite intensive school construction by govern-
ment and communities in recent years, the closest
primary school is still too far away for thousands of
girls to attend. The number of primary schools
increased from 321 in 1951 to over 22,000 in 1998.II. The Community Context –Barriers to ParticipationThe barriers to girls and women participating in
education are a maze of socio-cultural, economic and
political realities that vary by community and even
by family. The following is a synthesis of the project
literature review and series of interviews. It aims
only to be an indicative introduction to some of the
key barriers at the community level.When families choose which children will or will
not be educated, or which will have better educational
opportunity, sons are preferred. Educating a son is
investing in his ability to look after his ageing parents
while educating a daughter is considered a no-return
investment. When she marries, she becomes another
family’s asset.Both the opportunity and cash costs of education
lock girls out of schools. The majority of girls in
Nepal are daughters of subsistence farmers living
near or below the poverty line. Eldest daughters often
provide most of the sibling care. Farm and domestic
work also pull girls out of school. Although tuition
and books are free in public schools, other forms of
student fees may be prohibitive.Demographic surveys show that 40% of girls get
married before they reach 15 years of age. (MoE
Country Report 1998) Marriages of 10 or 12-year-
olds are not uncommon. With few exceptions,
marriage ends their schooling. This adds to the cycle
of maternal illiteracy that diminishes the chance of
their daughters being schooled. Studies show that
maternal illiteracy is a significant factor, far more
than paternal illiteracy, in depriving daughters of
schooling. (UNICEF 1996) Negative attitudes held
by both sexes toward girls’ education, especially
among illiterate parents, have been well documented.Some groups fear that an educated girl will have a
harder time finding a husband. Others believe that
co-ed classes or walking more than short distances
to school compromise their daughters’ reputations
and marriage prospects. In urban areas, teasing and
risk of abuse or kidnapping are disincentives to girls
schooling. The rampant absenteeism of teachers,
often leaving classes unsupervised, increases parental
anxiety.Schools are seldom girl-friendly. Many have no female
teachers to act as role models. Few male teachers
have had gender sensitisation training to equip them
to nurture the participation of girls or to validate
girls’ life experience within the classroom. The
majority of primary schools have no toilets or
running water.Class times often conflict with household or sibling
care duties. Few schools have ECD programmes to
free older sisters of their child care obligations. Hours
of daily sibling care, domestic and farm work reduce
girls’ attendance and leave girls less time than boys
to study, contributing to underachievement and
dropout.Girls’ and Women’s Education in Nepalsecretariat. The previous splintering was highly
detrimental to women’s literacy initiatives, the
keystone of MoE non-formal programming.The Ministry of Women and Social Welfare
(MoWSW) was founded in Sept. 1995 after the global
women’s conference in Beijing. MoWSW is
responsible for facilitating a partnership between line
ministries that will result in cohesive, high-impact
delivery of a national action plan for girls’ and
women’s empowerment. A Central Coordination
Committee of the secretaries of 14 ministries,
chaired by the Minister of WSW, is to ensure gender
mainstreaming and implementation of a collective
gender-aware vision.III.i. Policy and PlanningI s s u e sHolistic policy and planning for girls’/women’s
education requires genuine cooperation between
ministries, within MoE, between formal and NFE,
and between government and non-government
stakeholders. The infrastructure exists but is
marginally functional. The MoWSW Central
Coordination Committee (CCC), a forum of all
ministry secretaries, has untapped potential. If used
strategically, the CCC could launch integrated and
multi-sectoral programs with civil society and the
private sector.Indicative of the barriers to inter-ministry co-
operation is MoE’s framework of operations with
UNESCO. At a point when the three UNESCO
mandate areas of education, science and culture were
housed in one ministry, UNESCO formed a
counterpart relationship with the ministry. Since
then, science and culture have been separated from
the education ministry. The counterpart relationship
still exists in the form of the National Commission
for UNESCO, housed within MoE. MoE insists on
processing all UNESCO contracting for science and
culture for an administrative fee that is considered
of no value to the line ministries involved.Co-ordination within MoE is needed. The Ministry’s
restructuring will not, in itself, end the parochialism
separating formal and non-formal education
specialists, or contract and ministry specialists. Pro-
active leadership, inclusive internal communication
processes, and performance-linked recognition will
be needed.District Education Offices (DEOs) are responsible
for implementation, monitoring and evaluation of
MoE programming across Nepal. Their front-line
knowledge is excluded from informing and enriching
the policy and planning process.The centralised and government-centric policy and
planning process has effectively excluded both the
private sector, which delivers education to eight per
cent of Nepal’s primary student population, and the
NGO-INGO education community which is the key
innovator and delivery agent of literacy programming.
Equally problematic is the absence of parental,
School Management Committee (SMC) and Village
Development Committee (VDC) input into local
school planning and management. Studies show
school management committees are dysfunctional
in most schools and community participation is
almost nil. (CERID-1997a: 20) BPEP Phase II (1998-
2003) faces a formidable, belated task in launching
community-based school planning.The National Non-Formal Education Council
(NNFEC), launched in 1992, is widely seen as
dysfunctional. After restructuring, the Council will
need to work tirelessly to earn the credibility it has
lost in its formative years. Without stronger NGO
relationships, essential input into policy and
planning will not exist.In its early days, the Council erred by taking on a
rescue and support role in MoE’s problematic literacy
implementation. Mired in implementation, which
is outside its mandate, the council had insufficient
resources for the coordination, awareness-raising and
monitoring it was mandated to do. Being an
implementer also undermined its credibility in
monitoring and evaluation. Stepping into MoE
implementation turf closed doors to intra-ministry
collaboration. Reflective of stressed relationships,
the NNFEC did not succeed in involving the NFE
units of BPEP and MoE in a collective, cost-effective
order for literacy materials.The Council’s credibility with NGOs was under-
mined after its task force, composed of government
and NGO literacy specialists, developed a respected
literacy development plan that was rejected in favour
of a rushed, poorly conceived literacy blitz at the
request of an incoming minister. (S.B. Shrestha-
interview)The NNFEC, which has a small number of non-
government and private sector members in addition
to government members, has the potential to be anGirls’ and Women’s Education in Nepal • 5inclusive, synergetic policy vehicle. Unfortunately,
revolving governments have reduced the council to
a token, one-meeting-per-minister forum. Limited
funding has also been a constraint. Literacy and
non-formal education are allotted about 3% of the
national education budget.An inclusive planning model that deserves repli-
cation is the process headed by the Minister of
Women & Social Welfare in developing a post-Beijing
national Plan of Action. NGOs, INGOs, UN
agencies, donors and several line ministries worked
in 12 subcommittees to develop a comprehensive
Plan of Action for HMG’s empowerment of women
and girls. (MoWSW/CCC 1997)IV.Strategy – Increasing
Girls’ and Women’s
ParticipationFour elements of MoE’s strategy for increasing access
to basic and primary education have major impact
on girls and women. They are: launching an Early
Childhood Development programme; increasing
private sector and community cost-sharing in
education; and introducing compulsory education
and decentralising.IV. i. Launching an EarlyChildhood Development
P r o g r a m m eWith Grade 1 dropout and repetition rates soaring,
Nepal is embarking on its first nation-wide initiative
in early childhood development (ECD). It seeks
partners to open 10,000 ECD centres within the next
five years. The government will pay for facilitator
training, curriculum development, some materials
and 50% of the facilitator’s salary.Local and international non-government organ-
isations have been the catalysts for the government
entry into ECD, citing the high primary school
achievement of children who have attended ECD
programmes. UNICEF surveys show the cost per
child per primary year averages R2,000. Factoring the
cost of Grade 1 dropout and repetition, free books
and teacher salaries, UNICEF documented an annual
loss of R1.2 billion (US$18,045,113)2. The INGO/NGO communities made the case for ECD being a
far greater investment.Expanding the small existing ECD network, a mix
of non-profit and commercial operators, is intended
to reduce the estimated 15% underage population in
Grade 1; improve the teaching/learning environment,
student achievement and retention; and increase the
return on all stakeholders’ investments in education.
ECD classes will make it easier for older sisters, the
primary caregivers of younger siblings, to attend
school.Popular private schools are testing children for entry
into Grade 1. As sons are given preferred access to
private school, except in families where overseas
education is an option, it would appear that sons
are also being favoured with private pre-schooling.
Widening the affordable ECD opportunities for boys
and girls will stem what could have been a factor
widening the gender gap.In tandem with the ECD initiative, MoE plans to
start an automatic promotion plan for Grades 1-3 to
end the self-esteem battering that the dysfunctional
public school system gives children in early grades.
One in three girls now drops out in the first three
years. The majority of those reaching Grade 3 would
have repeated at least one year. Figures for boys are
equally bad.IV.ii. D e c e n t r a l i s a t i o nUntil 1971, communities opened, managed and
funded most of Nepal’s schools. Then, government
took responsibility for schooling under the National
Education System Plan (NESP) 1971-76. Neither
District Education Offices nor community school
committees have yet been involved in policy, planning
or curriculum development in the highly-centralised
system that resulted. What local decision-making
was allowed was largely transferred from the
community to the District Education Office. Public
participation was reduced down to little more than
financial and in-kind contributions. During the late
1970’s and 1980’s the eroding quality of education
further distanced people from their schools.Although the Decentralisation Act 1982 gave more
decision-making authority to the District Education
Committees (DECs) and School Management
Committees (SMCs), this remained rhetoric, not