Welcome to KISC EQUIP

KISC Education Quality Improvement Programme (EQUIP) works with teachers to equip them with the tools and skills necessary to develop problem solving and creative thinking as well as good character in students. EQUIP works with students, parents, school management committees and the community to encourage a mind-set that everyone has an important role towards improving education in Nepal.

EQUIP partners with both rural and urban (community and private) Nepali schools that desire to rise above the many challenges of the current education system in Nepal.

Our aim is to support the achievement of the national education strategy by equipping teachers to effectively implement the National Curriculum of Nepal. We work in partnership with concerned government agencies such as the District Education Offices to provide practical teacher training, parent workshops, leadership development training and more.

EQUIP is committed to working with schools for at least five years, with EQUIP teacher trainers visiting each partner school at least four times a year. In some schools, EQUIP facilitates weekly or fortnightly teacher learning communities through which teachers share teaching techniques and philosophies.

Teacher trainers provide subject-specific training as well as training in classroom management, reading aloud, professional motivation, developing local teaching resources, ICT and more. The aim is to help teachers move away from the traditional rote learning and theoretical teaching and develop interactive and child-friendly learning and teaching environments.
 

A note froM EQUIP’s DIRECTOR

"Being brought up in a rural community in Nepal and having attended a rural government school, I have a heart to improve the quality of education in Nepal. EQUIP is a shared vision of KISC that provides training for Nepali school communities to improve the quality of education and enable them to positively transform their own lives and that of their communities. 

EQUIP seeks to demonstrate the love of Christ in action and take our values of love, grace, community, justice and excellence to school communities where the education needs are greatest. We have a vision to develop a future teacher training college to empower rural teachers through access to quality teacher training."  -Khim Kandel, EQUIP/TEC Director

Who we are

EQUIP forms part of Kathmandu International Study Centre (KISC) and its overall Vision, Mission and Values are incorporated into those of KISC EQUIP. 

kisc equip Staff

The KISC EQUIP Programme

The KISC EQUIP Training Programme involves the following trainings and school support:

Training is delivered through small group workshops and teacher learning communities.

Where We Work

Feeding Programme

Hungry children can’t learn.

 “Some of my students only have tea and biscuits in the morning before coming to school” a teacher in one of our partner schools in Lamjung told us. “By the afternoon, they are so hungry they can’t learn”. 

In another school, the Principal shared the story of a student who had little interest in learning and came to school irregularly. After some time, the teachers realised that his large family had no land and no source of income. They often struggled to find food to eat, and when the student was hungry, he did not come to school. One of the teachers started bringing extra food from her home to share with him and the student began to come to school with the hope of getting something to eat. For the last two years, the student has been given a snack every day at school. Sometimes teachers provide food or other students share their lunch with him. That student is now regularly attending school and is doing well in his studies.

Stories like this are common in rural schools in Nepal. Many children walk for up to 2 hours to get to school and so, even if they eat rice before leaving home, they are hungry when they arrive.

Poverty is a key factor in keeping children out of school, pushing children into labour and even to being trafficked (All Children in School Global Initiative on Out-of-School Children, Nepal Country Study, 2016). According to World Bank (2010) data, about a quarter of the population of Nepal falls below the national poverty line of US$1.25 per day and this is the most significant barrier to education (All Children in School Global Initiative on Out-of-School Children, Nepal Country Study, 2016).

Hungry children can’t concentrate in class and have little motivation to study. School feeding programmes are known to be one of the most effective ways of improving school attendance and achievement (Bryan, J., S. et al. 2004. Nutrients for cognitive development in school-aged children. Nutr Rev., 62: 295-306.)

Aiming to provide excellent education in rural schools, we in KISC EQUIP realise that however inspiring our training may be; however many new ideas we suggest to our teachers; however good the teaching is, hungry children can’t learn. The Lamjung school feeding programme aims to enable our students to reach their potential by attending school regularly and being able to learn.

It costs only £35 ($42) a year to feed a child at school. All students from Nursery to Grade 5 will receive a simple, nutritious midday meal cooked by the parents. By giving to the school feeding programme, you will make a difference to a child in a rural school not just for now, but for their whole future.

give to EQUIP

Would you be willing to support KISC EQUIP as it supports teachers through small-group training, model teaching, practical demonstrations, classroom observations, and more?

Volunteer with KISC EQUIP

We are always looking for teachers with more than four years' experience, and preferably a relevant Master’s degree, to help train teachers in local and rural Nepali schools. Teacher trainers may be based in Kathmandu and travel out to the project areas, or they may live in a rural area and work with the local schools. We are committed to hiring mainly Nepali teacher trainers as they provide the role models to better connect with local teachers and students.

Applicants need to be flexible, willing to learn, patient, kind, and servant hearted. Please see the recruitment page for the current volunteering opportunities.

All expatriate staff are expected to work as volunteers and are usually expected to be paid through their sending organization.
A minimum two year commitment is preferred.

Expatriate staff are also expected to attend a Nepali language and culture orientation at KISC depending on the length of service intended.

Service Trips

KISC EQUIP partner schools have been regularly blessed by mission teams who come for short-term ‘learning and service’ projects. In the past teams have painted classrooms and led extra-curricular programs. 

If you would be interested in bringing a team to learn more about schooling in Nepal, please email

You can find out about our vacancies by clicking the button below.

Newsletter

March 2020 Newsletter

• External review of EQUIP

• Conducted leadership training for Nepali and Indian schools

• Thinking skills training and read aloud training in Nuwakot along with follow-up of previously conducted trainings.

September 2019 Newsletter

• Brand new office space at KISC school campus

• Partnership with EduTech to install ICT labs in Lamjung

• Completed second phase of training in Lamjung

February 2019 newsletter

• Helping teachers in an earthquake-affected area

• Opportunities in Rukum

• Kathmandu Valley Partnerships