Nutrition Sensitive Literacy (NSL) Pilot Project

About NSL

Nutrition Sensitive Literacy (NSL) is a pilot project that focuses on the development a nutrition sensitive literacy package to foster the literacy skills of children and provide a platform to increase knowledge of nutrition and health. The project will be piloted in 21 schools in Sindhupalchowk and 9 schools in Bardiya districts in partnership with WFP, Ministry of Education (MoE) and its line agencies including Department of Education (DoE), Curriculum Development Center (CDC), National Center for Educational Development (NCED), and Food for Education Project (FFEP). The schools have already been identified by WFP with the help of the respective District Education Offices (DEO).

OLE Nepal’s work in the project

Open Learning Exchange (OLE) Nepal has entered into a new partnership with World Food Programme (WFP) Nepal office. The NSL pilot project implementation will be guided by the Technical Working Committee (TWC) and the test package built on the inception report, the pre and post-test drafts, the student workbook and teacher guide, and the training program. Orientation meeting for NSL TWC was held on November 15, 2016, for discussions about the progress of nutrition sensitive literacy program and the observation and data collection strategy.

As part of the project, OLE Nepal is designing and developing a package to help early grade children to develop basic literacy skills while also gaining critical knowledge about food, nutrition, health and hygiene. The package includes teacher’s guide, student workbooks and other materials for classroom activities. The content team developed mini games and activities that could easily by incorporated in the workbook, while being mindful of the comprehension level of students in different grades. The graphics team designed new characters and illustrations that are attractive and interesting for young children. For the teachers, teaching guidelines were prepared to help them effectively use the workbooks in class. The document clearly outlines the learning objectives of each exercise in the workbook, which helps the teachers with their lesson plan. The content was then reviewed by the Curriculum Development Center (CDC).

The workbooks and teacher guidelines aim to improve the learning achievement of students, and nutrition through child-centered learning methods. After incorporating the feedback from CDC, the test package was printed for the test schools. The digital copies of the test workbooks to be deployed to 5 test schools in Sindhupalchowk have been uploaded to OLE’s digital library — E-Pustakalaya.

Meeting with Sindhupalchowk District Education Officer

January 2017 | Lalitpur

OLE Nepal’s Mr. Rabi Karmacharya and Mr. Tikaraj Karki held a meeting with Mr. Nirmal Kumar Ghimire, District Education Officer (DEO) of Sindhupalchowk on January 18, 2017 at OLE Nepal office to discuss about the NSL program implementing process. Since OLE Nepal is preparing to test NSL testing package in schools of Sindhupalchowk, the meeting focused on the selection of five schools. We agreed to select the schools which are more accessible, so that it will be easier for us to implement and monitor the program. It was also agreed that OLE Nepal in co-operation with DEO Sindhupalchowk and WFP district office will finalize the list of five schools by early February.

Schools selection

February 2017 | Sindhupalchowk

In coordination with District Education Office (DEO) and WFP field office, Sindhupalchowk, OLE Nepal selected 5 schools on 10th February, 2017, to test NSL package (Workbooks, Flash cards and Teacher guidelines). These schools were selected according to the plan agreed on January 18 with DEO, Mr. Nirmal Kumar Ghimire.The schools were selected on the basis of accessibility and feasibility for the program implementation and monitoring.

After the selection of schools, the team including three members from OLE Nepal, DEO, Mr. Nirmal Kumar Ghimire and Mr. Rudra Sunar, WFP field staff visited the schools to inform them about the program and prepare the teachers. The 5 schools are Shree Ganesh Basic School, Shree Kali Devi Basic School, Shree B. P. Memorial Basic School, Shree Bagh Bhairab Basic School, and Shree Shuva Kanya Basic School. All the schools are located in Thulosirubari VDC in Sindhupalchowk.

NSL package testing in 5 schools in Sindhupalchowk

Training

February 17-19, 2017 | Sindhupalchowk

After the development of NSL package and selection of 5 test schools, OLE Nepal conducted 3-day teacher training program for the teachers of selected test schools. The training was conducted from February 17 to 19 at Jana Jagriti Higher Secondary School, Sangachowk, Sindhupalchowk. A total of 13 teachers (12 Female and 1 Male) who teach Nepali and Science subjects to grades 1, 2 and 3, participated in the training. The training is designed to prepare the teachers to use the NSL materials effectively in the classroom. In addition, the training was equally helpful for the teachers to develop ways and techniques that promote children’s healthy eating habits and personal hygiene.

The teacher training program for Nutrition Sensitive Literacy Pilot Project was completed over a period of 3 days. Important aspects of curriculum and lesson planning were reviewed, followed by the pedagogical aspects of teaching and different learning styles of students. The teachers were then introduced to the workbooks and teacher guidelines. Best ways of delivering the teaching materials were also discussed. The trainers also engaged the teachers in various group activities like, poster/chart making, bingo games, storytelling/dramatization, poetry recitation, etc. all of which could be replicated in the classroom by the teachers as activities for students.

Teachers were also asked to practice on the workbook with respect to teaching guideline. The trainers also discussed nutrition, sources and types. On the last day of the training, all the participating schools prepared their action plan for the remainder of this academic year. This included the time division (schedule) of using workbook in grades 1-3. All the schools are committed to complete the use of workbook by the month of March.

The training gave teachers an overview of the NSL package, and the reasons behind the use of NSL materials, as well as the skills and approaches to implement them in their classrooms with the help of the workbooks.

Pre-test Survey at 5 schools

February 20-23 2017 | Sindhupalchowk

Before the students start using the NSL workbooks and activities, OLE Nepal’s field team conducted pre-test survey at the 5 schools in Thulosirubari, SIndhupalchowk. The main objective of the pre-test was to get a benchmark on the students’ nutrition and literacy level and compare it with post-test results once the NSL program is implemented in all the pilot schools. The test was conducted on a random sampling basis, which ensured equal participation of male and female students along with different competence levels from grade 1 to 3. Altogether, 30% of total students from each grade (1- 3) participated in the test from each school.

Monitoring visit to test schools

March 5-7 2017 | Sindhupalchowk

OLE Nepal’s field team, along with Mr. Dambar Bahadur Shrestha (resource person from the Sangachowk Resource Center in Sindhupalchowk), visited the five test schools from March 5 – 7, 2017. During the visit, the team observed classroom delivery by the trained teachers to check if provided teaching materials and resources are sufficient and appropriate. The team also supported teachers to effectively implement NSL program in classroom delivery and provided feedback based on observations.

It was observed that the student workbooks, that was designed for the NSL program, had become a good reference material to revise and practice for the upcoming exams. They were extremely fond of the colorful images and enjoyed completing the learning activities. Also, inspired by the training, teachers were seen using self-made teaching materials, including flash cards, charts and pictures. The field team also collected feedback regarding the NSL test package from the teachers and students.

As part of the NSL pilot project, the test schools have organised a Khana Mela (food festival) and a Nutrition awareness rally at the end of the school session.

Orientation at Bardiya

March 9-10, 2017 | Bardiya

OLE Nepal’s training team, Mr. Tikaraj Karki and Ms. Kalpana Rimal, visited Baridya in an effort to coordinate with Baridya DEO and DDC, and visit sample schools for the NSL pilot project. They were joined by WFP staff, Ms. Sharada Chaudhari.

At the Bardiya District Education Office, the team conducted an orientation session about the NSL pilot project. The Letter of Permission for program implementation was obtained from Bardiya DDC. The team then visited three schools at Bardiya, to speak with teachers about the school, their students, the NSL project, and its implementation. Team members also talked to students to check their level of learning and see if they will be able to understand the NSL workbook content.

Next Steps:

We are looking to launch the NSL pilot project in 30 schools (21 in Sindhupalchowk + 9 in Bardiya) for the new school session in the month of May.