Learning Nepali

There are three well-trodden paths for learning Nepali: self-study, courses in Nepal and courses in the West.

Self-Study

In terms of self-study, by far the best and most widely available course is Teach Yourself Nepali by Dr. Michael Hutt and Professor Abhi Subedi (Hodder & Stoughton, first published in 1999). Aside from Hutt and Subedi's course, other beginner's courses include Mellemfolkeligt Samvirke's free online materials, available at http://www.ms.dk/nepali; Tika Bahadur Karki and Chij Kumar Shrestha's Basic Course in Spoken Nepali (Kathmandu, multiple editions), which was designed as an instructional book for Peace Corps volunteers to learn conversational Nepali; and Dr. David Matthews' Course in Nepali, which focuses more on literary Nepali and is useful for advanced students. For an in depth discussion of the pros and cons of the various Nepali instructional courses available, read Mark Turin's review article on the subject. Click here to access the catolog entry and a PDF of the review.

Courses in Nepal

There are many opportunities for learning Nepali in Nepal, in both formal and informal contexts. Most study abroad programs based in Kathmandu offer intensive Nepali language instruction, including the Cornell-Nepal Study Program, the SIT (School for International Training) Nepal program and the University of Wisconsin-Madison Study Abroad program in Nepal. Other language courses are offered through Tribhuvan University, Nepal's primary university with its major campus in Kirtipur just outside of Kathmandu.

Courses outside Nepal
As for learning Nepali outside of Nepal, the language is offered at many locations all over the world. A few well-established sites in the West include the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), in London, Cornell University's summer intensive Nepali language course and the semester courses in Nepali offered throughout the year by the Department of Asian Studies at Cornell. The University of Wisconsin-Madison's South Asia Summer Language Institute (SASLI) offers Nepali language courses for beginners. Cornell's Nepali language instructors, Banu Oja and Shambhu Oja, have written a coursebook and dictionary, both of which can be ordered by clicking here. Banu Oja, Shambhu Oja, Mark Turin and Elisabeth Uphoff's Nepali - English and English - Nepali Glossary has recently been updated and is available online here. Nepali is also taught at the India Instituut in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, by Rene Huysmans and Mark Turin. Turin and Huysmans have written and published a Nepali language course in Dutch, entitled Nepali voor Beginners.

Dictionaries

A number of English-Nepali, Nepali-English and Nepali-Nepali dictionaries are on the market, although most are available only in Nepal. Two of the most useful for beginners are Ratna's Nepali-English-Nepali Dictionary by Professor Babulall Pradhan (Ratna Pustak Bhandar, Kathmandu, 2001) and Ralph Lilley Turner's Nepali Dictionary (first published in 1931 by the Royal Asiatic Society, but still reprinted in India every couple of years). Prakash A. Raj has recently compiled a Nepali-English/English-Nepali dictionary and phrasebook. Banu Oja, Shambhu Oja, Mark Turin and Elisabeth Uphoff's recently revised Nepali-English, English-Nepali Glossary can be ordered from Cornell by clicking here or viewed as an online database here. We have digitised two classic Nepali dictionaries which can now be downloaded as PDF files: Major T. Warren's 1944 Shorter English-Nepali Dictionary [8.4 MB] and G. G. Roger's 1950 Colloqiual Nepali [9.7 MB].


Online Resources

The Web is increasingly becoming a forum for the dissemination and sharing of Nepali language materials. Aside from Unicode tools which are compliant with most modern PCs and Macs running OS X, online resources require your computer to have one or more Nepali fonts installed, for which you should refer to our page on Nepali fonts. There are six online Nepali dictionaries: Banu Oja, Shambhu Oja, Mark Turin and Elisabeth Uphoff's Nepali-English/English-Nepali Glossary and Mark Turin's 1700-entry Unicode searchable Thangmi-Nepali-English Dictionary, both of which require a Windows PC to have the Kalimati Unicode font to view the Thangmi and Nepali (download Kalimati font). The font is NOT required for Apple Mac computers running OS X.2 or later. Bruce Adcock at Ohio State University has compiled a 420-word online Nepali dictionary and a verb conjugation chart, both of which are very easy to use. Nepal Homepage's dictionary requires installation of the Preeti font, which you can download from the THDL Nepali fonts page (note: you may need to increase the text size of your browser to read the Nepali script easily). The online dictionaries hosted by the Digital Dictionaries of Asia project of the Digital South Asia Library at the University of Chicago include online versions of Sir Ralph Lilley Turner's classic comparative dictionary of Nepali and Ruth Laila Schmidt's more recent dictionary of modern Nepali. Both are best viewed with a Unicode compliant machine.

Cornell's Nepali-English/Nepali-English Dictionary
Mark Turin's Thangmi-Nepali-English Dictionary
Bruce Adcock's 420-word Unicode Nepali dictionary
Nepal Homepage's English to Nepali Dictionary
Ralph Turner's Comparative Dictionary of the Nepali Language
Ruth Laila Schmidt's Practical Dictionary of Modern Nepali

Dr. Karl-Heinz Kraemer has a number of dictionaries available on his excellent NepalResearch.org website. He has compiled both a Nepali-English and a Nepali-German dictionary which can be searched using Adobe Reader after being downloaded for free from his site. The Nepali font used in his dictionaries is embedded, but it helps to have Kantipur installed on your own computer.

There are a handful of interactive language learning tools for Nepali which are worth exploring:
How to Learn Nepali by Janak Education Materials Center Limited (for which you will have to download and install their custom font)
Webshaala by Thamel Dot Com
Hindi Script Tutor designed for SOAS, which is also largely appropriate for Nepali
Sanskrit Alphabet Tutor
Audio files of correct pronunciation of Sanskrit characters

E-Paati & E-Path

One of the things that initially attracted me to OLPC was that we Nepalis could it make it our own. So often ideas and initiatives that come from the West are pre-packaged and controlled. With XO’s we can localize the Sugar interface, develop activities that accord to our needs and culture, and come up with power solutions that work in our particular environments. One of the key things that we needed to localize was the name of the laptop itself. This has happened in an unexpected manner.

When the concept of One Laptop Per Child was first being introduced and spread in Nepal back in 2006, one question that was discussed regularly in the community was: what should we call the laptops? There is no Nepali word for computer, let alone a laptop. In normal usage, computer is referred as computer written in Devnagari script.

While most people who have come in contact with a computer do have an idea of what the word refers to, we thought that the word does not do justice to the education aspect of the laptops that we were trying to highlight. Besides, the words computer and laptop have technical connotations that make the large non-tech savvy public resist to the OLPC concept at some level. Referring to the laptop as “XO” was acceptable within the OLPC community, but it was too abstract and caused more confusion outside of the community.

Many names were suggested. Some chose to call it Mero Sano Sathi, which literally means “my small friend.” Others believed that it should be a single word, not a phrase like “100 dollar laptop.” Other suggestions included various combinations of Nepali words for book, learning, knowledge, machine, etc. Needless to say, the community could not decide on a single name, although few continued to refer to it as Mero Sano Sathi. For me, this name just did not cut it. OLPC is fundamentally about connecting kids with other kids not about connecting kids to computers. The XO icon emblazoned on top of the XO represents the child’s own agency, not a separate entity.

When Open Learning Exchange Nepal (OLE Nepal) was established, the group decided to give itself the Nepali name Sajha Sikchha E-Paati after much discussion. Sajha in Nepali means open and public. This was important because we believe that quality education should be freely accessible to anyone and everyone. Sikchha means education. Paati in Nepali means a board, and is used in words like Kalopaati (blackboard) and Kharipaati (wooden predecessor of the blackboard). Paati also means a gathering place or public shelter. For our purpose, E-Paati stands for digital or electronic learning platform.

One of OLE Nepal’s main strategies to implement OLPC project in Nepal is to develop interactive digital learning activities based on Nepal’s national curriculum to go with the laptops. These activities are designed with the goal of integrating laptops in daily teaching-learning process in and outside of the classrooms. We called this set of learning activities E-Paati when we developed the first ones back in the fall of 2007.

The second part of our strategy is to ensure that teachers are well prepared to not just use laptops in classrooms, but to use them effectively to deliver quality education to their students. With that in mind, we held an extensive teacher training program that included a four day residential training a month before laptops were deployed at the two test schools. This was followed by a three day onsite program right after deployment in April 2008. Most of the teachers from the poor rural schools had never even used a computer before they came to the residential training.

During the course of the program, the teachers started referring to the laptops as E-Paati. Then it occurred to us that it was an apt name for the laptops. While a community of tech enthusiasts, education specialists, and volunteers had not been able to come up with a Nepali name for the laptops, it was a natural choice for the teachers - the users of the XO’s - who at some time used Kharipaati, and now use Kalopaati in daily classroom teaching. With these laptops, teachers now have a powerful tool that teachers and students in Nepal refer to as E-Paati. Personally, I love the name E-Paati because it connects Nepal’s past with its future.

That left us with the task of finding a different name for our set of digital learning activities. Calling both the laptops and the activities by the same name created confusion in the classroom. For example, when teachers ask students to close their E-Paati, students were confused whether to close the activity or turn off the laptops. It was important to make a clear distinction between the content (activities) and the hardware (laptops).

Once again, many names where suggested, and out of the many great suggestions, we chose to call the learning activities E-Paath as suggested by our Education Director Dr. Saurav Dev Bhatta. For those of you who are still struggling with their Nepali, Paath means lesson. However, we want E-Paath to mean more than just digital lessons. We want it to stand for interactive digital lessons that children find easy and fun to use.

Currently in Nepal, there are two test schools in the outskirts of Kathmandu Valley where 135 students and 20 teachers are blazing the trail to transform education in Nepal using E-Paath on their E-Paati. It makes me proud to see how we have made this project our own - starting from the implementation plan that suits our needs and environment, to the localized content that Nepali children can relate to easily, all the way to the names that reflect the noble- yet intimately local - initiative.

EDUCATION

Education encompasses both the teaching and learning of knowledge, proper conduct, and technical competency. It thus focuses on the cultivation of skills, trades or professions, as well as mental, moral & aesthetic development.[1]
-Formal education consists of systematic instruction, teaching and training by professional teachers. This consists of the application of pedagogy and the development of curricula. In a liberal education tradition, teachers draw on many different disciplines for their lessons, including psychology, philosophy, information technology, linguistics, biology, and sociology. Teachers in specialized professions such as astrophysics, law, or zoology may teach only in a narrow area, usually as professors at institutions of higher learning. There is much specialist instruction in fields of trade for those who want specific skills, such as required to be a pilot, for example. Finally, there is an array of educational opportunity in the informal sphere- for this reason, society subsidizes institutions such as museums and libraries. Informal education also includes knowledge and skills learned and refined during the course of life, including education that comes from experience in practicing a profession.
The right to education is a fundamental human right. Since 1952, Article 2 of the first Protocol to the European Convention on Human Rights obliges all signatory parties to guarantee the right to education. At world level, the United Nations' International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights of 1966 guarantees this right under its Article 13.
Contents[hide]
1 Systems of formal education
1.1 Primary education
1.2 Secondary education
1.3 Higher education
1.4 Adult education
1.5 Alternative education
1.6 Emotional/Human education
2 Process
2.1 Curriculum
2.2 Learning modalities
2.3 Teaching
2.4 Technology
3 History
4 Philosophy
5 Psychology
6 Economic implications of Education
7 Sociology of education
7.1 Education in developing countries
7.2 Internationalisation
8 See also
9 References
10 External links
//

[edit] Systems of formal education
Education systems are established to provide education and training, often for children and the young. A curriculum defines what students should know, understand and be able to do as the result of education. A teaching profession delivers teaching which enables learning, and a system of policies, regulations, examinations, structures and funding enables teachers to teach to the best of their abilities. Sometimes education systems can be used to promote doctrines or ideals as well as knowledge, which is known as social engineering. This can lead to political abuse of the system, particularly in totalitarian states and government.
Education is a broad concept, referring to all the experiences in which students can learn something.
Instruction refers to the intentional facilitating of learning toward identified goals, delivered either by an instructor or other forms.
Teaching refers to the actions of a real live instructor designed to impart learning to the student.
Training refers to learning with a view toward preparing learners with specific knowledge, skills, or abilities that can be applied immediately upon completion.

[edit] Primary education
Main article: Primary education

Primary school in open air. Teacher (priest) with class from the outskirts of Bucharest, around 1842.
Primary (or elementary) education consists of the first years of formal, structured education. In general, primary education consists of six or seven years of schooling starting at the age of 5 or 6, although this varies between, and sometimes within, countries. Globally, around 70% of primary-age children are enrolled in primary education, and this proportion is rising.[2] Under the Education for All programs driven by UNESCO, most countries have committed to achieving universal enrollment in primary education by 2015, and in many countries, it is compulsory for children to receive primary education. The division between primary and secondary education is somewhat arbitrary, but it generally occurs at about eleven or twelve years of age. Some education systems have separate middle schools, with the transition to the final stage of secondary education taking place at around the age of fourteen. Schools that provide primary education, are mostly referred to as primary schools. Primary schools in these countries are often subdivided into infant schools and junior schools.

[edit] Secondary education
Main article: Secondary education
In most contemporary educational systems of the world, secondary education consists of the second years of formal education that occur during adolescence.[citation needed] It is characterised by transition from the typically compulsory, comprehensive primary education for minors, to the optional, selective tertiary, "post-secondary", or "higher" education (e.g., university, vocational school) for adults.[citation needed] Depending on the system, schools for this period, or a part of it, may be called secondary or high schools, gymnasiums, lyceums, middle schools, colleges, or vocational schools. The exact meaning of any of these terms varies from one system to another. The exact boundary between primary and secondary education also varies from country to country and even within them, but is generally around the seventh to the tenth year of schooling. Secondary education occurs mainly during the teenage years. In the United States and Canada primary and secondary education together are sometimes referred to as K-12 education, and in New Zealand Year 1-13 is used. The purpose of secondary education can be to give common knowledge, to prepare for higher education or to train directly in a profession.

[edit] Higher education
Main article: Higher education

The University of Cambridge is an institute of higher learning.
Higher education, also called tertiary, third stage, or post secondary education, is the non-compulsory educational level that follows the completion of a school providing a secondary education, such as a high school, secondary school, or gymnasium[citation needed]. Tertiary education is normally taken to include undergraduate and postgraduate education, as well as vocational education and training. Colleges and universities are the main institutions that provide tertiary education. Collectively, these are sometimes known as tertiary institutions. Tertiary education generally results in the receipt of certificates, diplomas, or academic degrees.
Higher education includes teaching, research and social services activities of universities, and within the realm of teaching, it includes both the undergraduate level (sometimes referred to as tertiary education) and the graduate (or postgraduate) level (sometimes referred to as graduate school). Higher education in that country generally involves work towards a degree-level or foundation degree qualification. In most developed countries a high proportion of the population (up to 50%) now enter higher education at some time in their lives. Higher education is therefore very important to national economies, both as a significant industry in its own right, and as a source of trained and educated personnel for the rest of the economy.

Nepalese Education Situation

The population of Nepal is about 237,00,000. 40% of the population living below the poverty group, and the average length of life is 60 years. The child mortality rate is (one years old or less) said 76 children per 1,000 births (The statistical data of 1998).

The adult literacy rate is about 30%, and is said to be only 15% among women. In the education system, the government provides teachers and textbooks; however, the community residents must pay for the construction of school. Therefore it is nearly impossible for poorer communities to build their own schools due to their economic situation. In addition, there is an overall shortage of the number of schools and the number of teachers, and the numbers of children enrolled in the elementary education (elementary school) is only 60% of all boys, and 25% of all girls.

Reference material
Population: 236,988,421 people(1998 data)

GDP per person US$270
Compared to Japan, Gross National Income is 780:1, Exports are 820:1, Imports are 240:1, Tourism revenue is 35:1, Energy consumption is 110:1

Population Structure (The data of 1998)
Age 0-14 42%
Women 4,779,941 people
Men 5,087,855 people

Age 15-64 55%
Women 6,387,255 people
Men 6,655,865 people

Over Age 65 2%
Women 395,364 people
Men 392,141 people

Population Growth Rate: 2.52% (1998)
Birth rate: 35.66 births per 1000 persons (1998 data)
Death rate: 10.44 deaths per 1000 persons (1998 data)
Children's death rate (Less than one year old): 75.98 deaths per 1,000 births (1998 data)

Average Life Expectancy (The data of 1998)
Total Population: 57.89 years
Men: 58.04 years
Women: 57.74 years

Literacy Rate (over age 15) (1995 data)
Total Population: 27.5%
Men: 40.9%
Women: 14%

Occupations
Workforce: Approximately 100,000,000 (1996 data)
Agriculture: 81%
Service Industries: 16%
Manufacturing: 3%

Ethnic Structure
Newar, Tibetan/Burmese hilltribes, Northern Indian tribes, divided into Gurung, Tamang, Sherpa, Chhettri and many other tribes.

Religion
Hindu: 90%, Buddhist: 5%, Islam: 3%, Other 2% (1981 data)

Language
Nepali (Official language), 20 other languages and numerous dialects

Source: Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Primary Type of school providing this education: Primary School Length of program in years: 5

Age level from: 6 to: 11

Lower Secondary Type of school providing this education: Secondary School Length of program in years: 2

Age level from: 11 to: 13

Upper Secondary Type of school providing this education: General Secondary School and Sanskrit Secondary School Length of program in years: 3

Age level from: 13 to: 16 Certificate/diploma awarded: School Leaving Certificate, Uttar Madhyama Certificate Examination

Higher Secondary Type of school providing this education: Higher Secondary School Length of program in years: 2

Age level from: 16 to: 18 Certificate/diploma awarded: Higher Secondary Certificate, Proficiency Certificate

Vocational Type of school providing this education: Vocational school Length of program in years: 2 Age level from: 16 to: 18 Certificate/diploma awarded: Vocational School Leaving Certificate

Education In Nepal

Although it is a culturally rich and physically beautiful country, Nepal is one of the world's poorest and least-developed countries. While the country's educational system has made a great deal of progress in a very short time, there is still much to be done. Many government schools are in bad physical shape, still others are extremely underfunded, especially in rural areas. Furthermore, supplementary materials like libraries, children's books, and computer labs are rare.
Schools
Although primary education is free, government schools are often inadequate and overcrowded. Many schools in remote areas are very basic and sometimes unsafe. Often these schools have no blackboard and very little furniture. In rural areas, students usually walk several miles to go to school.
The inability of students to attend school is affected by many factors, including poor weather, overcrowded classrooms and family situations that keep older children at home to work or to care for younger siblings.
Furthermore, the heavy rains of the monsoon season cause many problems for schools. The rains make it difficult for children to walk long distances to school; they damage the existing mud walls and sheet metal roofs and turn the dirt floors, which are common in these schools, into mud. The mud makes it extremely uncomfortable to attend school and sometimes affects the health of students and teachers. In some cases, the rains cause flooding that damages the entire school.
The metal sheets that are often used for the roofs of schools can cause problems with temperature changes inside. It can get as cold as 40°F in the winter and as hot as 95°F during summer. These conditions are very disruptive for children trying to learn and can lead to increased health problems.
Schools are often overcrowded, with as many as 40-50 students crammed into classrooms that are meant to hold only 20 students.
Libraries, Books, and Computer Labs
Although all government schools receive some financial support from the government for teachers' salaries, they must pay for other expenses themselves. Often these expenses include hiring additional teachers and buying school supplies, new materials, and books. As a result, most schools do not have a library. In addition, most government schools have very few to no books besides textbooks. The few books that they may have are usually in black and white - no color - and are not children's books. Often they are books left by travelers and are written in English or other foreign languages rather than in Nepali. In many cases, the few books that schools have are so valuable that teachers lock them up, where they remain unavailable to curious children. Without fun, colorful books, children do not learn to love reading, and they are not able to explore the world through a book.
Although many government schools are very interested in providing computer education, very few can afford computer labs. Most children in rural areas have never seen a computer. Adequate computer knowledge and skills are major factors in determining potential future employment opportunities.
Girls
Girls have less access to education than boys. Many are not allowed to go to school and those that do often leave school before the age of 12 to care for younger siblings or work on the family farm. Enrollment is less than 35% in secondary schools.
However, Room to Read is helping to change things. We work with Nepali communities to:
build better schools,
establish libraries and fill them with new children's books,
establish computer labs, and
fund scholarships for girls.

Education is so multifaceted that it is difficult for me to know where to begin discussing it, or how to prioritize the many factors. Relaying my own experience is easy: I had a standard classroom approach, supplemented by inordinate reading. In only the briefest and least memorable instances did I receive any individual tutoring.

Education is commonly thought of as the job of schools. Adults cry "educate our children!" Everyone has opinions about the best way to do the job. It is of urgent importance, and all the numerous factors are much studied, debated, and new (or old) ideas continually tested or retested. Some people say "it's as simple as . . . " and then name their pet peeve or passion. My view is not of an education specialist, but of one who loves sharing what I learn, and owes much to educators. Since I don't have an educational theory neatly worked-out, nor an outline of my perceptions, my intent is to address each educational ingredient that comes to my mind. After I've said what I think about each topic, readers may have a fair comprehension of my philosophy.

First comes sensitivity. If a person be insensitive, be it from numbing cold, exhaustion, drugs, genetic makeup, or upbringing, then the process of education is bogged down, and results come only after great efforts. Sensitivity in my integrated meaning is broad, covering literally the senses, so that deaf and blind people are less sensitive, as well as people whose senses work perfectly, but whose receptivity or thought processes are blunted for whatever reason. A person can be insensitive in one way, such as blind, and extraordinarily sensitive in another way, such as in hearing. It is also possible to be so ultra-sensitive that the result is disadvantageous. I expect no argument in asserting that a normal sensitivity is a healthy, indispensable ingredient for optimal education.

Sensitivity can be heightened or blunted by education. It is intertwined with curiosity. An ideal education affords numerous and varied opportunities for students to touch, see, smell, listen, hear; to spark their curiosity. When I was a child the things that pleased me were largely other than the plants which have earned me a living as an adult. For example, I collected postage stamps, played basketball, was fond of listening to music, played all manner of games, but dealt only in a neutral, uninspired fashion with plants. The one thing that was constant and of supreme importance was my love of reading. I don't recall why, but by an early age, say age 9, I was a phenomenal reader of books, a habit that persisted all the way until college.

Reading expands one's mind immensely. It fires the imagination, demonstrates grammar, teaches vocabulary, informs, challenges, helps one relax. In some cases it forces the mind to concentrate, as to understand. It can help build a moral or ethical framework, and help oneself form an individual worldview. Even an untraveled child, sitting at home, can be transported by a book into any place or time. Fantasy and facts weave together, but the result is almost an unmitigated improvement. If a bookworm grows up to be antisocial or worse, it is not because of too much reading, but because something else was lacking in the education or caregiving.

Hands-on learning is another factor difficult to overrate. Imagine trying to learn to draw from listening to a lecture. You must draw, draw, draw, and with time and tutoring, will improve. This is a truism, just like saying "reading is valuable." I imagine nobody complains about children spending too much time working. If anything the contrary complaint rings loudly. What I don't begin to know is the ideal breakdown, according to age, of reading, listening to instruction, and working or hands-on time.

What about technology in excess? Before the age of printing and cheap paper, comparatively few people could become learned. Now, theoretically, our electronic age makes learning easier than ever. Well, technology is indisputably better. We can store and retrieve data much more efficiently. We can communicate in a flash. But still, at the basic level, we must be well grounded -- we must possess common sense, civil manners, frank discussion skills, reasoning abilities, and moral fiber. It is possible to be a technological genius, say a computer nerd, without social skills or civil conscience. I'd rather have as a neighbor an illiterate janitor with an easy-going, friendly disposition. Hence, I value what we might call character more than specialist knowledge from an antisocial person. God knows we want everyone to be a well-mannered genius. But humans are not cut out to be happy like pigs in a pen. We instead have insatiable brains, with mental appetites. So our goal is to balance the brainwork with hearts and smiles. "Facts served with sauce."