Monday, February 21, 2011

    Plans to teach schoolchildren soft skills

    The Ministry of Education (MoE) is going to incorporate soft skills in school education to make students globally competent as per the School Sector Reform Plan (SSRP). Nakul Baniya, deputy secretary, MoE said that currently education was only limited to books and teachers therefore soft skill education was necessary to develop students’ ability to think critically and act practically. He said, “Soft skill education

    will help students think critically and develop competencies to cope with global challenges.” According to Baniya, soft skill education will be incorporated with almost all subjects in some way so that they get practical knowledge along with book-based theoretical education. MoE and other line agencies are preparing an action plan to launch soft skill programme at the school level.
    He said teachers will also be trained in the same way so that they develop strategies to develop soft skills in students.

    “We have recently prepared ‘National Framework for Capacity Development’ (NFCD) for school teachers, academic institutions and other related line agencies,” he added. As per NFCD, School Improvement Plan (SIP)will be the main mechanism for development planning at the school level and it will be widely understood and recognised in all public schools.
    SIP has been made mandatory and all public schools are required to prepare SIPs with a five-year and annual improvement cycles.

    He said, "On the basis of demand and strategies proposed by schools in the SIP, the respective District Education Office and Department of Education will give orientation and training programmes to the school management and school teachers along with necessary funds."
    A month ago, the MoE had carried out pilot tests for NFCD in three community schools in Kathmandu Valley -Bansbari Secondary School, Shivapuri Higher Secondary School and Bal Byawasai Kendra Secondary School.

    source:THT



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