Child Development and Teaching Program
Volunteer World Nepal’s child development and teaching program enables volunteers to assist with early childhood education schools or monasteries around Kathmandu, Pokhara, Nuwakot, Chitwan and the Himalayan Region. Volunteers gain childcare experience while helping to provide a nurturing environment where young children can learn, grow and play with others their own age. Child development and teaching programs help develop young brains and foster an appetite for later learning and continuing education. Child development and teaching programs help students develop their English language skills, mathematics, science, geography, computer, creative arts, sports and physical education etc which opens up more employment opportunities and provides a brighter future for local students in disadvantaged communities.
The situation of schools and monasteries in Nepal:
Child development and teaching program volunteering work in schools and Buddhist monasteries: The schools throughout Nepal are in desperate need of extra help with their English, Maths, Science, Sports, Music, Dance and ICT classes. English has increasingly become the language of business and opportunity. Fluency in English creates more opportunities for children when they leave school. Math is always something that teachers find complicated to teach and many teachers do not have any experience in ICT.
What does a volunteer child development and teaching program do?
Child development and teaching program volunteers either train, teach or assist in teaching at primary or secondary schools in Kathmandu, Pokhara or in small villages in the mountains. Volunteers spend up to 6 hours a day at the school. Depending on your experience you may:
1. Observe the teachers and give feedback:
At the start of your role, you will work closely with the school Principal to identify areas where teacher training and support are most needed. Then, you can take the initiative to develop a framework for delivering teacher training. You will spend up to 6 hours a day at the school, working from an office. Your responsibilities will include training teachers, observing lessons, and conducting showcase lessons in your preferred subject. If you have two months or more at the school, you can assist in planning the subject curriculum for the term or year. We welcome new and innovative teaching methods that can help the school determine what resources are necessary and how to obtain them.
2. Give classes on your own:
As a teacher, you assess where teaching is needed the most and step in to help. There may be situations where there are not enough teachers available, and you will have to teach the class yourself. Alternatively, you may teach the class together with the teacher who is already present. During such collaborative teaching, the teacher can learn from your methodologies by observing and joining in the teaching process.
3. Be a teacher’s assistant:
As an assistant, your role will involve working alongside a local teacher to provide support across all subjects. We encourage you to use your imagination to come up with innovative and engaging teaching methods and to also bring in new teaching resources to assist with this. The age range of the children you will be working with is between 4 and 16 years old, and you will have the option to choose which age group you would like to assist with.
Do I need any qualifications or skills for the child development and teaching program in Nepal?
Child development and teaching program to become a teacher’s assistant, you do not need any specific qualifications, but you should have a good command of the English language. Prior experience working with children would be helpful, but if you haven’t had any, being a confident and enthusiastic individual is important. Although there will be some support materials available, they are often limited, so any additional resources you can provide would be highly appreciated.
Why do child development and teaching programs in Nepal matter?
It is still an unfortunate reality that children in communities across the world do not always have the full-time access to resources, education or care that they need. Children face challenges such as poverty, social isolation, access to healthcare, and educational inequality. Volunteers working as teachers, tutors, coaches, or development assistants, help provide the additional access and resources children might need, ultimately promoting greater equity and social justice, and helping to build stronger, healthier communities.
Volunteer World Nepal’s volunteering with children programs also directly contribute towards the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, situating our volunteer work with children within a broader global network of experts that help guide and frame our project work.