Non-Formal Education

'Knowledge - and therefore education - is one of the fundamental capabilities that a person needs to make sense of oneself and the world one is living in. It enables one to comprehend, compare, analyse, communicate, relate to, act upon and assess the self, the nature and fellow human beings.'
UN Human Development Report, 1998

Rationale
Objectives
Programme Details
Working Area
Current Status

Rationale

It is all too common to assume that education and learning finishes as soon as school is over for the day, as so much of the learning process that a child goes through takes pace in the home. This does not only include homework, but much of the input they receive on health, hygiene and the environment.

As such, educating adults (and consequently parents) and mothers in particular, is an extremely important thing to do. This is especially true in a country such as Nepal where the advent of 'education for all' has been a relatively new phenomenon, and many parents obtained no formal education. Uneducated adults have just as much need for education as uneducated children - both for themselves as human beings, and also or them as parents in order to pass knowledge to their children, thereby creating a virtuous circle.

Objectives

The overall objectives of our children's clubs are as follows:

• To increase the number of literate adults in the local community
• To raise awareness in the field of education, health, population and the environment
• To help children translate their classroom learning into everyday life
• To form a mothers' group and equip them with the skills to run income generating programmes
• To facilitate the understanding of child care and nutrition
• To improve family health, hygiene and sanitation

Programme Details

The major focus of the programme was twofold, focusing on basic numeracy and literacy which was relevant to the participants' daily lives. The creation of 'aamaa' (mother) groups has also been encouraged in the local community as a forum for discussion and sharing of experiences.

Working Area

Our NFE programme took place in Solukhumbu district.

Current Status

Participants on GAN's youth programme are currently undertaking a 'needs analysis' of our current working communities to assess the educational needs of adults who live there.

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