Written by our Nepal Team
COVID-19 Update
After the government of Nepal decided to lift the four-month-long lock-down on July 21, the COVID-19 cases are increasing in the Kathmandu valley. Public health experts have claimed that the number of cases is low due to limited testing and failure to conduct contract tracing. They have warned that the Kathmandu valley could become a new coronavirus hotspot due to its overpopulation, lack of safety measures, and non-regulated people’s mobility. People are freely entering into the valley without following any guidelines by the government. The public vehicles are full of passengers. Hotels and restaurants are open. There are huge concerns that the decision might have taken in haste without consulting the public health experts in Nepal. Furthermore, the government has announced to resume the flights services: domestic and international from 17th August 2020.
As of Friday, 31st July, 492 cases have been reported in the Kathmandu valley alone. The nationwide tally has reached 19,547. The country so far has reported 52 COVID-19 related deaths.
The local government has imposed curfews in some cities on the Southern boarders of Nepal because of the increasing cases of infection and open boarder between India and Nepal.
What the Nepal hub has been doing.
The FSF Nepal hub remained busy this month by visiting the partner schools, accumulating the information of the government schools’ curricula and reviewing the programs delivered by our past volunteers.
The first draft of curricula for primary and lower secondary levels have been completed by outlining the contents, structures, exponents, language functions, activities and evaluation. The preliminary drafts are expected to provide the ideas and knowledge to further develop the centralised curriculum for the FutureSense Foundation. At the same time, we hope that the review of our in-country programs delivered by the past volunteers would help us to keep track on program deliveries in future.
August Highlights!
- Global virtual meeting with all FSF hubs and centralised global curriculum
- The Nepal hub staff calendar including national and festival holidays in Nepal
- Drafted the Early Childhood Development and Livelihoods curricula
- Partner Schools’ Engagement
- Visiting the vet hospital and preparation of report
Partner School Updates.
The FSF Nepal hub is in regular contact with the partner schools in Dhulikhel via phone or school visit. The students have received their textbooks and are encouraged to do self-study and attain distance learning system (DLS) at homes. However, some students are yet to confirm their return to Dhulikhel as they had gone to their homes in remote villages before lockdown. Teachers in schools are busy in academic planning and meeting, resource development, and students’ admission process for new academic session by following the guidelines of COVID-19.While health experts have cautioned that the country is still under threat of COVID-19, the ministry of education has prepared a plan to allow local government to resume academic activities. It is expected that the schools in low risk areas will reopen from mid-August if the situation becomes better.
This month, we visited three partner schools and learnt that the teachers were busy in administrative works and preparing new teaching aids. Students who are close to schools have been visiting schools every day for teachers’ guidance. There are fears that the numbers of students in schools are likely to decrease in post-COVID-19 due to lack of government’s proper plan and guidance.
Monsoon Mayhem.
The incessant heavy monsoon rainfall in Nepal have affected causing the landslides in several districts across the country this month. According to the National Disaster Reduction and Management Authority, the country has witnessed a total of 256 water-induced disasters, leaving more than 200 dead, around 150 injured and some people missing. It is estimated that around 998 families have been affected and displaced due to heavy rainfall.