Resumen en español al final del artículo

The OLPC program was launched in our school in 2009 with a total of 121 laptops provided for teachers and students in grades two, three and six by OLE Nepal. Grades four and five were subsequently added to the program in 2010 and 2011, and the total number of laptops were increased to 193. Teachers from three schools in Kaplivastu were trained on using laptops in classrooms in 2009, and refresher training was conducted in 2010 by OLE Nepal and Department of Education. Currently our students from grades two to six use the laptops regularly to learn in classrooms.

Ms. Sujata Regmi

The program has brought about a number of changes in our school. There has been an increase in student enrolment. With a notable improvement in the classroom environment, we have found students to be more enthusiastic in learning and collaborating with their classmates. Teachers are more motivated and eager, and teaching has become more fun and effective. Teaching methods have changed, and students are able to assess their progress using.

Beyond the school, we have noticed a positive change in the community's attitude towards school and education. Community members are proud that the school has entered the information age with the newly introduced technology. Parents are elated to see their children opening laptops and learning at home. Many parents who make their living crushing stones on the riverside have been heard discussing how their children are using computers to educate themselves.

Last year a group of mothers approached the school head teacher and asked that they too be taught how to learn using laptops. Encouraged by our head teacher, the mothers collected a larger group of women interested in learning, and over a three month period, teachers from our school conducted literacy classes to 52 women in the evening. This literacy program has had many benefits. It has helped strengthen the relation between the school and the community. It has helped the community to develop a sense of ownership towards the school and its properties, and they seemed to feel that the laptops and other equipment are the collective responsibilities of the community members. These have been great resources for improving literacy among mothers, and have enabled them to learn basic numeracy such as addition and subtraction, as well as reading Nepali. It has created a different level of awareness amongst mothers and girls in the community, and our school has transformed into an open learning place not just for children for but parents as well.

We intend to give continuity to adult literacy program using these laptops and digital materials. Instead of looking to increase the number of computers, our goal is to further improve the management of the current program. We plan to designate a resource room where students from other grades too can access and learn using computers and technology. We hope that relevant organizations and institutions will recognize the work that our school is doing, and provide suggestions and feedback on a regular basis.

Ms. Sujata Regmi is Nepali teacher of Sri Pancha Lower Secondary School in Baijalpur, Kapilvastu. She shared this experience in an vent of the LTK conference in Kathmandu in March 2012. OLE Nepal published it in issue 15 of their newsletter and it is reproduced here with OLE Nepal's permission.

Resumen en español: Este texto es un retrato sobre el impacto del programa de OLE Nepal en una escuela y su comunidad en Nepal. Fue escrito por Sujata Regmi, una profesora de la secundaria Sri Pancha Lower Secondary School en Baijalpur, Kapilvastu.