School Links

The British government has stated that linking British schools with schools in developing countries is of huge educational and social benefit for both sides, and is developing a policy that encourages every British school to develop such a link by 2015.

PHASE is aiming to utilise its close links with schools in Nepal to facilitate such links, and assist both sides in achieving the highest possible benefit from them.

Links can range from simple information about partner school through exchanges of letters and pictures to sophisticated links via email and webcam and curriculum cooperation up to exchange visits.

Benefits for the UK schools include a widening of the cultural aspects of learning, language teaching opportunities, project work, different aspects of community development etc.

For the Nepalese partner schools, some infrastructure support will be part of the benefit, but cultural and language learning aspects are probably more important.
There is a certain risk in such programs that existing prejudices may be reinforced rather than dispersed, and that a lopsided relationship may create more dependency than autonomy.
A grassroots organisation like PHASE is ideally placed to support participating partner schools.

Currently, there are two simple links between primary schools, and one link between secondary schools (Jaldevi Secondary School in Hagam and Alderman White Language College in Nottingham).

In June 2009, Samantha Watson, an anthropologist with experience in development education, spent 6 weeks in Nepal with PHASE, researching how this link can be made more effective and beneficial for both partners, but especially the school in Hagam.

She will shortly be submitting a report, which we are hoping to share with other interested organisations  - watch this space!