Virtual Education Symposium 2020

The British Council Nepal is hosting its 4th Virtual Education Symposium with the theme of School Leadership from September 23 to 27. This virtual symposium will provide a platform for presentations, debates and discussions around School Leadership, the principles around it and the practices in Nepal and other countries at policy and practice levels, involving national and international decision-makers and stakeholders, and members of the wider education community. For most countries around the world, school leadership has become a key point of discussion when framing education policies as it plays a key role in defining teaching and learning practices. Often considered to be the mediator between policy and practice, school leaders play an important role in developing the school infrastructure, overall management, teacher effectiveness and impact on student learning. Nepal’s School Sector Development Plan (SSDP) also stresses the need for enhancing leadership capacity in schools stating that the “head teachers will have an increased focus on instructional leadership including reviewing teacher performance, monitoring teachers’ time on task and building teacher capacity.” Although they play such a crucial role in developing the education system, little research and dialogue have been done around the practice of effective school leadership. On this occasion British Council in Nepal is also launching a publication titled ‘Developing successful learning in Nepal: Insights on curriculum, teaching methods and school leadership’, edited by Chris Tweedale and Jess Staufenberg. The book has also been reviewed by Dr Tulashi Thapaliya, Director General, CEHRD. The publication will be available in downloadable version in British Council website after the launch. Shahida MacDougall, Country Director British Council Nepal said, “Effective school leadership is key for the overall development of a school. Head teachers and principals are often considered to be the mediator between policy and practice and play a critical and important role in developing the overall school infrastructure, management, teacher effectiveness that impact and contribute to students’ learning and achievements. A great deal of work has been done in the UK in recent years to define excellence in school leadership. This symposium will offer some of the best practice examples and experiences for the school leaders and policy makers in Nepal to learn from and with the aim of improving the quality of education, and, ultimately, helping young people to reach their full potential in life and contribute to the successes and prosperity of Nepal”.