Could you explain the work done with the CCLs?
CLCS has done incredible jobs in offering flexible learning opportunities targeting children who are out of schools and most of them have been working as a child labor. One of the prime objectives of the CLCs classes is to bring back out of school children to the schools and ensure there is a smooth transition from CLCs the schools. Out of schools children aged between 8 and 16 benefits from CLCs. In addition to learning/recovering literacy, children and adolescents are also getting life skills in the centers.
Could you explain in few lines the link(s) between enhanced education through informal learning as been done with the CCL and civic engagement? There is a clear correlation, could you elaborate?
CLCLs are community-based organizations and run/managed by local communities. As the local communities know better the issues and concerns they are facing they are great resources to bring practical solutions as well. Also, the local committees know the status of out of schools children and child labor in their communities in surrounding areas. The local committees have a proven role to coordinate effectively with the schools to ensure children's transition to schools from CLCs.
The Theory of Change behind the CCLs. Could you explain with your own words?
Theory of Change ( ToC) is a strategy to reach where we want to be or the impact we want to achieve. As an individual profession, I had used this strategy since 2008 while working with Save the Children. The main strategy I am convinced is while we apply several innovative approaches/initiatives we need to document proven practices/best practices. Based upon the proven evidence we need to advocate for policy change along with scaling up the proven practices by expanding partnership with I/NGOs/CBOS and government. Finally, the evidence advocacy will be instrumental to formulate/reformulate policy to sustain the initiatives.
What’s about the impact of CCLs on local youths? Did you see any change in terms of their personal leadership and of course in terms of their community involvement?
I think 25% of CLCs beneficiaries are aged between 14 and 16 who are learning life skills at the CLCs. The CLCs management committee includes representatives of yours as well. Moreover, youths take active parts in school level and community level events organized by the local committees. There is the provision of recruiting volunteers to support the local committees and youths are the prime sources of volunteers and their work contributes to developing their leadership role.
What about community ownership? Are the CCLs still active?
There is ownership and especially for those who are getting support and kept engaged. Clearly, not all CLCs are active as there is no strong follow-up mechanism yet and could not get adequate attention from the government. The school sector development plan (SSDP) of the Ministry of Education has included CLCs as one of their priorities. However, the plan needs to increase government attention to strengthen CLCs.
Why should the government invest in CCLs and scale them up?
Given the importance of CLCs role at the local level, the SSDP has included as one of their areas of focus. CLCs can be the local platform to bring the issues and concerns they are facing and came up with their plan to manage them by mobilizing local resources. The structure has an increased role in the federal structure of the Nepal government now. Also, the ongoing COVID 19 pandemic has recalled and reminded again the importance of strengthening local communities itself in managing the challenge there are facing.
Then in relation to your work with Roam to Read, you worked a lot on Family and Community Engagement, supporting local communities in enhancing their community engagement plans. Could you elaborate?
While working with Room to Read, my focus was to improve the literacy status of the community and we tried the local committee to work in improving literacy in their communities. The local committee after the training came up with their three years' plan to improve literacy in their communities. Their plan included actions to the taken at home and schools as well. One of the clear results of training is seen in the significantly increased participation of parents in schools and even they themselves begin to plan a yearly event together with schools. In addition, parents increased role in promoting literate environment at home also seen as a result of working and supporting the local committee. Couples of visible examples are children and parents reading story books together, children’s sharing of their school work with parents and children’s increased used of school-based libraries to read more and more story books have been noticed.
ABOUT UDAYA MANANDHAR
Mr. Manandhar in his professional career of over 29 years have great opportunities of working as the Country Director/Assistant Country Director, Senior Program Manager with established INGOs like Save the Children International, Room to Read, Aga Khan Foundation and World Education in Nepal and Afghanistan and other countries of South Asia. He has proven track record of successfully leading and strategically expanding multi-faced over 29 million USD country programs funded by diversified donors (USAID, DFID, Global Fund, UNDP, UNICEF) of Save the Children International and Room to Read in Nepal. As an organizational head he had successfully managed staffing of 100 to 300 including expatriates working in Nepal and Afghanistan. In addition, he had worked as a South Asia Regional Manager for Room to Read and contributed in building the capacity of senior national staffs of Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Sri Lanka especially in the areas of enhancing family and community engagement, support to increase literacy of children in primary level and improving monitoring support.
As one of the senior most staffs of Save the Children International and Room to Read, he had taken lead role in developing multi-year’s organizational country strategic and annual plans, worked closely with Home Offices in developing new programs and diversifying funding sources, strengthened collaboration with government ministries and other development partners including UNICEF and supported building the capacity of NGOs partners and civil societies.
Currently, he is working as a part time freelancer with different I/NGOs in Nepal.
You can contact him at udaya_m@hotmail.com
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