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The two-day Provincial Level Regional Conference of Nepal English Language Teachers’ Association (NELTA) was held on 3-4 November 2017 with the theme, ‘Teaching Practices and Learners Engagement in the Modern Classroom’ at the K.K. International School, Dharan, Sunsari, Province No 1, in the eastern part of Nepal. Nepal is divided into seven provinces for political and administrative purposes. The Morang, Solukhumbu, Jhapa, Ilam, Udahyapur, Sankhuwasabha, and Sunsari branches of NELTA belong to this province. The provincial conference is a new practice.
NELTA has 51 branches (chapters) and covers 55 districts out of 77 in the country. It has more than 5000 members including 3970 life members across Nepal and beyond. The branches and the members are the organization’s strength and inspiration.
Amidst 550 participants, the provincial conference was addressed by the Key Speakers, Prof. Jai Raj Awasthi, PhD on “Engaging students in language learning: in and outside the class”; Prof. Abhi Subedi, PhD on the topic “Teaching practices and learners' engagement in the modern ELT classrooms”; Prof. Dr. Vishnu Singh Rai on “Postmodernism and ELT” and Dr. Dennis Yang Tao (Regional English Language Officer, the U.S. Embassy of Nepal) on “Research/Publications in American Academia”.
Similarly, Dr. Laxman Gnawali, Mr. Hemanta Raj Dahal and Ms. Rhona Brown (British Council) delivered their plenary speeches on “Know your learners before you teach”, “Teaching listening and speaking: Implications on fluency development in EFL” and “Learner-centered teaching: What lies behind the label?” respectively. The other speakers were Ms. Deborah Silver, English Language Fellow for Far-western University, Mr. Matthew Nelson, English Language Fellow for the Prithvi Narayan Campus, Pokhara, and Mr. Bishwa Raj Gautam, Regional Language Office, Program Specialist, U.S. Embassy. There were 36 concurrent sessions covering diverse topics related to ELT, and the challenges and opportunities for teachers in Nepal. Twenty-four first-time presenters/attendees were sponsored by the Regional English Language Office, U.S. Embassy, Nepal. The success of the program relied on local support from four municipalities, four colleges, eight private schools and the District Education Office, community schools, the US Embassy, and the British Council.
President Ms. Motikala Subba Dewan in her inaugural speech expressed appreciation of the excellent performance of NELTA Sunsaribranch for hosting the regional conference as per the demand of the nation by exhibiting the adaptability, preparedness, and pro-activeness of NELTA. Likewise, Dr. Bhoj Raj Sharma Kafle, Director of the Ministry of Education, Regional Directorate of Education, highlighted the importance of English education in Nepal and expressed his commitment to partner with NELTA on behalf of the Government of Nepal.
On completion of the regional conference, the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of Sunsari branch of NELTA took place, which passed the most important resolution and also elected the new branch committee.
The Celebration of 70 Years of US-Nepal Friendship
With regard to the celebration of 70 years of US-Nepal diplomatic relations, NELTA organized theme-based monthly talk programs in six locations—Pokhara, Nuwakot, Nepalgunj, Butwal, Janakpur, and Dhading—between June and October, 2017, with the support of the U.S. Department of State. Almost 240 participants from diverse fields attended the talk programs.
The theme of the first talk was Education with a view to creating awareness about the challenges for girls’ such as early marriage, menstruation (bunk the class), no family support, involvement in household chores, etc. The talk was concentrated on access to quality education and the scope for girls to address their problems. The talk also focused on the American education system and the opportunities for online study in the US universities.
The second theme, the burning issue of Combating Trafficking in Persons, covered awareness of trafficking that drew the attention of the participants through sharing various examples and incidents. The third theme, Prosperity/Entrepreneurship, motivated the entrepreneurs in the audience to adopt strategies on how to use local resources, technologies, skills, knowledge and experiences. Returnee migrant workers, both male and female entrepreneurs, from Korea, Gulf countries and Malaysia, interested in starting up small businesses in Nepal raised the pertinent issues.
In the fourth talk with the theme, Democracy and Good Governance in the context of Nepal, the participants presented their views on the qualities of democracy, good citizenship, and the role of the local government. The fifth talk on the theme, Health, focused on the strategies for improvement and suggestions for awareness regarding the health of adolescents, such as mass hysteria, lunacy due to frustration, especially among young people, and malnutrition. Issues on the serious threats to school children in rural communities were also advocated.
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