Nepal : training teachers at a distance -- a case study of Nepal"s radio education teacher training project

Prior to the inauguration of the Radio Eduction Teacher Training Project (RETTP) in 1978, only 63% of Nepal"s primary school teachers possessed a School Leaving Certificate or SLC, the minimum formal qualification required by the Ministry of Education. Fewer still (only 39%) were graduates of teacher training programs. Furthermore, conventional teacher training programs were hampered by the lack of qualified candidates in many areas, inadequate incentive structures, severe personnel and logistical shortages, and the problem of replacing rural teachers while they attended residential courses. The ways radio has been used for teacher training in Nepal, including the selection and recruitment of participants, the balancing of diverse instructional methods, the effectiveness, and costs are the subject of this review. Part I provides an overview of Nepal"s sociopolitical development since 1951, with particular reference to changes in educational policy begun under the National Education Systems Plan (1970-76). Part II summarizes RETTP"s attributes and benchmarks, including the evolution of key course components and the impact of major policy shifts which occurred in 1984 and 1987. A comparative cost-effectiveness analysis of RETTP"s latest program, basic teacher training, and its conventional face-to-face alternatives is presented in Part III. The study concludes in Part IV with a summary of the lessons Nepal"s experience with distance training offer policy makers elsewhere. (Author abstract)