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PROPOSAL SEEKING SUPPORT FOR INSTALLATION OF SMART BOARDS AND TEACHERS' TRAINING
Pashupati Secondary School (PPSS) and Mahendra Shikhari Secondary School (MSSS), Modi Rural Municipality, Parbat, Nepal
Executive Summary
This Rotary Global Grant project seeks to improve education quality in rural Nepal by addressing limited access to educational technology and insufficient teacher capacity in two public secondary schools- Pashupati Secondary School (PPSS) and Mahendra Shikhari Secondary School (MSSS)-in Modi Rural Municipality, Parbat. The project will equip classrooms with smart boards and internet connectivity, and provide hands-on teacher training in digital literacy and technology-focused instruction. By integrating technology with teacher capacity building, the project will enhance teaching quality, increase student engagement, and achieve sustainable improvements in learning outcomes. The total project budget is US$41,500, with US$26,500 requested from the Rotary Foundation Global Grant and US$15,000 contributed by the schools, Modi Rural Municipality, partner Rotary Clubs, and the America Nepal Educational Foundation (ANEF). The project aligns with Rotary International's Basic Education and Literacy Area of Focus and emphasizes local ownership and long-term sustainability.
Project Overview
This Rotary Foundation Global Grant proposal seeks support for the installation of smart boards and comprehensive teacher training in two public secondary schools under Modi Rural Municipality, Parbat, Nepal: PPSS, Modi-7, Ramja Thanti, and MSSS, Modi-5, Bajung. The project recognizes that technology alone is insufficient without building teachers' capacity to use digital tools effectively. Therefore, structured teacher training is embedded as a core component to ensure improved teaching quality, student engagement, and learning outcomes.
Rotary Area of Focus
This project aligns with Rotary International's Area of Focus on Basic Education and Literacy by improving access to quality education in rural public schools through sustainable, capacity-building solutions. The project equips classrooms with digital learning technology and provides comprehensive teacher training in digital literacy and modern, learner-centered instructional practices. By addressing both technology access and teacher capacity, the project moves beyond one-time equipment support to ensure effective classroom integration, peer knowledge sharing, and long-term educational impact through local ownership and sustainability.
Community Need
Rural public (community) schools in Nepal face persistent challenges, including limited resources, weak infrastructure, and minimal access to modern educational tools, resulting in lower teaching quality and learning outcomes. In Modi Rural Municipality, these challenges are compounded by demographic and economic pressures. The population declined from 21,312 in 2011 to 18,794 in 2021 due largely to rural-to-urban and foreign migration. The local economy depends primarily on subsistence agriculture and remittances, constraining families' ability to invest in private education. Although the overall literacy rate is 77.6%, significant gender disparities persist (86.3% for males and 70.1% for females).
Modi Municipality has 55 educational institutions, of which 50 are public. Including PPSS and MSSS, only three higher secondary schools offer continuous education from ECD/Nursery through Grade 12, making these two public schools critical access points for rural and disadvantaged students. However, instruction in public schools remains largely reliant on traditional chalk/pen-and-board methods, while many teachers have limited digital literacy due to insufficient exposure, training, and ongoing technical support. As a result, available technology-when present-is often underutilized.
These systemic gaps are reflected in academic performance. In the 2080 Secondary Education Examination (SEE), only 43% of students from public schools passed, compared to 89% from private schools. This stark disparity reflects differences in teacher preparation, instructional methods, and the use of modern digital learning tools such as smart boards, which are widely adopted in private schools but largely absent in rural public schools. Consequently, students from public schools-predominantly from Dalit, ethnic minority, and low-income households-are placed at a structural disadvantage for success in higher education and professional growth.
Educational quality has also become a key driver of rural depopulation. Many families migrate to urban areas specifically to enroll their children in private schools perceived to offer better education, contributing to declining enrollment and weakening the sustainability of rural public schools. Addressing technology or teacher training in isolation is insufficient; improving educational quality requires both access to appropriate digital learning tools and comprehensive teacher training. By strengthening teacher capacity and introducing technology-enabled, learner-centered instruction at PPSS and MSSS, the proposed project directly addresses these needs, helps reduce the public-private education gap, and has the potential to stabilize enrollment and reduce education-driven migration, thereby advancing Rotary's Basic Education and Literacy focus area through sustainable, community-centered solutions.
Participating Schools
Pashupati Secondary School (PPSS)
PPSS, located in Modi Rural Municipality-7, Ramja Thanti, Parbat, was established in 1937 and upgraded to secondary level in 1968. The school provides education from Early Childhood Development (ECD/Nursery) to Grade 12 and currently serves 168 students (85 boys and 83 girls) with the support of 28 teaching and administrative staff. Under this project, PPSS will install five digital smart boards, one projector, and five laptops, accompanied by structured teacher training in digital literacy and effective classroom integration of educational technology to ensure sustained and effective use.
Mahendra Shikhari Secondary School (MSSS)
Established in 1956, MSSS is located in Modi Rural Municipality-5, Bajung, Parbat. The school provides education from ECD through Grade 12 and serves nearly 150 students, supported by 21 teaching and administrative staff. With support from its ex-students, the school has recently installed one 75-inch smart board and four 65-inch smart TVs and already seen positive impacts on teaching effectiveness and student engagement, The school seeks to further expand digital learning by installing five additional digital smart boards, accompanied by structured teacher training in digital literacy and effective classroom use of technology.
Rationale for a Combined Two-School Project
This project combines PPSS and MSSS into a single Rotary Global Grant to address shared and systemic challenges facing rural public schools in Modi Rural Municipality, Parbat. Both schools face declining enrollment, limited resources, inadequate teacher training, and minimal access to modern teaching technology, while fixed government funding limits their ability to invest independently. A coordinated, multi-school approach improves cost efficiency, sustainability, and overall impact, while strengthening the quality and competitiveness of public education within the municipality.
Project Description
The project will equip classrooms in both participating schools with smart boards and the necessary connectivity to support technology-enabled learning. Equally important, the project will deliver structured and hands-on teacher training focused on building digital literacy, operating and maintaining digital equipment, integrating multimedia and online resources into daily lesson plans, and applying interactive, learner-centered teaching methodologies. By combining access to modern educational technology with comprehensive teacher capacity building, the project ensures effective classroom use, improved teaching quality, and sustainable improvements in student learning outcomes.
Project Objectives
Key project objectives include:
• Improve student engagement, comprehension, and learning outcomes
• Build teachers' digital literacy and instructional capacity
• Ensure effective and sustained use of smart boards and smart TVs
• Promote digital literacy and 21st-century skills among students
• Reduce the digital divide between rural public schools and urban private schools
Teachers' Training and Capacity Building
Teacher training is a critical and indispensable component of this project, as most teachers in rural public schools have little or no prior experience using smart boards or digital teaching resources. Without practical, hands-on training, the installation of technology alone will not translate into improved classroom practice or learning outcomes. Under this project, teachers from both schools will receive structured, hands-on training on operating digital equipment, integrating multimedia content into lesson planning, and applying interactive, student-centered teaching methodologies, ensuring that the technology investment results in meaningful, measurable, and sustainable improvements in teaching quality and student learning outcomes.
Project Beneficiaries
PPSS and MSSS together serve approximately 318 students from ECD/Nursery through Grade 12 in Parbat District, with near gender parity. The primary beneficiaries are students from Dalit, ethnic minority, and low-income households with limited access to quality and digital learning resources. The project also directly benefits 49 teachers and staff (28 at PPSS and 21 at MSSS) by strengthening their capacity to deliver effective, technology-supported instruction. As the main government secondary schools in their catchment areas, PPSS and MSSS provide inclusive education to populations facing persistent educational and digital disadvantages, advancing Rotary's Basic Education and Literacy focus area.
Implementation Plan
Project equipment will be procured locally through transparent and competitive sourcing to ensure quality, cost-effectiveness, and availability of after-sales service. Installation will be carried out by qualified technicians in designated classrooms. Immediately following installation, structured and hands-on teacher training will be delivered to ensure effective classroom integration of the technology. The School Management Committees (SMCs) of both schools, in coordination with Modi Rural Municipality, Rotary Club of Parbat, and ANEF will oversee implementation, monitor usage, and provide regular progress updates and reports to both home and international Rotary partners.
Monitoring and Evaluation
Key indicators include:
• Number of classrooms equipped with digital learning tools
• Number and percentage of teachers trained
• Frequency of technology-assisted lessons per week
• Student attendance and classroom participation trends
• Teacher confidence and feedback on technology use
Data will be collected through usage logs, training records, observations, and surveys. Progress will be reviewed quarterly and shared with Rotary partners.
Sustainability Plan
Both schools, in coordination with their SMCs and Modi Rural Municipality (particularly Wards 5 and 7), will assume full ownership, operation, and maintenance responsibility for all project equipment. The Municipality has committed to providing ongoing financial support, as needed, for initial costs, routine maintenance, repairs, and continued operation, ensuring the project's long-term financial sustainability. Teachers trained under the project will serve as internal resource persons to support peer learning and continuity despite staff transfers. Digital instruction will be formally integrated into annual academic plans and regular classroom practice to ensure sustained use and long-term educational impact beyond the grant period.
Budget
Items PPSS (Units) MSSS (Units) Total (Units) PPSS Budget (USD) MSSS Budget (USD) Total Budget (USD)
Digital smart boards ($2,000/unit) 5 5 10 $10,000 $10,000 $20,000
Smart board mounts (inc. accessories) ($500/unit) 5 5 10 $2,500 $2,500 $5,000
Laptops ($1,000/unit) 5 5 $5,000 - $5,000
Projector ($1,000/unit) 1 1 $1,000 - $1,000
Teachers' training - - - $5,000 $5,000 $10,000
Equipment transportation $250 $250 $500
Total Budget $23,750 $17,750 $41,500
Financing Plan
• Rotary Foundation Global Grant: $26,500
• Local Contributions (Municipality/Rotary Clubs/ANEF): $15,000
Expected Outcomes
Improved teaching effectiveness; increased student engagement and attendance; enhanced teacher digital capacity through hands-on training; and sustained improvements in learning outcomes across both participating schools. Teachers will demonstrate increased confidence and competence in integrating digital tools into daily instruction, support peer learning as internal resource persons, and apply learner-centered teaching practices. Student learning outcomes will improve across all grade levels, with particular emphasis on higher academic performance (GPA) in Grades 8, 10 (SEE), and 12 examinations.
Conclusion
Rural public schools in Nepal, including PPSS and MSSS, face persistent challenges from inadequate infrastructure, limited resources, outdated teaching methods, and insufficient teacher capacity. This project addresses these needs through a sustainable, integrated approach that combines modern educational technology with comprehensive teacher training, ensuring effective and lasting classroom use. By strengthening two public schools within the same municipality, the project improves education quality at the community level while demonstrating a scalable rural education model. The total project budget is US$41,500, with US$26,500 requested from the Rotary Foundation Global Grant and US$15,000 committed by Modi Rural Municipality, partner Rotary Clubs, and ANEF. Strong local ownership, shared financial responsibility, and capacity building ensure long-term sustainability and impact beyond the grant period.
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