Tuesday, Jul 11, 2023
Dr. Bhesh Mainali hopes to create new program to further support math education in Nepal
by Keith Fernbach
Dr. Bhesh Mainali, an associate professor in Rider University’s College of Education and Human Services, recently led a group of U.S. mathematics educators to his native country of Nepal for a series of workshops designed to help teachers there improve the level of math instruction and increase student engagement.
The trip, which took place from June 9-20, included stops in three different cities: Kathmandu, Itahari and Butwal. Approximately 1,300 teachers took part in the sessions.
Mainali partnered with Mathkind, a nonprofit organization that creates summer travel opportunities for teachers in the United States to support their peers in developing countries, to plan the trip.
Joining Mainali were leading mathematics educators from universities across the United States, including Rutgers University-Newark, the University of Louisville and Indiana University of Pennsylvania.
The workshops offered practical strategies to make math education more fun and easier to understand. They covered topics such as data collection, number relationships, the use of graphs and statistical concepts. One session was led by professional actors who demonstrated how techniques such as active listening and storytelling can translate to the classroom.
Mainali says that what stood out the most to him about the trip was the incredible enthusiasm from the teachers. In one of the cities that hosted a workshop, organizers were expecting an audience of 300 people, but actual attendance was double that.
“Teachers came from as far as 200 kilometers away by motorbike,” he says. “They were so excited and really wanted to learn. That was very positive to see.”
He hopes to build on this momentum by creating a permanent program that can help train teachers year round.
“We’ll identify what the most essential needs are for teachers in Nepal,” he says, “and create a training manual based on those findings.” A select group of participating teachers would receive two weeks of comprehensive in-person training during the summer, with additional online training throughout the year. Through this program, those teachers would gain the skills to then train their peers.
Mainali’s passion for improving math education in Nepal is fueled by his own professional journey. He originally planned on a career in science, but his life changed one day when he received an unexpected phone call in college.
“There was a huge shortage of math teachers in Nepal, and a private school called offering me a position as a math teacher,” he says. “I took the job, and the more I taught, the more I loved it.”
He further supports education in his homeland through his involvement with a nonprofit organization called Jhapali Samaj USA that awards scholarships to underprivileged students. The program currently provides $200 annual grants to approximately 80 students, and Mainali is hopeful it can grow to support 300 students.
“It’s important to me to give back to the community, to the people and to the country where I was born and where I learned so much,” he says.