Public Policy Dialogue Held on Translanguaging Pedagogy in School Classrooms
Policy Research Institute, Narayanhiti
Policy Research Institute (PRI) held a public policy dialogue titled “Translanguaging Pedagogy in Nepali Classrooms: From Policy to Practice” based on a research project carried out in a joint initiative of Tribhuvan University, Nepal and Southampton University, United Kingdom, funded by the British Council. The dialogue was attended by officials of the PRI, Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (MoEST), Curriculum Development Center (CDC), Center for Education and Human Resource Development (CEHRD), Language Commission; UNESCO; UNICEF; British Council; educators from Tribhuvan University and Kathmandu University, Linguistic Society of Nepal, Teacher Educators’ Society- Nepal, and other organizations working in the field of language and education.
Dr. Ganga Ram Gautam, Researcher at the Center for Universal Education, the Brookings Institution, facilitated the session and Dr. Choi Taehee, Associate Professor and the Director of Internationalisation at the University of Southampton, presented research findings. Setting the context of the dialogue, Dr. Gautam dwelled on issues around the role of the translanguaging approach in bringing multiple languages into the classroom, integrating the knowledge and experience of students from diverse backgrounds to make it inherently inclusive. He further discussed how, unlike translation, translanguaging is a fluid integration of students’ mother tongues with other dominant languages like Nepali and English. He also discussed how translanguaging enables learners to connect with content through imagination and lived experience, thereby building confidence, fostering a sense of belonging and preserving cultural legacy.
Dr. Taehee delivered her presentation based on an ongoing project in Nepal titled “Empowering Teachers to Adopt Multilingual Pedagogy”. The research employed a Participatory Action Research (PAR) methodology involving 12 teachers across four public schools in Kathmandu, Lalitpur and Makwanpur districts of Nepal. The research findings were also shaped by the training and mentoring of teachers on using mother tongues alongside Nepali and English. These were further enriched by insights and case studies from Hong Kong, Spain, and Kenya on the ways to foster an inclusive and enriched learning environment for students from diverse linguistic backgrounds.
Following the presentation, participants provided feedback to helpgenerate policy recommendations that reflect the realities of Nepal’s diverse communities. Viewing that there have been some fragmented efforts at different levels, from constitutional provision to curriculum development, the participants underscored the need to consolidate the efforts into a single framework with a dual objective of promoting native languages and redefining the quality of education has to be the major policy intervention. Participants also highlighted the need for a comprehensive study on the evolution of the education system in the context of language prioritization, a survey on parental preferences andan assessment of inter-generational language transmission.
Researchers Dr. Prem Prasad Poudel and Dr. Taehee further elaborated on the research findings while responding to audience queries.
In his concluding remarks, the Executive Chairperson of PRI, Prof. Dr. Lekhnath Sharma, highlighted the importance of evidence-based policy recommendations for education reform and the promotion of cultural integrity. He also emphasized PRI’s role in creating a platform for research dissemination and dialogue among stakeholders.
Photo Credit: Ayushka KC
Invited Participants:
Dr. Taehee Choi (Associate Professor, University of Southampton)
Dr. Ganga Ram Gautam (Researcher, Center for Universal Education, The Brookings Institution)
Dr. Prem Prasad Poudel (Assistant Professor, Central Department of Education, Tribhuvan University)
Bhogendra Lamichhane (Head of English and School Education, British Council)
Madhavi Gautam Ghimire (Assistant Professor, Tribhuvan University)
Dr. Lok Bahadur Lopchan (Acting Secretary, Language Commission)
Shankar Adhikari (Undersecretary, Ministry of Education, Science and Technology)
Dr. Chandika Prasad Bhatta (Professor, Coventry University)
Bishworaj Gautam (Researcher, Kathmandu University)
Dr. Karnakhar Khatiwada (Associate Professor, Department Head, Central Department of Linguistics, Tribhuvan University)
Dr. Bhimlal Gautam (Assistant Professor, Central Department of Linguistics, Tribhuvan University)
Dr. Jagdish Poudel (Assistant Professor, Central Department of Education, Tribhuvan University)
Dr. Ambika Regmi (Chairperson, Linguistic Society of Nepal)
Dr. Harimaya Sharma (Assistant Professor, Central Department of Education, Tribhuvan University)
Dr. Susan Acharya (Professor, Tribhuvan University)
Nabin Khanal (PhD Scholar, Graduate School of Education, Tribhuvan University)
Maya Rai (Expert/Teacher)
Amrit Yonjan Tamang
Prabin Prakash Shrestha (Principal, Bani Bilas Secondary School)
Dhruba Raj Regmi (Chief of Education, UNESCO, Kathmandu)
Dr. Laxman Gyawali (Professor, Kathmandu University)
Dr. Bed Raj Acharya (Professor and Dean, Faculty of Education, Tribhuvan University)
Participants from PRI:
Prof. Dr. Lekhnath Sharma (Executive Chairperson)
Laxman Prasad Bhattarai (Office Manager)
Dr. Khaganath Adhikari (Senior Research Fellow)
Dr. Hari Sharma Neupane (Senior Research Fellow)
Dr. Deepak Kumar Khadka (Senior Research Fellow)
Dr. Mukti Ram Rijal (Senior Research Fellow)
Dr. Kalpana Khanal (Senior Research Fellow)
Dr. Mohan Kumar Sharma (Senior Research Fellow)
Dr. Niranjan Devkota (Research Fellow)
Dr. Subash Adhikari (Research Fellow)
Dr. Pradeep Panthi (Research Fellow)
Dr. Manita Kusi (Associate Research Fellow)
Gopal Acharya (Associate Research Fellow)
Rija Manandhar (Analyst)
Dr. Dejina Thapa (Analyst)
Pranjal Rijal (Analyst)
Soniya Bashyal (Analyst)
Bimal Chandra Sharma (Library Management Coordinator)
Ayushka K.C. (Intern)
Ashish Bhandari (Intern)
Kumari Alika (Intern)
Dhiraj Bhatta (Intern)
Bijaya Koirala (Intern)
Balihang Limbu (Intern)
Snehi Rijal (Intern)
Satish Sapkota (Intern)