23 Schools from Nepal awarded British Council’s International School Award (ISA) under Connecting Classroom Project British Council Nepal awarded International School Award to 23 schools in Nepal, at the virtual award ceremony held on 20 October 2020.

The program and award are endorsed by the Center for Education and Human Resource Development (CEHRD) and this is the 8th year that Nepali Schools are being awarded through this programme. At the virtual ceremony held on 20 October, 23 schools from nine districts were awarded full award, who are now eligible to use the coveted International School Award kite mark along with their school logo on all the official materials for a period of three years.

The trophy and certificates of merits will be sent to the schools. 163 schools from all over Nepal initially working on International School Award last year, but due to Covid-19 only 28 schools submitted their dossiers. The remaining schools aims to submit their portfolio of work next year for the full award. “The Connecting Classrooms project including the International School Award aligns well with the priorities of the School Sector Development Plan and the national educational priorities of the Government of Nepal.

This program helps to instil life-long learning and necessary skills required for the 21-st century skills which I echo is very crucial in the holistic development of the students”. As said by Dr. Girman Thapa, Deputy Director, CEHRD. “International School Award under the Connecting Classrooms program is a global accreditation scheme recognizing good practice in incorporating international dimension in schools. It is endorsed by the Centre for Human Resource and Education Department (CEHRD) since 2012. Since then, more than 542 schools across Nepal have already participated & 151 schools have been successfully accredited under ISA. We have connected Nepali schools to more than 119 schools from the UK till date for a reciprocal learning from each other”.

As said by Shahida MacDougall, Country Director, British Council in Nepal. What is International School Award (ISA)? ISA is a yearly award given to participating schools. The British Council offers the ISA as an accreditation framework for schools to record and evaluate their international work and embed it into the curriculum. ISA acts as a benchmark that ascertains schools as having an outstanding level of support for a) nurturing global citizenship in young people b) enriching teaching and learning The ISA approach to school development is holistic and mirrors the curriculum-based project work approach to encourage the teachers to use with their students.

It is a rigorous and evidence-based process. It encourages the leaders to foster team building, innovation, and project management. ISA is content free, and schools are encouraged to embed it within their own curriculum. ISA gives context to practice new skills in Information & Communications Technology (ICT) and pedagogy in a safe and structured manner. Participating in briefings and workshops, online community and the award ceremony brings together many schools across the country fostering a rich exchange of ideas and creating a vibrant community of education professionals.

2 List of Full Award Accredited Schools S.N. Name of school Address Award status

1 Lotus Academy English Boarding School Simara Full Award

2 Glowing Kids Montessori Pre School Bhaktapur Full Award

3 Tarun Secondary School Kathmandu Full Award

4 Brihaspati Vidyasadan Kathmandu Full Award

5 Hathausha Little Star Boarding School Kapilvastu Full Award

6 Baylor International Academy Kavre Re-accreditation

7 Nicholson Secondary School Bhaktapur Full Award

8 Kids Planet Montessori and Child Care Center Kathmandu Full Award

9 Kathmandu Euro School Kathmandu Full Award

10 Arjun English Boarding High School Gulmi Full Award

11 Daffodil Boarding School Kathmandu Full Award

12 Gurukul Academy Dhangadhi Re-accreditation

13 Manakamana Ratna Ambika Secondary School Sankhuwasabha Full Award

14 John Dewey H. S. School Kathmandu Full Award

15 Regent Residential School Lalitpur Full Award

16 Holy Vision Higher Secondary School Kathmandu Full Award

17 Golden Peak High School Kathmandu Full Award

18 Ripumardini Sainik Secondary School Kathmandu Full Award

19 Wings Montessori School Bhaktapur Full Award

20 Kathmandu Pragya Kunja School Kathmandu Re-accreditation

21 Kanjirowa National Higher Secondary School Kathmandu Full Award

22 Ace School Kathmandu Reaccreditation

23 National Creative Co-educational School Kathmandu

Full Award Special Category Award Winners are:

Tarun Secondary School Kathmandu Best International Collaborative Project. Kids Planet Montessori and Child Care Center Kathmandu Most Innovative Project, Daffodil Boarding School Kathmandu Most Innovative Project, John Dewey H. S. School Kathmandu Best International Collaborative Project, Ripumardini Sainik Secondary School Kathmandu Best 20% Local Curriculum Project and Kanjirowa National Higher Secondary School Kathmandu