School Background
Terse Higher Secondary School is situated in the western part of Sindhupalchowk district, Talamarang, Melamchi Municipality, Ward 2, Nepal. Terse School started as a primary school in February, 1990 AD to solve the need of education in the community. It ran classes from grade 1 to 5 until 2003 AD. In 2014 AD, the school added higher secondary level with Humanities, Management and Education faculty.

The need
Student Need
In order to develop a 21st century students who are scientifically skilled, academically trained and technological savvy, the school wants to build a new, well equipped science lab. Science isn’t about just the text in the books, the theories, and formulas. Science is about ‘learning by doing’. Students need to actually experiment to believe it and to comprehend the text book content.

Most of the theories, facts mentioned in the book are hard to visualize and comprehend just by reading. Students need to see, do and then learn.

Teacher Need
This also gives teachers an opportunity to grow professionally. While the students need to learn, teachers need to learn too. In Nepal, back in those days, few schools in cities only had a Science Lab. We have teachers come from diverse areas, who might not have had the opportunity to do Science stuffs either. The lab gives teachers an opportunity to do and understand better, which in turn helps them to teach students better.

The lack of resources and a lab prevents the teachers and students from practical works which in turn makes them illiterate towards the importance of ‘doing’.

The teachers at Terse HSS have been trying to do small class demonstrations and experiments with the local resources whenever possible. But due to the lack of proper equipment and training, it is very limited. And the students don't have much opportunity to gain practical knowledge making them uninterested in Science itself. Most of the students find Science to be 'a very difficult subject'.

The Curriculum Design Centre, Nepal has separated 25% of total marks for practical marks. However, the 25% marks are obtained by filling up a ‘practical book’ without actually doing a practical experiment. Students somehow get the knowledge of few instruments but miss the fun and practicality. Also, the 25% is to be given in every term exam but the School isn’t practicing the system. The School can’t be blamed however. They don’t see the point in it because it hasn’t be practiced yet.

Setting up a science lab will provide teachers a newer perspective to teaching Science in class and thus creating a student who is scientifically aware and understands the fun behind everyday Science and applies to his/her everyday life.

Project is posted by Amrit Puri (TFN Fellow 2015). He is currently teaching Science at Terse Secondary School.