PROJECT PRAVARTAN
Transforming Early Education Through Activity-Based Learning
An Initiative of Changing Stories Nepal | 2025–2026
Overview
Project Pravartan is Changing Stories Nepal’s flagship teacher professional development initiative, designed to break the cycle of rote-based instruction that leaves the majority of Nepal’s early learners behind. Launched in 2025/2026 (2082/2083 BS), Pravartan directly addresses one of Nepal’s most pressing educational challenges: over 90% of Grade 3 students do not meet the expected reading proficiency, and foundational numeracy skills remain critically weak across the country.
Through intensive, hands-on teacher training in Activity-Based Learning (ABL) – a globally proven, child-centered pedagogy – Pravartan equips Grade 1–3 public school teachers with the practical tools, methods, and confidence to transform their classrooms into engaging, joyful, and effective learning environments.
The Challenge
Nepal has made impressive progress in school enrollment, but learning quality at the foundational level remains a national crisis. National data tells a stark story:
Only 8.4% of Grade 3 students met the expected reading proficiency in a 2020 government assessment – meaning over 91% fell short.
A 2012 study found only 3.5% of Grade 3 students could read a grade-appropriate passage, and 80% of Grade 2 students could not read a single word in Nepali.
Globally, nearly 70% of 10-year-olds in low- and middle-income countries cannot read a simple text – a crisis Nepal shares.
At the heart of this learning gap is a teacher capacity challenge. Many rural classrooms still rely on traditional, lecture-style, rote-based instruction. Teachers are willing to innovate, but lack the training, resources, and mentorship to shift their practice. Pravartan was designed specifically to fill this gap.
Our Approach: Activity-Based Learning
Activity-Based Learning (ABL) is a proven pedagogical approach that places children at the center of the classroom. Rather than passive memorization, ABL engages students through:
- Games, songs, and storytelling for literacy and language development
- Hands-on manipulatives (counters, sticks, shapes) for foundational numeracy
- Group work, role-play, and collaborative problem-solving
- Low-cost, locally made teaching-learning materials (TLMs) rooted in each community’s context
Research consistently shows that ABL improves student engagement, reduces absenteeism, and builds stronger foundational skills — especially for children in early grades. Pravartan’s training is fully aligned with Nepal’s national curriculum for Grades 1–3 in Nepali, English, and Mathematics, ensuring that every technique teachers learn can be applied directly in their required lessons.
Project Activities
Phase 1 - Intensive Training Workshops
Each teacher cohort attends a 6-day, highly interactive workshop built around six core topics. Sessions follow the principle of “learning by doing” – teachers first experience the methods as learners, then practice-teach in small groups with structured feedback. The six training topics are:
Each day combines demonstration lessons, hands-on practice, and group reflection. Teachers also learn to create low-cost teaching-learning materials from locally available resources. By the end of Phase 1, every teacher leaves with a personal action plan to implement at least 2-3 new techniques in their classroom in the weeks ahead.
Phase 2 - Refresher & Review Training
Approximately six months after Phase 1, teachers return for a focused 2-day follow-up session. This refresher is centered entirely on the teachers’ own experiences since the initial training, structured around three key questions:
What worked?
Teachers share successes and positive changes observed in their classrooms after applying Phase 1 techniques.
What were the challenges?
Teachers discuss barriers they faced – in classroom management, student engagement, resource availability, or school support – so facilitators can provide targeted guidance.
What can be improved or changed?
Based on teacher feedback, facilitators work with participants to adapt and contextualize specific techniques to better fit each teacher’s classroom reality.
This review-based approach ensures the training stays relevant and practical, and gives teachers the additional confidence and support needed to sustain their new practices long after the project ends.
Where We Work
Pravartan operates across six municipalities in Nepal, spanning diverse geographic and social contexts:
Sustainability & Scale
Pravartan is designed not as a one-time intervention, but as a seed for lasting, systemic change. Key sustainability strategies include:
Champion Teachers
High-performing participants are empowered as local resource persons, capable of training peers and sustaining ABL practice well beyond the project period.
Replicable Resources
A fully documented Teacher Training Handbook in Nepali and English will be made available to education authorities and NGOs for replication across Nepal.
Institutional Integration
By engaging local government education offices as partners from the outset, CSNepal embeds ABL into the system’s own professional development infrastructure.
Scalability Model
The six target municipalities represent a diverse pilot. Lessons learned will inform a cost-effective model ready for national scaling – one that has already demonstrated impact across 8,000+ children in its first year.