The Fulbright Commission in Nepal welcomed the 2022 cohort of English Teaching Assistant Program (Fulbright ETA) Fellows this March. The ETAs assist in improving the quality of English teaching in Nepalese public schools and immerse in the local culture through a home stay experience.

The 2022 cohort comprises of six fellows Oren Karp, Sarala Duckworth, Catherine Johnson, Victoria Moore, Christina King and Haley Burger. They have been participating in the in-country orientation session since their arrival which is designed to inform and prepare them for their 10-month long tenure in Nepal. The nearly 2-month long orientation schedule comprises of daily Nepalese language classes and curated sessions led by the Commission Board members and other experts.

Fulbright Board Member Mukta Lama led the session on “History and Diversity in Nepal” providing detailed information on Nepal’s history since its founding days and the population and rich diversity of the country. Ben Ayers spoke on “Coming to Nepal: Adjustments and Opportunities” which gave insight to the ETAs about what living in Nepal in the coming months may look like, and Meghan Nalbo gave her “Fulbright Insights” being a Fulbright alumna herself.

Sarita Pariyar, a social justice activist, hosted the session “Human Dignity and the Caste System” which focused on discriminatory caste systems that continue to control the narrative and traditions of Nepal. A lecturer at Tribhuvan University, Sujen Man Maharjan hosted the session “Mental Health in Nepal: Medicalization and Traditions” and elaborated on prejudices involving mental health. Pooja Pant, Director of Voices of Women Media, a filmmaker and women’s right activist, led the discussions on “Complexity of Gender Dynamics in the Nepali State and Society”, Sailendra Jha, Operation and RSM Director at Teach for Nepal, on “Education System in Nepal” and Former Fulbright Commission’s Executive Director Reshu Aryal Dhungana helped ETAs understand the changes that have been forced into Teaching practices due to Covid-19.  

In addition to the informative sessions, the ETAs participated in First Aid and Emergency Preparedness led by FFSP 2021-22 grantee Priyasha Maharjan and Janata Clinic and also participated in a Health and Hygiene workshop at CIWEC Hospital.  

The ETAs visited the Kathmandu Triennale’s Exhibition at Patan Durbar Square Museum and the Taragaon Museum with esteemed writer and educator Niranjan Kunwar as their guide for the visits. Niranjan later facilitated a session for the ETAs on writing and spoke about his book Between Queens and the Cities and his journey from Nepal to New York and back.

With the completion of Commission led orientations, the ETAs will continue to learn Nepalese in the coming weeks and participate in Collaborative School Network (CSN) led trainings up until the start of the academic year on May 15.