Executive Summary
The present study entitled “Multilingual Education in Nepal: Hearsay and Reality?” was started in April 2011 and completed on 25th May 2011. The main aim of the study was to explore and analyze the realities of the Multilingual Education (MLE) programme being practiced in seven schools from six different districts. The MLE programme was launched by the Department of Education (DOE) with the technical assistance of the Government of Finland in 2007. Nepal Government has planned to implement MLE in 300 schools in the coming years but there have been no comprehensive studies conducted to give an accurate picture of the MLE programme. In this context, the present study was carried out.
The research team formed an Advisory Committee consisting of individuals who were involved in the MLE programme from the beginning. The role of the Advisory Committee was to suggest the team the course it should take. A set of tools was prepared to gather information from different stakeholders of the MLE programme which was piloted in a Newari medium school in the Kathmandu Valley. The fi ndings of the pilot were used to improve the tools. The informants included the MLE school family which consisted of teachers, the School Management Committee (SMC), parents and the children. In addition to policy makers, policy implementers and educationists were also contacted to gather information.