Rato Bangala School is a co-educational school that also houses a teacher training institute. It has a unique dual programme that caters to students through the Rato Bangala School and teachers through the UNESCO award winning Rato Bangala Foundation.
Rato Bangala School opened in Lalitpur, Nepal, in 1992 with a commitment to groom Nepali students to be analytical independent thinkers aware of both the country’s present situation and its potential. To make learning meaningful and relevant, the school works closely with parents and the wider community. It emphasizes cooperative action, community service and critical thinking.
By recognizing individual aptitudes and strengths, Rato Bangala motivates students to be life-long learners. The school believes that academic excellence should go hand in hand with social and emotional growth. With its rigorous and stimulating curriculum, the school helps develop confident and articulate individuals who are committed to justice and development.
Affiliated since its inception with Bank Street College of Education in New York City, Rato Bangala has introduced to Nepal the best of the progressive education system and adapted it to fit the Nepali context. The school follows the Development-Interaction approach. The programme that Rato Bangala School offers has served as a model for other schools in Nepal and around the region who wish to introduce a student-centred education in their own respective schools and offer the same high quality education Rato Bangala does .It strives to replicate its innovative teaching methods and quality instruction, the Rato Bangala Method, in schools across Nepal.
To bring the Rato Bangala experience to a larger community, the Rato Bangala Foundation (RBF), a not-for-profit organization, was established in 2002. The RBF collaborates with Bank Street College of Education in New York and Kathmandu University to run several teacher-training programs, including the one-year Primary Teacher Training Program (PTTP), the 10-month Skill Development Training for Primary Teachers and the three-month Child-Centred Learning Level One Training. Rato Bangala teachers are uniquely placed to benefit from these programmes by being trainees and well as trainers and advisors.
Rato Bangala Foundation was awarded the “Hamdan Bin Al-Maktoum Prize for Outstanding Practice and Performance in Enhancing the Effectiveness of Teachers” from the United Nations’ Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) in 2012.
