Heritage and History

Heritage and History

Kathmandu University High School, initially named as Kathmandu University Preparatory School was established in 1998 A.D. with only 60 primary students from local areas and children of the staffs of Kathmandu University. The School started in a rented building near by a beautiful place called Bansghari in Dhulikhel with few staff by Mr. Aiden Warlow as a principal. The school always has been a non-profit making organization established under the umbrella of Kathmandu University.

In 2000, the school was successful to win the trust of its well-wishers and moved to its own beautiful new campus in Chaukot, provided by Kathmandu University. Each year it added one intake until class 10 renaming it to be Kathmandu University High School later. The secondary students appeared the first S.L.C examination in the year 2003 with outstanding achievements in various subjects. In 2009, the school opened the A Level programme from the University of Cambridge International Examinations.

The school is now successfully running in its 20 years and has been able to create a new generation of leaders and professional with a caring and responsible attitude to society. In the twenty years since its establishment, KUHS has withstood changing fortunes but it has continued to stand the test of time. It has promised to continue to impart quality education to the children and generate thinkers who do not depend on rote learning and exam cramming for their education. The students continue to build their own path and seek for learning through observations, experiments and researches. The school at present occupies four major buildings for the teaching learning from grade one to grade 12. This year, the school has been able to shift in its own Primary Boys and Girls Hostel in the school campus and relocate the Secondary Boys Hostel in the School area. Along with the A Level programme from the University of Cambridge International Examinations, the school has started its (10+2) examination in Science stream from this year.

It looks forward for the promising future with the support and co-operation of highly qualified and trained teaching and non-teaching staff under the guidance of Kathmandu University and Dhulikhel Teaching Hospital.

Career

Secondary School

The Secondary School consists of five grades (VI – X) with one single class in each grade.

Subjects offered to Secondary Students

1. Nepali
2. English
3. Science
4. Mathematics
5. Social Studies
6. Environment, Population and Health (EPH)
7. Computing

Nepali
Nepali is one of the key subjects in KUHS, being compulsory from class 1 to class 10. The Nepali department has set the following objectives to develop the standard of Nepali language, literature and communication skills.

• To make the Nepali curriculum contextual
• To transfer knowledge to learners bearing in mind the requirements for entering higher education
• To enable learners to acquire grammatical skills through activity based learning
• To encourage vocabulary acquisition and creative writing development
• To initiate discussion on cultural, economic, and social issues
• To enrich the teaching of Nepali by keeping up to date with new methods

ENGLISH
In the Nepalese context the commonly used evaluation method is taking paper and pencil examinations either four times or three times a year, and the final one has the highest weight. Students get 75 % written and 25 % listening and speaking test in Secondary English. So if any learner in spite of their hard work fails to appear in the final exams or fares those badly, they have to suffer. Therefore, it is a high time to adopt more student centred approaches, and KUHS does so. For example, we have started assessing the marks from learners’ coursework, homework, organization, presentation, participation and efforts for reading, writing and speaking all over the year to create win-win situations for both teachers and students. As well as up to date course books (Cambridge Express) KUHS students read a variety of English Literature from Shakespeare to post-modern writers in order to enrich their logic, creativity and good skills. At the end of secondary school, students of KUHS should:

• achieve higher grades in IELTS, TOEFL, A-Levels and other national and international examinations
• possess standard spoken English
• be able to produce sound discussion essays
• be able to use imaginative and innovative ideas
• believe in their thinking, reading, writing and speaking abilities
• have an appreciation for books, movies, arts and poetry
• possess a broad-based foundation for further study in language and literature

SCIENCE
Today, it is necessary for everyone to possess the necessary knowledge, skills, and attitudes in order to continue their scientific activities in our life, in which the scientific and technological developments are formed. Science classes play an important role for students in acquiring this knowledge. Science teaching in KUHS enhances such knowledge and also focuses on logical thinking, creative thinking and analytical thinking. To increase student success in Science classes, the following methodologies have been in use:

• Activities
• Demonstrations
• Group work
• Peer work
• Practical
• Project work
• Field visit

Students are assessed continuously on the basis of homework, class work, project work, practical and written work. Besides these, students are also evaluated through the presentation of challenging problems where they have to project their existing knowledge.

Mathematics
Today, it is obligatory for individuals to possess the necessary knowledge, skills, and attitudes in order to continue their scientific and social activities in social life, in which the scientific and technological, social and cultural developments are formed. Mathematics classes play an important role for students in acquiring this knowledge and those skills in schools. Mathematics is a branch of science which enhances the development of behaviour such as logical thinking, being able to make right decisions, reaching the correct conclusions, being able to communicate effectively, being able to make generalizations, and thinking creatively, which are necessary in solving various problems we face in our daily lives. To increase student’s success in mathematics classes, the use of different methods and techniques that help in achieving more effective and permanent learning has been implemented.

Learning Methodology

• Most of the time, students learn in pairs within a group of students.
• Each student is required to explain to his or her partner, solving a worked-out example in which the student has gained expertise on the previous lesson and to listen to the explanations given by the partner on how to deal with the worked-out example on a new lesson.
• Each student is required to solve a problem similar to the previous worked out example that the student’s partner has explained to the student, and is entitled, if necessary, to ask the partner who already tackled the problem for help in solving it.
• After completing the work on a pair, students change partners within the group. This move gives each group member an opportunity to act in the role of both student and teacher.
• Maximum use of teaching materials dividing into three categories like concrete (solid-objects), semi-concrete (figures) and symbolic (notations/symbols).
• Evaluating the students by preparing the questions based on skills, understanding, and problem solving.

SOCIAL STUDIES
The Humanities are those studies that provide understanding of mankind’s way of living, the basic needs of man, the activities in which he engages to meet his needs, the institutions he creates, the past by which he ensures the living present and future, the economy and international relations. Social Studies deals with the study of man and with his environment and the aim of this subject is to prepare bona fide, humble, sincere, dedicated, energetic, patriotic and farsighted citizens.

To fulfill these aims different student centered methods and technique are applied to teach the Social Studies in KUHS. The teaching of lessons encompasses a wide range of classroom activities for understanding the topic and exercises to comprehend the lesson. The teacher motivates students and plays the role of the facilitator to generate creative and innovative ideas and community work, follow-up activities, role play, field-trip, trekking, hiking, observation, exploration of the problems and their appropriate solutions and to develop a sense of responsibility. 

The evaluation system is based on testing knowledge and understanding, and developing practical and research skills, as well as critical thinking and positive attitudes and values. In addition, we use a variety of supplementary materials eg print and electronic medias, maps, globes and library research.

We prepare our own projects which fulfill the aim of KUHS to establish high academic standards.

Environment, Population and Health (EPH)
Today the focus of EPH is not limited only to families, schools and communities, but its scope is considerably widened. The teaching and learning of this subject takes place through a wide variety of methods and styles. The student gains new ideas through different programmes, which are interesting and highly interactive. Students are encouraged to participate in group discussions and the topics are lively, which encourages them to challenge ideas and develop critical thinking. Lectures, discussion classes, project works, trekking programmes, practical works and group work are used.

Evaluation is one of the basic tools to enhance the students’ potentialities. Students are evaluated on the basis of their day to day homework and class work performance. 60% of the marks are given from the homework and class work assessments and the remaining 40% of the marks are added from written exams in September and March. Students are also evaluated by their attitudes and skills towards the learning process.

COMPUTING
Computers have become an integral part of the world in which we live, and will be even more so in the world our students will inherit as adults.  In order to succeed in their academic and personal lives students will need to have a facility with the use of PCs, the Internet, on-line services, and databases. Even more importantly, students will need to have the knowledge and skills to adapt to what lies ahead. Our curriculum recognizes the inevitable change in computer technology and as such should be viewed as a fluid, adaptable guideline for study, rather than a fixed set of skills, so we place emphasis on problem based learning and practical work.

Primary School

The Primary School consists of five grades (I – V) with one single class in each grade. There are 30 students in each class and the total number on roll is 150. Two systems are adopted for teaching in the Primary School. Grade One and Two have grade teaching methods: one teacher teaches most of the subjects. Grade Three to Five has subject teaching methods with specialist teachers for each subject.

Subjects offered to Primary Students

1. English
2. Nepali
3. Mathematics
4. Science
5. Social Studies
6. Computing
7. Arts & Craft
8. Music
9. Dance
10. Physical Education (Games & Sports)

LANGUAGES and SOCIAL STUDIES:

ENGLISH
English teaching not only includes the text book but also has a variety of English Language supports like creative story writing, poems, paragraph writing, book reviews, dramas and frequent competitions in handwriting, spelling, and debate.

NEPALI
Nepali is given equal importance to English and its teaching method is similar to that of English. We teach our students to respect and value Nepali Language and Literature.

SOCIAL STUDIES
Social Studies in Primary is focused on developing social etiquette, respect for culture, religious tolerance, a sense of community, the history of Nepal and neighboring countries, including its present condition and future prospects. Field visits and study of geography are also included in the course.

SCIENCE, MATHEMATICS, and COMPUTING:

SCIENCE
In the Science teaching in the Primary school, students are allowed to explore the natural environment around the school and record their findings. Frequent field visits according to the demands of the lesson are very common. They do receive information from their teacher, text book and reference books from the library.  Emphasis is also given to learning how to think, developing skills of observation, experimentation, group work and projects preparation.

MATHEMATICS
Mathematics in the Primary School is presented with great importance and care. Mathematics in our school focuses on creative mental math, estimating, analyzing, systematic problem solving and adequate practice of real life situations. Students also learn to represent the data in different graphical forms.

COMPUTING
Computing instruction starts in grade 1. The teaching in the Primary School focuses on developing the basic skills of using the computer, including the use of the internet and skills of developing any project using multimedia.

ARTS and PHYSICAL EDUCATION:

ARTS & CRAFTS
Art is an important subject that is an essential part of our Primary Curriculum. Landscape drawing, memory drawing, painting, collage, craft work out of paper and papier mâché are taught to develop the skills observation, imagination, assimilation and creativity of the student. Regular competitions are organized to encourage the arts.

MUSIC
Music is also an integral part of our curriculum. Students learn to sing and enjoy singing. Varieties of songs are taught to develop their knowledge of pitch, voice quality and timing. Frequent competitions are organized to encourage music.

DANCE
Dance in the Primary School is also an integral part of the curriculum. Mainly dancing steps, timing, body control, and expression are taught. Nepali ethnic, cultural and folk dances are taught to our students so that they come to know more about Nepal and its culture. Frequent competitions are organized to encourage dance.

PHYSICAL EDUCATION (GAMES & SPORTS)
Physical Education helps an individual to be active and fit both physically and mentally. So games and sports are included in our routine so that students learn the sports skill, as well as rules, a sense of sportsmanship and discipline. Regular competitions are also organized house wise and interschool.

Curriculum

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