FabLab Nepal: creative learning as a way towards equality

They are independent local labs connected through a global network. FabLab Nepal opened in January 2021 as part of Impact Hub Kathmandu, and from the very beginning they made it clear that their priority was to develop a humanitarian agenda to engage members of marginalised groups. Providing access to knowledge, tools and resources to Nepalese people, regardless of their gender, social status, ability or economic means is pivotal and challenging in a developing country where gender, ethnic and social discrimination are still a major issue.

When I met the team in 2022 and explored avenues for collaborations between FabLab Nepal/Impact Hub Kathmandu and The Open University, our shared interest in the potential of STEAM education emerged. STEAM stands for science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics. Compared to traditional STEM programmes, arts are included, to foster innovation, critical thinking, problem solving and collaboration. STEAM focuses on using imagination and creativity through the arts in ways that bring value to STEM learning.

During my field trip in Nepal, I was invited to join some sessions of the year-long programme that FabLab Nepal and Impact Hub Kathmandu, in collaboration with the non-profit organisation Karkhana Samuha and with the support of the US Embassy in Nepal, developed. The programme targeted Community and Government (CG) schools in the Kathmandu Valley, with a focus on children from low-income families and girls. 

One of the key emphases of the programme was in fact on encouraging gender equality in the STEAM sector of Nepal by allocating more than half of the available seats to female students, who still face an opportunity deficit in Nepal as they are more likely to be sent to CG schools than boys.

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Due to weak financial backgrounds, most CG schools, unlike private schools, do not have the necessary infrastructure, resources and skilled teaching staff to provide their students with the required digital and critical skills to function and succeed in the modern world, to progress to higher education studies or discover and pursue their interests (Thapa, 2015; Mottaleb et al., 2019). The COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns further exacerbated the discrepancy between private and public school children due to the requirement of online learning platforms unavailable to CG schools and students (Dawadi et al., 2020; Devkota, 2021). Hence, intervention in the post-pandemic period was seen as particularly necessary.

Following the 8-week workshop sessions, participating student teams were part of a showcase event of the STEAM projects to a panel of professionals from the local tech and engineering sectors, which gave students the opportunity to work on presentation and communication skills and strengthen their leadership capabilities.