Critical Pedagogy in the Context of Nepal: A Teacher's Experiences of Challenges, Struggles and Pleasures in Implementing Critical Pedagogy.

The teacher-centered teaching method focuses on students memorizing andrepeating the curriculum's content. In this approach, the teacher and thesubject matter hold primary importance, while students play a more passiverole. In contrast, the learner-centered teaching method prioritizes effectivelearning processes over the curriculum's content. It places the learner at thecenter, encouraging active engagement and personal growth. Criticalpedagogy goes beyond both methods by focusing on societal transformation.While it builds on the principles of learner-centered teaching, its primary goalis to promote social justice and create a fair and equitable society. Throughcritical pedagogy, education becomes a tool for empowering learners tochallenge inequalities and work toward societal change. The major objectiveof critical pedagogy is to facilitate societal transformation by addressing andchallenging systemic issues such as poverty, disease, hunger, illiteracy,discrimination, untouchability, inequality, and economic disparities. Thisapproach aims to empower individuals through education, fostering criticalconsciousness and active engagement to dismantle structural injustices andpromote social equity. The primary objective of this study is to empowerchildren and effect transformative change in their lives and surroundings byemploying critical pedagogy in the teaching process. This study reflects on myexperiences working on a non-governmental project in the Kailali district ofNepal, where I encountered challenges and critical questions related toimplementing critical pedagogy in teaching children. These experiences arepresented in the form of a narrative, as the study employs a narrativemethodology. Additionally, I engaged in discussions with two colleagues,critically analyzing my story to deepen the insights. The findings of this studyhighlight that in a country like Nepal, characterized by significant economic, social, educational, and political disparities, critical pedagogy emerges as a promising approach. It demonstrates potential not only for effectively teaching various subjects at the school level but also for fostering transformative change in Nepali society.