Achieving a basic level of education is critical to breaking the cycle of poverty. Recognizing this, Denmark has been a key donor to Nepal’s efforts to achieve universal access to education for children since 1992.
The national literacy rate for adults (15+ years) in Nepal is only 56.5 percent (Central Bureau of Statistics, 2009). In some of the most poor and remote districts of Nepal, this figure drops to less than 25 percent (2009) with literacy rates for adult women even lower. Adults without basic education are more likely to be extremely poor, malnourished, and are less likely to know about basic human rights or how to protect them. The children of illiterate are more likely to die before seeing their fifth birthday and have higher rates of malnutrition which hampers their mental, emotional and physical development.
The Government of Nepal (GoN) with the support of donors including Denmark has made significant progress over the last decade in getting children into primary school. According to the GoN’s Ministry of Education the current net enrolment rate for children in primary school is 94.5 percent (Department of Education, 2010). TheGoN has been particularly effective at increasing the number of girls in school. GoN annual publication of flash report 2010 showed that the participation of girls improved significantly. The gender parity index in primary, lower secondary and secondary education in net enrolment rate is 0.98 at all level.
More progress still needs to be made. Drop out and retention rates for children in primary school are worrisome with only 66 percent of children completing primary education (grade 8). About 27.1 percent of students’ complete secondary education (grade 12). There are large disparities between the enrolment and completion rates in rural areas and urban areas. Children from marginalized communities and those living in rural areas often receive poor quality education. Rural schools struggle to find and keep good teachers. Many schools have poor infrastructure facilities. In some schools there are no desks or toilets for children.
Nepal has prioritized both basic/primary and secondary education as an important contribution to the national goal of poverty reduction. The objective of Danish assistance is to assist the GoN in: improving all children’s access to education, enhancing the quality of public school education, and developing institutional capacity. Ninety percent of Danish assistance is channelled to the government’s School Sector Reform Plan (SSRP) through a joint donor financing arrangement. The remaining 10 percent is provided through direct funding for capacity building mainly for the MoE system and for piloting new and innovative approaches and monitoring through the Ministry of Education and Education Programme Support Office.
Responsible desk officer at the Danish Embassy:
Mira Ghale Gurung
mirgur@um.dk