1. Girls’ participation in education: A promising EFA practice in Nepal
Workshop on Sharing Promising Education for all (EFA) practices in Asia-Pacific
30 June, 2014
Bangkok, Thailand

2. Presentation Outline Introduction/case identification
Developing the Solution and Implementation
Beneficiaries/Target Audiences/Stakeholders
Results/Outcomes/Key Achievements
Issues/Challenges
Lesson Learnt
Recommendation

3. Girls Participation in Education: A promising case
Indicators
2001
2013
Female
Male
Primary NER* 75 87
94.7
95.9
Literacy Rate (+6) # 43 65
57.7
Literacy Parity Index#
0.60
0.78
% Schools having at least a female teacher* 53
Primary Teacher Ratio* 25 42 58
*DOE 2013, #CBS 2011

4. Girls/Female Participation in Education: A promising case

5. Comparing some other indicators
Girls
Boys
GER ECD
73.1
74.3
New entrants at grade 1 with ECD experience
55.9
55.2
NER primary (grade 1-5)/lower secondary (grade 6-8)/sec (9-10)/higher secondary (11-12)
94.7/71.8/74/10.6
95.9/72.6/54.6/10.2
Total enrolment at school level
50.7
49.3
Promotion Rate: primary/lower sec/sec level
84.5/88/89.6
83.9/88.1/90.1
Survival rate to grade 5/ grade 8
86.2/ 73.3
84.3/70.1
Dropout rate: grade1/grade5
7.2/5.9
8.1/6.2
Repetition rate : primary/lower sec/sec level
5/6.3/6.5
5.5/6.6/6.5

6. Successful Initiatives that improved girls’ education in Nepal
Incentive Scheme: (Scholarship for 100% girls at primary level, Residential school, Mid day meal, Oil for mother)
Expansion of schools (within 30 minutes of walking distance and ECDs)
Improvement in physical facilities of schools (including separate toilets for girls and Child friendly school initiatives)
Provision of female teacher targeting for every school: to achieve gender balance, reservation in recruitment

7. Political willpower as seen in their activeness to initiate gender policy and achieve gender equality and equity at all levels (school, community, district and sub/national level)
Regular gender audit of curricula and textbooks to remove gender stereotypes
Alternative education provision (Grihani or School for housewives, Flexible School Program /School Outreach, Open School)
Teachers training in gender sensitivity, Child Friendly School, School as Zone of Peace and Non Violence Teaching
Expansion of women literacy with Income Generating Program and establishment of CLC
Coordination and partnerships (Welcome To School, awareness, media support)

8. Beneficiaries, Target Audiences, Stakeholders
Girls from ultra poor family.
Out of school children (girls)
Difficult Geographic location
Conflict affected
Disable Child
Caste & Ethnic group
Disadvantaged (ethnicity, economically, social)
Language Minority
Vulnerable groups
Illiterate & graduate female
Beneficiaries were girls and women from every corner of

9. Results/Outcomes of the initiatives
Primary school within half an hour for 94.7% students (CBS, 2011)
NER for primary level : 95.6 %
34622 ECD centres in almost in all wards of VDCs (DOE, 2013)
80% schools with separate girls toilet
Progress in PSDR indicators (Promotion, Survival, Dropout and Repetition)
Free and Compulsory Basic Education (13 districts)
Govt. commitment to Prioritized Minimum Enabling Conditions (Girls Toilet, Book corner, Textbook, Teacher, Classroom)
Regular Gender audit, Parliamentarians’ Caucus, Gender focal Point in each govt. institution, Gender Networking, Gender Responsive Budget
Girls outnumbered boys at school education

10. Girls
Boys

15. GPI in achievement test
Source: ERO 2013 National Assessment of student achievement report

16. Issues/challenges
From access to quality : Despite nearly universal access, cycle completion and survival to next level with adequate knowledge and skills is an enormous challenge.
Teaching in mother tongue at least in the first three grades of primary level is a huge challenge
Despite sincere efforts, there are now only 42% female teachers.
Identifying the target groups through EMIS is crucial to reach the poorest children/households, disadvantaged castes (i.e. dalits) and ethnic groups (such as; Tamang and Tharu); and proper use of available data (software report generation system is not fully materialized)
Resource lack (for change room, meal for all students), as survival rate is low in poor quintile, pro-poor targeted interventions to cover opportunity cost is needed

18. Lessons learnt
Rapid expansion schools did work in past, but now is a time of school-merging
The role of educational institutions imparting education is foremost important for transformation
Vision for girls education is not limited to the formal school system (but ECCD, secondary and tertiary level of formal system & non-formal education, life skills education program)
PCF fund allocation sometimes resulted in data inflation to be managed cautiously
Gender parity should go beyond access to examine the issue of quality

19. Recommendations
Pay special focus for special hard group: Ensure that no child (girl) is left out from joining school
Be careful while expanding school units and PCF allocation
Allocate additional resourcing for education
Prepare school and teachers that cares and commit to bring educational transformation
Transform schools to better addressing the pedagogical issues, more relevant to social and economic contexts: knowledge application/ skill for life, language, gender, social and economic
Pay adequate attention for involving of all stakeholders, coordination, advocacy, awareness, creation

20. Thank you very much