Why fundraise?

The education programme in Nepal

Supporting education is the key to the future of Nepal.

Over a third of Nepal's population live below the poverty line. The Nepalese government and senior educationalists within and outside the country realised that a well-run education system would be key to addressing poverty. It would go some of the way to building a population with the knowledge, confidence and communications skills to help itself.

VSO is working closely with the Nepalese government to bring about this change. Part of the remit is to ensure that while a strong education system is implemented, the actual bodies that administer this are well governed and transparent in their business.

The overall aim of VSO Nepal's education work is to increase access to education for marginalised groups.

Background to VSOs work in Nepal:

VSO has been working in education in Nepal for over 40 years. Initially, volunteers worked as teachers in schools in remote areas of the country. While many children benefited from this, by 2004 it was recognized that to achieve lasting change, VSO needed to work at different levels in the education system (for example, with district and national government) and to ensure that its work was contributing to Nepal’s Education for All goals which are:

• Expanding and improving early childhood development
• Ensuring access to education for all children
• Meeting the learning needs of all children including indigenous peoples and minorities
• Reducing adult illiteracy
• Eliminating gender disparity

Therefore VSO now works at both central and district levels to influence policy, assist with implementation of policy changes, and improve the management of education to make it more inclusive, transparent and relevant.
Some of the work in 2008, which the money you raise will support, is a focus on improving the management and quality of education in ECD centres and primary schools. To support the people of Nepal in their efforts to ensure that all children, whatever their gender or background, can receive the primary school education that they are entitled to.
Intended beneficiaries:

• 35 Early Childhood Development (ECD) facilitators and the ECD committees of the local communities
• Heads and teachers of 36 primary schools
• School management committees of 36 primary schools
• Approx 5,000 children in up to 100 ECD centres
• Approx 7,000 children of primary school age (3-11) in 36 schools

VSO volunteers in Nepal

Recently there have been 56 VSO volunteers of 12 different nationalities. working in Nepal.

Volunteers who are experienced teachers and education managers are supporting the Nepali government's plan to provide 'Education for All' through work with schools, training centres and at the Ministry of Education. These volunteers are helping to address the quality of teacher training by working with teachers and teacher training centres to improve teaching methods. They support district education offices to improve the management of schools and support for teachers, and they work with the government to develop the national curriculum and national policies in support of teachers.

Husband and wife Peter and Rosemary Reid are VSO volunteers in Nepal. Peter works in the Ministry of Education in the Foreign Aid section and Rosemary works with the Education Department. The developmental roles they have been asked to perform in Nepal are typical of VSO's focused approach. In this case, Peter and Rosemary's management experience was vital to improve the actual mechanisms of the Nepalese education system.

Peter is enthusiastic about his experience in Nepal, 'I had my 60th birthday before I left for Nepal. I think I'm indicative of the type of person VSO wants - someone experienced enough and with the necessary life skills to adapt to the challenges a placement throws at them.'

Progress is being made

Fifty years ago Nepal had no education system, now it has 28,000 schools and nearly four million primary school students. This is a phenomenal achievement.

The future

Nepal is still working towards 100% enrolment in schools, especially girls and lower castes. This raises difficult issues: huge first year classes of up to 90 students; pressure to expand classrooms and textbook supply (a typical textbook is only in black and white and there's little else apart from chalk and a blackboard), and above all a change in attitudes to education.