15th SAARC Summit Commitment on Children and Edcuation

On Women and Children

The Heads of State or Government noted with satisfaction the increased cooperation in the region towards achieving the all important goal of bringing women fully into the mainstream of development, on the basis of gender equality. They called for focused attention on women’s economic empowerment and skills development, while addressing key health issues and violence against women. The Leaders directed to work for a regional cooperation for the elimination of all forms of discrimination and abuse against women in general and widows in particular and guarantee their rights to live in the society in a dignified manner.

On Education

The Heads of State or Government welcomed the substantial progress made in the establishment of the South Asian University in New Delhi and directed that the University should begin its Session from 2010. They also directed that increased interaction between students should be encouraged through institutionalisation of students, academics, teachers and youth exchange programs. They further directed early institutionalisation of an elaborate SAARC Scholarship Scheme in ICT and related areas.

Source: Gorakhapatra (aug 3, 2008)

Meeting on Gender Equality in Education in Asia-Pacific Region in Kathmandu

KATHMANDU, 11 June 2008 – Education experts representing United Nations agencies, donor countries, national governments and non-governmental organizations are meeting in the Nepalese capital today to discuss issues related to gender equality in education in the Asia-Pacific region.

During the two-day event, participants, representing the Global Advisory Committee of the United Nations Girls’ Education Initiative and senior technical partners from 13 countries, will look at the progress achieved in girls’ education in the Asia-Pacific region and the obstacles remaining to gender equality in education. It is the first time that the Committee convenes at the regional level, a move aimed to focus attention on countries’ efforts to ensure that all children, including girls, enjoy their right to education.

“We are working to address the complex challenges of making sure that all girls, no matter how marginalized they are or how hard-to-reach they can be, still enjoy their right to complete quality education,” said Cheryl Gregory Faye, head of UNGEI’s Global Secretariat.

The choice of the Asia-Pacific region as venue for this meeting recognizes the tremendous strides that the region has made towards ensuring quality education for all children. Yet it also acknowledges a persistent gender gap in educational enrollment, retention and performance in a number of areas, as well as inequalities in the teaching and learning process and in education outcomes.

In the face of persistent gender inequities, countries in the region are adopting special measures to promote girls’ education. Cambodia and the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, for example, have set up specific bodies tasked with monitoring gender parity in education. Nepal has developed a Girls’ Education Strategy Paper to promote gender parity and equity in education. Afghanistan made special provisions for girls’ education, health and employment so they participate to a greater extent in national development.

The discussions at the Kathmandu meeting will focus on a range of issues including how to improve the nature of the curriculum and the textbooks adopted so they empower girls and women in their learning, how to make the school environment girl-friendly and safe, and how to enhance the quality of teachers and teaching-learning processes.

With many countries facing a serious shortage of qualified teachers, a first priority for the Advisory Committee will be how to advocate for improving the status, pay and support of teachers, especially those posted to rural or underprivileged areas.

Financing education is also a major issue for the Committee’s advocacy work with governments. These are encouraged to increase their investment in pre-primary education and to abolish school fees and other related costs at primary and secondary levels. In addition, offering individual families stipends, conditional cash transfers or food supplements allows families to have all their children – girls as well as boys - complete their education.

The Committee, currently co-chaired by the Campaign for Female Education (Camfed) and the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad), is expected to call for strong sanctions against sexual abuse and harassment of girl pupils, and for increased community involvement in school management as an effective means of making schools safer places for children, particularly girls.

Prior to the meeting, field trips to the Katmandu Valley, Kaski District (Pokhara) and Kapilvastu District Bhairahawa will enable participants to observe first-hand school conditions and to meet the relevant education authorities, teachers, students, and members of school management committees. The field visits will explore complex issues - such as madrassas, or religious schools, child labour, multi-grade teaching, early childhood development and children with disabilities - and show how the community and government are addressing them.

Further information about the meeting is available on: www.ungei.org/nepal.

Source: www.unicef.org

World Bank approves Rs 8.2b grants to Nepal for Health Related Services

WB approves Rs 8.2bn grant

Kantipur Report

KATHMANDU, May 8 - A board meeting of the World Bank held yesterday approved a grant assistance of US$ 127 million (Rs 8.26 billion) to Nepal to support the ongoing peace process, expand primary health services in rural areas and improve rural water supply and sanitation.

According to a press statement, the bank will provide US$ 50 million under the Emergency Peace Support Project to help the government fulfill commitments made under the Comprehensive Peace Agreement and the subsequent 23-Point Agreement inked between the government and Maoists. The grant will be used to pay compensation of Rs 100,000 each to the families of the war deceased.

Likewise, the money will also support payment of Rs 3,000 per month to approximately 19,600 verified Maoists in cantonments, including arrears on these payments that have built up over the past 10 months, the statement said and added, "The project will also help the government pilot reintegration initiatives."

A fragile peace has been sustained over the past two years and important steps have been taken toward a "New Nepal," including the establishment of the Seven-Party Alliance in November 2005 and the recently held Constituent Assembly elections, said the press release.

"There is a high degree of commitment at the political level to ensure lasting peace in Nepal, and this project is designed to contribute to this agenda," Susan Goldmark, World Bank Country Director for Nepal, was quoted as saying.

The World Bank also approved additional grant financing of US$50 million for the Nepal Health Sector Program and US$27 million for the Second Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Project. The grant to the health sector program is designed to expand access to and use of essential health care services, especially by underserved populations.

"In addition the grant will support two recent initiatives: the removal of some user fees and the introduction of the Safe Delivery Incentive Program benefiting many poor and disadvantaged women and children," said the release.

Likewise, the grant for Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Project will scale up the project to provide services to more remote rural areas.

According to the statement, the project aims to improve institutional performance in the rural water supply and sanitation sector, and will also support communities to form inclusive local water supply and sanitation user groups that can plan, implement and operate drinking water and sanitation infrastructure that delivers sustainable health, hygiene and productivity benefits to rural households.

"An additional 400,000 people from nearly 600 communities stand to benefit from rural water supply and sanitation facilities with the new financing," said the release. Another 450 schemes will undergo the development phase, including activities for social capital development, preceding the construction phase.

Posted on: 2008-05-07 19:49:48 (Server Time)

Education Challenges in Nepal

Nepal aims to achieve universal primary education goal by 2015, however, challenges to achieve this goal are mounted. A large number of children of 6-10 years are still out of school. As of 2004/2005, Nepal's net primary school enrollment rate was 78%; this rate was 87% for South Asia (UNESCO's global education database). That is to say that children in Nepal are more excluded from education than any other south Asian countries.

There are two levels of child education challenges in Nepal. First, there is a great lack of quality schools that are easy-accessible to all children around the country, and second, education is not enthusiastically endorsed and promoted by the parents and communities across the region, ethnicity, caste, and gender. The challenge of the lack of accessible quality schools can be addressed by an adequate resource investment to build school infrastructure, train and hire quality teachers, and by designing good curricula. This can probably be done with relatively easily by the government if seriously worked together with local institutions and international funding organizations. Role of international agencies such as World Bank, DFID, DANIDA, and GTZ can become significant in this area, in particular.

The second area of challenge is parents' realization on the importance of education to their children. This is not to blame the parents for existing poor status of education enrollment. Rather, it signifies the importance of examining possible reasons - social, cultural and economic -- which are not encouraging enough for parents to be serious about their children's education. Theoretically, for the parents to be able to be enthusiastic about their children's education, the social, cultural and economic environment should be motivating/stimulating. This is not only applicable to parents, but also equally important for the children to be motivated for their school and strive for the education.

The second area of challenge, therefore, is much more complicated than the first one. It is about changing social, cultural and economic environment; however, if fixed, it can greatly compliment to solve the first area as well. Unfortunately, no one seems to be talking about it. This area needs to be strongly advocated to address primary education problem in Nepal and to achieve universal education in a sustainable manner.

We would like to hear what you think about the challenges of achieving universal primary education. We would also like to hear what you think about the two areas of education challenges we mentioned here. Please give your opinion, as it will help broaden all of our understanding on child education in Nepal and possibly help us, as a group, to come up with certain policy recommendations.

Evaluation for free health service policy.

Based on the statistics (for example see http://www.nep.searo.who.int/LinkFiles/Home_Abolition_of_User1.pdf), free health care services through local health post (abolition of user fee) is a needed initiative in Nepal. Nepal was under-investing in health sector ($14 per capita) than what Commission on Macro-economics and Health has recommended ($24-$42 per capita) for developing countries. On this regard, free health care services appears as a long due policy for Nepalese people.

Formulation and implementation of new policy should always be followed by its evaluation. It is important that the free health care service policy should also be evaluated after a year of its implementation if not by the first six months. Information collected through evaluation can provide some important policy feedbacks and it can suggest if any changes to make.

Department of Health and/or Ministry of Health should consider evaluation as one of their core activities, and schedule it within a specific time frame to get the better result of its policy efforts.

Free Health Treatment Policy in Health posts

Government of Nepal has initiated free treatment at health posts in Nepal. While it is a breath of relief for many people who spend a large sum of their income for medical expenses, it is also a big burden for national economy. Only time will tell us if it is indeed a good initiative for future, but we would like to know what you think about it. The news as posted in kantipuronline is as below:


Free treatment at health posts in Nepal from Tuesday

Kantipur Report

KATHMANDU, Jan 14 - Taking probably the most ambitious decision ever, the government has decided to provide crucial health services and medicines for free in health posts and sub-health posts throughout the country from Tuesday.

Organizing a press conference on Monday, Health Minister Giriraj Mani Pokhrel informed that patients will be provided with every kind of health treatments required for free at all the 675 health posts and 3,127 sub-health posts in the country.

It has been estimated that approximately 10 million people visit health posts for treatment every year.

The government has planned to spend about Rs 940 million for providing free health services.

The total sum comprises Rs 250 million collected from Health Ministry and about Rs 690 million from Health Care Department.

According to the Ministry, 32 different kinds of medicines will be provided all around the year in health posts and 22 types of medicines in sub-health posts.

In addition, the people will not need to pay the registration charge in health institutions.

Even pregnancy test and maternity services along with stitching and dressing will be provided for free from Tuesday.

Posted on: 2008-01-14 05:30:12 (Server Time)

January 17, 2008 7:40 PM

US-Nepal Affairs

Dear Friends,

Welcome to US-Nepal Affairs blog. The main purpose of this blog is to share and discuss the economic, social and political affairs between the US and Nepal. We also hope that this blog would help both profit, government and non-profit organizations, journalists, and general citizens who care about the improved US Nepal relations both in economic and political fronts.

Thank you!

Ramu Bishwakarma
Babita Shrestha