Tuesday, February 8, 2011

MoE to trim unyielding school enrollment drive

With the nationwide School Enrollment Campaign not bearing the expected fruit, the Ministry of Education (MoE) is planning to confine the drive to selected areas from new academic year.Launched in 2003 across the country to meet the MDGs’ school enrollment target, the campaign has not been faring well. In view of this, MoE is mulling to launch is only in some districts and communities from this year.

Nepal should achieve the the MDG target of 100 percent Net Enrollment Rate (NER) in primary education within the next four years, which was short by 36 percent in 1999. Against the growth rate of student enrollment of more than three percent (to meet the target), Nepal’s at present is making only around two. By 2010, NER should reach 96 percent, but it hovered at just 93.

According to officials, MoE is working to launch the campaign only in those districts and communities where NER is lower than the national average. “We are presently in consultation process. The modality and those areas will be declared soon,” said MoE Joint-Spokesman Lekhnath Poudel. MoE is also planning a new programme with the regular programme not proving effective to enroll the remaining the six percent children.
The education campaign was initiated under Education for All (EFA) programme. Though the three-week long programme, in its initial phase, attracted children, it failed to encourage marginalised communities into sending their children to schools.

Earlier, the Department of Education (DoE) had directed District Education Offices of 21 districts having low NER rate to tell why school enrollment was low.

According to DoE Director General Lav Dev Awasthi, some pocket areas will be selected targeting the particular community. “The programme will be designed based on the requirements of each community,” Awasthi said.

source:The Kathmandu Post



Followers