Two years ago, Barsha, a 12-year-old girl living in the Pipara municipality of Nepal’s Mahottari district, was not going to school.
Barsha belongs to the Dalit community, historically classified as one of the lowest in Nepal’s caste system. Many Nepali children have gained access to education over the years, through the efforts of the government and development partners, including the Global Partnership for Education (GPE). Yet, learners from marginalized groups have not benefitted from these gains.
In Barsha’s community, it was common for girls not to enrol in school at all or to drop out after completing primary education. In many cases, this was due to arranged marriages that often take place well before the current legal minimum age of 20.
Barsha’s parents, neither of whom were able to go to school, felt they could not afford to give her an education. Although public education in Nepal is free, families do need to cover transport and other costs. Barsha’s attendance at school would also mean she was no longer able to help with household chores.
“We thought, ‘Who will look after the children and the goats?’ We needed our daughter to stay home and help with the work around the house”
- Barsha’s mother
Convincing families to send girls to catch-up classes
Barriers to Barsha’s schooling began to look a lot less formidable when Mahara, an outreach officer from the Girls' Access to School (GATE) programme convinced Barsha’s parents to allow her to join a non-formal catch-up class. In these classes, Barsha and 24 other unschooled girls between the ages of 10 and 14 would meet two hours a day, six days a week for nine months. Barsha was thrilled on hearing the news, and especially excited about having access to schoolbooks.
Using an adapted curriculum and teaching methods, the girls attending these classes are brought up to an age-appropriate level of education before they continue their learning in a regular school. The classes are part of the GATE programme, which is jointly funded by UNICEF and the Nepalese government.
Over the past two years, the GATE programme has facilitated the enrolment or re-enrolment of over 10,000 out-of-school girls whose level of education significantly lagged behind that of their peers, meaning they could not join schools through the regular enrolment process.
The programme collaborates with the girls’ parents and surrounding schools to ensure that those who complete it are supported in their transition to formal education. This has resulted in over 85% of the participants completing their basic education, despite their challenging circumstances.
Nepal acts to improve equity in education
The GATE programme was launched to allow assessment and comparison of disparities in education outcomes across Nepal and, based on this, to develop targeted interventions that respond to identified needs to reduce these disparities.
Accordingly, an Equity Index was adopted by the government to allow comparison of districts and municipalities based on their disparities in access, participation and learning.
The districts identified through the Equity Index ranking as having the highest disparities were provided with additional resources, including government financing and interventions.
How the Equity Index works
The Equity Index draws on data from Nepal’s Education Management Information System (EMIS) as well as on household survey data. The index was developed by the government with support from the Data Must Speak Initiative. The initiative is funded by GPE and implemented by UNICEF in Nepal, Madagascar, the Philippines, Togo and Zambia.
The Equity Index allows education planners to understand the nature of barriers to access, participation and learning and compare the severity of these across communities. Looking at disparities often masked by averages in Nepal’s education sector ensures targeted interventions that reach those most in need.
In just a few short years, the Equity Index has generated impressive progress. In 2019, independent verification confirmed a 60% reduction in out-of-school children, since the 2016 introduction of the Equity Index within 15 targeted districts.
A chance to improve the odds of disadvantaged children
Through the GATE programme, Barsha had the opportunity to learn Nepali, English, math, social studies and science. She attended every day and took her studies seriously. While most girls who complete the programme transition to class two or three in formal education, Barsha did well enough to be enrolled in class five.
The programme has helped Barsha step away from a life that offered her few opportunities toward one where she has more ways to set her own path. Her dream is to become a teacher in the same school where she studies now, and she is adamant that she will not marry before the age of 20.
