Kathmandu, March 26
Nepal will receive USD 120 million from the World Bank to support the implementation of the government’s flagship School Education Sector Programme.
Issuing a statement, the World Bank bank says it wants to finance the programme as it builds on Nepal’s previous school education sector programmes and will put a greater focus on quality learning by establishing a teacher mentoring system at the local government level and ensuring a full complement of subject teachers (English, maths, and science) at upper-basic and secondary levels.
“Investing in quality education is key to developing human capital which goes to the heart of ensuring greater equity and economic growth,” said Faris Hadad-Zervos, World Bank country director for Maldives, Nepal, and Sri Lanka. “This operation supports the Government of Nepal’s vision to enhance the quality of and equitable access to education to fulfil the ambitions of the new federal state.”
The operation also focuses on improving foundational skills by implementing the national integrated curriculum in early grades.
To address the learning losses as a result of school closures due to Covid and other disasters, the operation supports the government’s programme through the development and implementation of the Recovery and Accelerated Learning Plan, the construction of green and resilient classrooms, and strengthening digital teaching and learning materials.
“School closures had the largest impact on students of lower socioeconomic backgrounds and deprived communities, as they have even more limited access to teachers and remote learning opportunities,” stated Karthika Radhakrishnan, World Bank’s program task team leader. “This new operation supports the implementation of the Recovery and Accelerated Learning Plan and supports children from poorer socio-economic backgrounds through targeted scholarships.”
