WUNRN
NEPAL - THE CHALLENGE OF KEEPING
GIRLS IN SCHOOL
Poor,
marginalised, illiterate girls and women in Nepal have little access to
resources and opportunities. Cultural and socioeconomic barriers to female
education must be tackled to change this
Nepalese girls
give a Maoist salute during celebrations. Photograph: Desmond Boylan/Reuters
September 16, 2011
- Nestled between the Asian economic giants
At the other end of the spectrum,
power and money is largely concentrated in the hands of the Brahmin caste,
including most senior politicians and the new Maoist prime minister, Baburam
Bhattarai.
Since the abdication of the king
in 2006 and the end of the decade-long civil war, the political situation has
been in a state of turmoil. No party secured a majority in the 2008 general
elections, although the Maoists secured the largest number of seats. Since
then, successive short-lived governments have failed to resolve fundamental
issues, such as how to devolve power to a local level, disarming the Maoists
ex-combatants, and writing a new constitution.
The caretaker education minister
and many of the parliamentarians who I met during my VSO placement last month,
admit that education does not get the attention it deserves. Resolving the
country's political problems overshadows other priorities. Moreover, many
politicians send their children to private schools in the capital, and the
Kathmandu-based political elite rarely visit their constituencies.
This is compounded by an absence
of elected local government, which has led to the politicisation of schools.
Whereas school governors in the
Local education officials
therefore spend most of their time firefighting political problems. As a
result, the capacity to implement change and drive up standards is poor.
Teacher management is weak and teacher recruitment is often political. A
previous education minister was sacked for taking backhanders for appointing
temporary teachers.
However, there are some flickers
of light. Despite the political instability, recent progress has been made in
enrolling children in primary education in
Keeping girls in school beyond
puberty is nevertheless a major challenge. As the mothers' committee of a
primary school in the Rupandehi district of Nepal's flatlands told me, girls'
education is not a priority for many families. Their daughters are often needed
to work in the fields and at home. Many are married at an early age. At the same
school, I met two thirteen-year-old married schoolgirls. I doubt that they will
ever see the inside of a secondary school classroom.
Child
marriage is not the only problem. Chaupadi – a practice in which girls face restrictions during
menstruation – is widespread, even in
The power to drive through these
changes at a local level requires a stable central government, effective local
administration and politicians willing and able to prioritise education.
Agreements on the country's new
constitution, its political system and disarming Maoist ex-combatants must be
urgently concluded. Only then can a stable Nepalese government emerge. A government
capable of implementing change and driving improvements.
Poor, marginalised, illiterate
girls and women have little access to resources and opportunities. Breaking the
current political deadlock is the key to unlocking a better future for them. And
for a better, more prosperous