Learning throughout life Quality education in Nepal

Abstract

In Nepal many girls are denied of their right to education, let alone quality education. The Rural Health and Education Service Trust (RHEST) is a small NGO and is one of the many educational interventions in Nepal. By providing education for girls, the NGO RHEST tries to improve woman capabilities. RHEST provide scholarships to girls especially from low caste households. Education can help to prevent girls from becoming victims of human trafficking. In Nepal besides improving access to education it is increasingly important also to consider the quality of education. Therefore in this research an insight will be given on the supply part of education. Quality education is discussed by three environments: the home/community environment, the school environment and the policy environment. Moreover in this research an insight is given to what extend RHEST helps in improving quality education by influencing the three quality environments. Foremost outcomes of this research are that the government lacks capacity to fulfill the MDG- and Education for All goals. Because of poverty, parental support for their children is constraint. However parent’s involvement in school does not necessarily lead to less failure of class. RHEST fills in this ‘capacity gap’ by motivating students and parents to get education and provides materials and support for parents and schools. Quality education is lacking because the high class size seems to be correlated with mismanagement and there are scarcely trained teachers. The teacher is still more a ‘provider of knowledge’ than a ‘facilitator of knowledge’ and the content of education is not responsive enough to emerging issues such as labour exploitation and the importance of ‘safe migration.’ These issues can be cited more by RHEST, for example in their Interaction Awareness Program.