Department of Education is going to launch special enrolment and retention programmes in various districts across the country in the new academic session to bring new students to schools.

A special enrollment programme will be launched in eight districts of Tarai region where the enrolment rate is very low. Likewise, the DoE is going to begin ‘Students welcome and retention programme’ in 27 districts where the net enrolment rate is 87.5 per cent.

Tek Narayan Panday, Director at the DoE, said the eight districts in Tarai – Siraha, Sarlahi, Bara, Rautahat, Mahottari, Dhanusa, Kapilvastu and Rupendehi – have abysmal enrolment rate, therefore, they had focused on these districts.

According to DoE, a total of 694,782 students of primary level age were out of school in these districts. It has also prepared a new directive to try to bring children to schools. Panday said, “Besides continuing with the last year’s programme, this year we are also going to introduce some new programmes to promote enrolment, retention/continuity and achievement rate of students.” The DoE is also going to launch a special retention campaign in 27 districts including Kathmandu.

source: The Himalayan Times, 5 march 2013