The Ministry of Education has appealed to all the stakeholders, including political parties, civil society and non-governmental organisations, to help implement free and compulsory school education .

Speaking at a programme organised by the Department of Education (DoE) and Unicef on Sunday, Education Minister Dina Nath Sharma and Secretary Suresh Man Shrestha underlined the need for strong commitment from all the stakeholders to achieve the Millennium Development Goal ( MDG ) for education by 2015.

Although the Interim Constitution has enlisted right to education as a fundamental right and the government invested a large amount of budget in education , a significant number of children are still out of school and the dropout rate is alarmingly high. Data from the DoE show 5.1 percent school-age children are out of school and over 70 percent students drop out before appearing for the SLC examinations.

"The government is committed to providing a free and compulsory education and is asking all the stakeholders to join hands to make this happen," said Sharma. The government has been spending 16.6 percent of its budget through the ministry, while the total investment in the education sector, including from other ministries, crosses 19 percent.

Stating that the investment has not brought about expected results, Secretary Shrestha highlighted the need for monitoring and supervision to make sure the investment is properly utilised. "Political interference, tussle for electing school management committee members and unequal distribution of resources should be addressed at the earliest," he said. Speaking at the event, Unicef Deputy Representative Will Parks insisted on a strong partnership among stakeholders to achieve targeted goals in the academic sector.

A recent monitoring by former lawmakers found that many schools were not receiving adequate resources. According to the report, many schools lack a child friendly environment, proper sanitation and face scholarships misuse and absenteeism.

source: The Kathmandu Post,15 Oct 2012