WASHINGTON – The World Bank approved $120 million in financing to support the implementation of the Government of Nepal’s flagship School Education Sector Program.
The World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors today
approved $120 million in financing to support the implementation of the Government of Nepal’s flagship School
Education Sector Program.
The School
Sector Transformation Program operation builds on the Government of Nepal’s
previous school education sector programs and puts 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, Math, 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 quality of and
equitable access to education to fulfill the ambitions of the new federal
state.”
The operation
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-19 and other disasters, the operation
supports the government’s program through the development and implementation of
the Recovery and Accelerated Learning Plan, construction of green and resilient
classrooms, and strengthening digital teaching and learning materials. The operation
also supports improving the equity of the school sector by including girls,
disabled students, and those of lower socio-economic status, and by expanding targeted
scholarships to students in grades 6-8 (upper-basic level) to help
disadvantaged students.
“School closures had the largest impact on students of lower
socio-economic 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.”