Edited by:
Sumnima Tuladhar Abinash Rai

Published by:
CWIN National Resource Centre on Child Rights and Children in Conflict


CWIN-Nepal
in partnership with
Plan-Nepal

P.O.Box. No. 4374
Rabibhawan, Kathmandu
Email: cwininfo@mos.com.np
URL: www.cwin.org.np

Shortages of school textbooks [TOP]

Shortages of school textbooks are not a recent phenomenon in Nepal. The Janak Education Materials Center, (an authorised center to publish school text books) has attributed the latest fiasco to the failure to procure printing paper in time. Every year, schools located in the far-flung areas do not get textbooks till the end of the academic session. District education officials and Sajha Publications who are responsible for supplying textbooks to students of government schools have been selling their stock to local shopkeepers. And the Janak Education Materials Center has been publishing textbooks at its convenience. Yet successive governments have failed to take action against the government officials and the authorities responsible for delay in publishing, revising the contents and distributing textbooks. In fact, the Janak Education Materials Center has not been paying attention to the academic calendar to ensure that textbooks are published on time. As a result, thousands of students have had to suffer from its lackadaisical approach. Besides, haphazard revisions, delays in distribution and factual errors have also affected the standard of education.

It is very unfortunate that students have to attend school without textbooks. Students of Grade III, IX and X across the country will have to attend schools without textbooks. This year, students of Grade IX alone require 1.8 million textbooks. In total, 3.5 million textbooks should have been published before the start of the new academic session. The Janak Education Materials Center has not even published half of the required quantity. Now the center has pointed to a shortage of printing paper, power outages, printing of ballot papers for the Constituent Assembly polls and labour disputes as the factors for the delay. Why has the Janak Education Materials Center come up with this excuse a month after the new academic session has started? The government has never taken school education seriously. Rather, it has been playing with the future of innocent students. The political parties in the government have time and again extended their commitment to improve school education system. But they have failed to raise the issue of the acute shortage of textbooks.

Tired by the long wait, school students had to come out on the roads to denounce government's lack of responsibility. Their right to education is also hindered by lack of text books. According to Honorable member of National Human Rights Commission, Mr. Gauri Pradhan, education in Nepal is dependent upon textbooks because there is no development of teaching methods based on curriculum. The conventional teaching method of reciting text books still prevails in Nepal. Unless the curriculum is not made practicable, there remains a danger of educational system being completely closed due to lack of textbooks. Therefore, to make education a base for New Nepal, educational system should be restructured from the bottom and managed properly.

Handing over Child Protection Policy to CCWB [TOP]

CWIN-Nepal organized a program to hand over Child Protection Policy to Central Child Welfare Board (CCWB) on May 9, 2008 in Kathmandu. The National Child Protection Policy prepared by CWIN after consultative workshops with different stakeholders (GOs, INGOs and NGOs) and with children was handed over to the Director of CCWB, Mr. Dharma Shrestha amidst 45 social workers and journalists from various organizations and newspaper agencies. In the program Tarak Dhital briefed about the issues incorporated in the National Child Protection Policy. Mr. Shrestha from CCWB appreciated CWIN's efforts and said that it will help CCWB in formulation of National Child Protection Policy in Nepal.

Training on Child protection and child participation to NGOs in Morang, Sunsari and Makwanpur [TOP]

CWIN-Nepal organized training on Child protection and child participation in Morang, Sunsari and Makwanpur districts for local NGOs. The main objectives of the training were: to bring awareness on child rights, child protection and child participation; and on international conventions and National policy on child rights. Similalry, the training aimed to make aware the NGOs working for child protection of their roles to upgrade their capacities to promote child protection and participation. The three day training was given to partner organizations of Plan-Nepal and other organizations working on children's issues.

Altogether 64 people (30 male and 34 female) from different organizations like RSDC, DCWB, Seto Gurans, FOREN, Prayash Nepal, CWCDS, CS Nepal, Plan Nepal, Nari Bikash Sangh, Siksha Sunsari, Bal Samaj Nepal, Help Nepal-Morang, UPCA-Dharan, CWIN-BRT, CWS, Hoste Haisen Smuha, Gramin Mahila Sachetna Kendra, Upechhit Samudahik Manch were given the training.

Sharing program and agreement for "Child Welfare Protection Fund" in Dang, Pyuthan and Rolpa [TOP]

CWIN-Nepal in coordination with three different transportation entrepreneurs organized a sharing program and agreement for "Child Welfare Protection Fund" in Dang, Pyuthan and Rolpa with the people of different transportation entrepreneurs and local stakeholders. The main objective of the program was to share the objective of the program and sign the agreement with three different transportation entrepreneurs i.e. Swargadwari Public Transportation Entrepreneurs Committee-Pyuthan, Jaljala Transportation Entrepreneurs Committee-Rolpa and Rapti Zone Public Transportation Entrepreneurs Committee-Dang. Various entrepreneurs and local stakeholders (CDO, DSP, NGOs, mother's group and journalist) took part in the programme.

Child Welfare Protection Fund is the collaborative initiative between corporate sector (Public Bus Entrepreneurs) and CWIN-Nepal for the protection of children at risk by generating and mobilizing the resources at the local level so that protection measures for children could be launched. It is agreed that the above entrepreneurs will create a fund by collecting Re. 1.00 per passenger using their bus service. A fund mobilization committee between CWIN and entrepreneurs will be formed which will be responsible for its best utilization. The collected fund will be utilized for the protection of children at risk. An advisory board which will be formed in near future is supposed to support the fund mobilization committee as per need. The utilization of fund will be monitored jointly by the Fund mobilization committee and Advisory board.

In the program three different agreements were signed between CWIN and three different transportation entrepreneurs to start the Child Welfare Protection Fund in very near future. The stakeholders were very positive towards the initiative and have committed to support for its effective implementation. To take forward the good beginning, CWIN-Nepal plans to organize such initiatives with other entrepreneurs running public bus services in different parts of the country.

Child protection policy coming [TOP]

Central Child Welfare Board (CCWB) has prepared a National Child Protection Policy. Executive director of the CCWB, Dharma Raj Shrestha said "We have completed the policy and will bring it into wider discussion within a month and then send it to the cabinet." He was speaking at a program organized to hand over the draft policy on child protection, prepared by CWIN. However he did not mention what have been incorporated in the policy. According to him the board has already prepared the policy so it would not be possible to incorporate all aspects recommended by CWIN. Similarly, he said the perspective of NGOs and the government would not be the same as the government is an accountable body and needs to be politically correct.

"We will not include any controversial issues," he added. Speaking at the program, Sumnima Tuladhar said, protecting children means keeping them safe from physical, psychological and social harassment and exploitation. She said children face violence even within the family.

"Therefore the policy should ensure that every child lives a life of dignity and is protected from all kinds of abuse and exploitation," she said. Similarly, there are several other issues like tackling, bullying and corporal punishment in schools, she said. Dharma Raj Shrestha also said CCWB has also completed the board's Strategic Work Plan and National policy. However, he said it would take some time to bring a policy to regulate childcare homes. "There are several impractical aspects in the draft to regulate childcare homes, which need to be rewritten," he added.

Source: The Kathmandu Post, May 10, 2008

Toy gun turns lethal for boy [TOP]

Sometimes even toy guns children play with prove to be lethal as the real one, as one tragic little incident has shown. Bikash Shahi, 15, of Narayan Municipality in far-western Dailekh district accidentally shot himself dead on May 3, 2008 with the toy gun he was playing with.
According to reports, the incident occurred as the boy filled the gun with explosives of match sticks in the hollow part of an umbrella stick and tried it on him. The resultant shot pierced his forehead and the boy died on the spot.

Source: Nepalnews.com, May 5, 2008

Children becoming aware of their rights [TOP]

Nepali children are gradually becoming aware of their rights united through various organizations. According to a report on 'Status of Nepali Children', prepared by the Central Child Welfare Committee, there are more than 8,847 associations including child clubs where children are leaders. Some 228,000 children are involved in such organizations where 130,797 are boys and 98,000 girls. There child clubs have incessantly been advocating child rights and child welfare. Even the leadership is developed in the children while working in groups and organizations. Various national and international organizations working in the sectors related to children have paid special attention to promote child participation.

Source: The Rising Nepal, May 6, 2008

Some 290 conflict hit children return homes [TOP]

Some 290 children of western Nepal who were displaced during the conflict period have returned homes and joined their families. Joint Secretary at the Ministry of Women, Children and Social Welfare, Rituraj Bhandari said the children from 18 districts who were kept at different children's homes for rehabilitation by the Ministry during conflict period have been sent back to their homes or kept in contact with their relatives since the last one year. According to Bhandari, arrangements have been made for handing over Rs. 1,000/- to children who have been sent to their relatives at their home. The displaced children were kept at the children's homes operated in west Nepal by the different non-governmental organizations since the last four years. Joint Secretary Bhandari said the children have been kept with their relatives for rehabilitating them in society and their relatives. Children from Dang, Salyan, Rolpa, Pyuthan, Kailali and Bardiya, among other districts of west Nepal, were affected the most during the armed conflict period.

Source: The Rising Nepal, May 7, 2008

Dalit student resticated on not paying admission fee [TOP]

One dalit student of Saptari district has been resticated from school on not able to pay school admission fee. There is free education facility till secondary level provided by government for dalit students but children have gone to do labour work after being resticated. The family of Bochahi tole, Odraha VDC-2, don't have money to pay in school for their children. The administration of Nanda Higher Secondary School has resticated them and has told them not to come to school till admission fee is paid. The school has asked all the students to pay Rs. 250.00 for admission. Dalit students have gone to Bhagalpur, Udayapur district for ploughing maize since their parents were unable to pay that amount. The District Education Office has been sending money (Rs. 500 per student) for all dalit students from class 6 - class 10 every year. But Nanda Higher Secondary School has asked dalit students for money and is resticating those who don't pay. The father of a boy Hari Narayan, who was not able to go to class 8 after passing class 7, said "It is very difficult to feed my children. How I can I spend money for education? I paid for his education with all my effort but now I cannot". He had a wish to provide him education till class 10 (SLC) but due to the school administration his dream has been shattered. Like Hari Narayan, dozens of other students have left going to school because of not able to pay the admission fee.

Source: Naya Patrika, May 11, 2008

Badis keep kids off schools [TOP]

No matter what programs the government introduce to lure more kids to schools, they have failed to attract the Badi children of Namuna Basti village of the school. None of the kids from the entire community has ever seen a school. Badi community members do not have land of their own and therefore live miserable life. In the face of severe poverty, guardians have no choice but to engage their kids in work for a livelihood. Most of the people from the community work as porters in the district headquarters and they have little time to think about the education of their children. Narottam Badi, a father of five kids, said survival comes ahead of education and the government's announcement for free education up to Grade X is meaningless for him. Ganesh Badi (12 years), who works as a helper at a grocery shop in Dailekh's Ganeshsthan, said although he has wanted, he had never seen a school. He said he could not fulfil his dream of becoming a student due to his family's poor financial condition. He said he had to work at the shop continuously from 4:00 am till 9:00pm everyday. "Were I born to a richer family, I would have never needed to toil for survival," he laments. District Education Officer Ganesh Khatri said the office was working hard to draw more kids to school. However, he said his office had no exact data on the number of children from Badi community working as labourers. Fifty children of 25 households ware working as child labourers and none of them have even seen a school, said Narjit Badi (55).

Source: The Himalayan Times, May 13, 2008

Schools shut for Yarcha picking [TOP]

Four dozen schools in the hilly areas of far western district have been shut down for the past two weeks. But students, teachers and also the parents are not disappointed. Rather, they are upbeat hoping to amass large quantity of Yarchagumba (Cordyceps Sinensis), an aphrodisiac herb, this season as they could earn a good amount of money by selling it. Three higher secondary, seven secondary, 13 lower secondary ones and 20 primary schools in the northern part of Bajhang district are literally closed since two weeks after all the students and teachers already left for collecting the rare herb. "We always close down schools from early April for over four months for the purpose" said Bhakta Bahadur Bal, a teacher of Nyana Primary School, Dhuli, who is planning to go on a visit to India this season due to his ill-health condition. "If my health condition was okay, I would definitely go for the money-minting work," he said, revealing that he had earned over 70,000.00 rupees selling the Yarchagumba last year. "First, there are no textbooks," said Ramesh Bista of Durga Bhawani Higher Secondary School, adding, "And as students and teachers can earn money that is enough to make the ends meet for a whole year, there is no question of anyone not jumping into the bandwagon." Although District Education Office has been urging parents and guardians not to send their wards for Yarcha collection, the parents are turning deaf ear to it. "It's not our will but a compulsion as children too can help a good deal in earning through this," said a local.

Source: The Kathmandu Post, May 15, 2008

Minors in illegal detention [TOP]

Due to lack of a child reform center in Banke district, three children have been imprisoned at district prison for the last four months. To make matters worse, those school going children are deprived of education. "The jail administration did not take us to the reform center. And we missed the examination," said eight grader Khum Bahadur Gharti of 14 years. Gharti along with Bir Bahadur Rana and Lok Bahadur Rana were arrested four months ago after they allegedly gang raped a minor. As per the existing legal provision, a child under the age of 18 should not be kept in the prison. However, the children are kept in the prison illegally due to lack of reform centers in most of the districts in the country. "We are compelled to confine them in prison," said Khadga Bahadur Gosain, the chief at Nepalgunj prison. He said the center paid no heed despite frequent requests over the matter. He claimed that the jail administration had moved court to send such children to a reform center immediately. "However, the court tells us to keep them in the prison until the final verdict," he added.

Source: The Kathmandu Post, May 16, 2008

Government schools shut down due to lack of textbooks [TOP]

The Ministry of Education and Sports has decided to close down government and community schools from Tuesday (May 27) till June 10. The decision was prompted by the lack of textbooks in the market. The Ministry has said that classes will resume after the textbooks are made available in all the districts within two weeks. The Ministry has informed that Janak Educational Materials Center could not print the textbooks on time as it had to print ballot papers for the Constituent Assembly election. The decision to close schools has come after students, and parents resorted to vandalism and protests in several districts demanding textbooks.

Source: Kantipur Daily, May 27, 2008

Education in Nepal [TOP]

• According to Population Census National report of 2001, Nepal's national literacy rate is 54 percent.
  
• Male literacy rate is 65.5 whereas female literacy rate is 42.5 percent only.
  
• Among 100 Nepalese children, 87 children are enrolled in school. But among them only 58 children complete primary level education.
  
• Among 100 children, in comparison to 86 boys only 74 girls are enrolled in school.
  
• In 1998, the rate of children dropping out was 19.2 percent whereas in 2000 the rate of children dropping out has decreased to 14.5 percent.
  
• The enrolment rate of children in primary level has reached to 87.4 percent.
  
• There are altogether 37,566 government and private schools.
  
• The enrolment rate in Lower Secondary school is 58 percent and in Secondary school is only 37 percent.
  
• The teacher student ratio in Terai and valley is 1:50 students; in hilly regions the ratio is 1:45 and in mountainous regions the ratio is 1:40 students.
  
• According to Nepal Population and health survey 2063, the literacy rate above 6 years is 63 percent (male 77% and female 51%) and the literacy rate above 15 years is 52 percent (male 69% and female 38%).
  
• In Nepal the number of school going aged children from 6 years to 15 years is almost 41 lakhs.
  
• The accessibility of Dalit children in primary level is 40 percent and in secondary level is 30 percent only. Only 10 percent children with disabilities are literate.

Source: Situational report, Basic and primary education program II, Nepal government, Ministry of Education and sport/ UNESCO Nepal/ CWIN/ ILO/ National Federation of th Disabled-Nepal/ CBS/ Global Campaign for Education, July 2006