Finland supports Nepal’s education sector by EUR 20 million
A major proportion of the support is directed for the development of the quality of education and for reducing inequality.
In 2016–2020, Finland supports general education in Nepal by allocating EUR 20 million to the School Sector Development Plan (SSDP). Finland’s Ambassador to Nepal, Jorma Suvanto, and the Ministry of Finance of Nepal signed an agreement on the support in July. The granted support is a part of the Country Strategy for Development Cooperation in Nepal.
Of the support, 40 per cent will be allocated to help achieve results (Disbursement-Linked Indicators, DLIs) in which progress is measured by two DLIs: assessment and examination system and reducing disparities in access to education, participation and learning outcomes. The remaining 60 per cent of the support will be targeted to the promotion of the SSDP as a whole.
Finland has selected these DLIs above all in order to be able to monitor the quality and equity of education, which have consistently been emphasised in Finland’s cooperation with Nepal also earlier.
Finland supports the education sector also by providing technical assistance to the Ministry of Education of Nepal, which means provision of advice and/or expertise needed in the development of curricula, textbooks and teaching materials. Additionally, the Finnish National Agency for Education offers peer support to the Nepalese Ministry of Education.
Finland has supported Nepal’s education sector as part of its development cooperation since 1999. Access to basic education in Nepal in 2009–2016 increased from 73 per cent to 89 per cent. Preschool enrolment has also become more common: two out of three first graders attend preschool now compared to one out of three in 2009. In 2016, almost 70 per cent of pupils in basic education completed their studies, which was 9 percentage points more than in 2013.
Education is the second of Finland’s three main targets of support in Nepal.