In the context of International Rural Women Day 15 Oct 2023
Women Empowerment in Nepal Through
Equal Access of Girls and Women to Education 

Professor Dr. Uttam K. Karmacharya
Resource person for equal access of girls and women to education LRC/ACCU Tokyo Japan

Rationale for Girls’ and Women’s Education
Gender inequality in education is extreme. Girls are less likely to access school, to remain in school or to achieve in education. Education helps men and women claim their rights and realize their potential in the economic, political and social arenas. It is also the single most powerful way to lift people out of poverty. Education plays a particularly important role as a foundation for girls’ development towards adult life. It should be an intrinsic part of any strategy
to address the gender-based discrimination against women and girls that remains prevalent in many societies.
The following links will further explain the necessity of girls’/women’s education.
1. Education is a right
2. Cultural changes
3. Better health and awareness
4. Poverty reduction

1. Education is right
Everybody has the right to education, which has been recognized since the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) in 1948. The right to free and compulsory primary education without discrimination and of good quality, has been reaffirmed in all major international human rights conventions. Many of these same instruments encourage, but do not guarantee, post primary education. These rights have been further elaborated to address issues like quality and equity, moving forward the issue of what the right to Education means, and exploring how it can be achieved. As a minimum: states must ensure that basic education is available, accessible, acceptable and adaptable for all.(4A Scheme) the right of girls to education is one of the most critical of all rights- because education plays an important role in enabling girls and women to secure other rights.
2. Cultural changes
Cultural and traditional values stand between girls and their prospects for education. The achievement of girls’ right to education can address some of societies deeply rooted inequalities, which condemn millions of girls to a life without quality education-and therefore, also all too often to life of missed opportunities improving educational opportunities for girls and women helps them to develop skills that allow them to make decisions and influence community change in key areas. One reason for denying girls and women their right to an education is rarely articulated by those in charge: that is their fear of the power that girls will have through education. There is still some resistance to the idea that girls and women can be trusted with education. Education is also seen in some societies as a fear of change and now with globalization, the fear becomes even grater-fear to lose the cultural identity, fear of moving towards the unknown or the unwanted, and fear of dissolving in the many others.
3. Better health
Basic education proves girls and women with an understanding of basic health nutrition and family planning, giving those choices and the power to decide over their own lives and bodies. Women’s education leads directly to better reproductive health, improved family health, economic growth, for the family and for society, as well as lower rates of child mortality and malnutrition. It is also key the fight against the spread of HIV & AIDS.
4. Poverty reduction
Educating girls and women is an important step in overcoming poverty. Inequality and poverty is not inevitable. “The focus on poverty reduction enables the right to education to be a powerful tool in making a change in the lives of girls and women. Poverty has been universally affirmed as a key obstacle to the enjoyment of human rights, including the right to education, which disproportionately affect girl and women various grounds of discrimination combine trapping girls in vicious downward circle of denied rights.
Denial of the right to education leads to exclusion from the labor market and marginalization into the informal sector or unpaid work.
5. Emerging status of female education
Since fifty percent of the Nepalese population constitutes women, any endeavor without the participation of women will be an incomplete affair. So, until the active participation of half of the population is obtained, nothing substantial can be gained. Owing to illiteracy and traditional social conventions and customs, a majority of women
population have yet to enter into the main stream of development process in big way. 
Since 1970 which is also called the era of Women’s Education, the government has been giving special attention to this significant segment of the population. The promotion of female education has become the top priority in every governmental and non-governmental cell and sector of education. The opportunities for education through different possible alternative and innovative approach and media, and assistances in family care is some of the fields where women have been given special attention in consonance with the plans and policies of the Seventh plan.1985-90. For the purpose of balancing the participation of women in the national development work, it is our foremost duty to enlist women in all the activities relating to national development.
The participation of the maximum number of women in our development efforts certainly, helps to speed up the pace and to lead to a more equitable distribution of the benefits which can contribute to making lives of the people better and more fulfilling as envisaged in our “Basic Need Programs”.
Thus, for rising the status of women it is essential to frame out objective-oriented strategies and programs based on past experience and on new developments. But the main thrust should be on providing a sound framework. The need is there for chalking out a program and plan of action which is more suited for women of Nepal in our cultural and economic context.
6. Objective of education for girls and women
A) National level
1. Universalizing of primary education by the year 2015
2. Contribution to the national development process by all men and women.
3. Increment of girls and women’s participation in education generally.
4. Raising the social status of girls and women.
5. Raising the literacy rate of women.
B) Local community level
1. Strong participation of women in all community development activities especially literacy programs.
2. Change of altitudes and beliefs towards female education.
3. Consciousness of the benefits of female education.
4. Increment of girls’ enrolment at school level.
5. Betterment of the overall family living conditions.
c) Individual level
Development of positive self-image and self concept.
7. Strategies to improve the status of female education
A) Formal education system Access
1. Provision of free education up for all children, especially for girls of remote areas up to secondary level.
2. Increment of the number of primary schools.
3. Competition between schools regarding girls’ enrolment.
B) Infrastructure
Upgrading of the primary school teachers in quantitative and qualitative terns. Priority to female primary teachers in employment.
Provision of hostel facilities for girls.
Relevance
1. Start revising the existing School curriculum.2. Integration of the school activities
and community development.
c) Literacy
1. Implementation of functional literacy programs especially for women.
2. Organization of morning classes for out of school girls (Cheli-beti) or children (Shikshya Sadan) which combine literacy and health activities.
C) Non-formal skill development
1. Provision of skill training courses for rural women.
D) Advocacy
1. Awareness rising towards the national and individual need of female education by
use of printed, audio and audio visual as advocacy materials.
2. Creation of field for informal learning by encouragement of the female primary
teachers to work actively as a change agent in their villages.
8. Some passed major efforts of governmental and nongovernmental programs and activities:
Since the adoption of 1975 as the international women’s year, numerous activities have been introduced towards promoting girls’ and Women’s Education. The following major programs can be stated in this category in a nutshell.
1. Free textbooks for girls: To encourage parents to send their girls to school for longer duration the government of Nepal has provided free textbooks to female students of the districts.
2. Ratna Vidya Medal: Female students who have secured the highest positions in the school leaving certificate examination are decorated with this medal which carries a scholarship also.
3. Aishworya Vidya Media: Queen Aishworya has instituted Aishworya Vidya Media which is awarded to the female students who secured the highest position in the certificate examination of all faculties.
4. Preferences for Women in Primary School Teaching: The Government has adopted a policy of giving preference to girls and women in the appointment of teachers in primary schools.
5. School Award Program: Since 1976/77 the Ministry of Education and Culture has been awarded annual cash prizes to schools that enroll the largest number of female students in 18 remote districts. In addition to it, the Ministry of Education Women’s Education Project in collaboration with the national population commission awards
cash prizes of Rs. 6000/- (first prize) and Rs. 4000/- (second prize) to the schools in four zones that enroll the highest number of female students in every two years on a rotation basis, effective from 1982/83
6. School Scholarship programme: A school scholarship programme has been implemented with the assistance of National Population Commission for the indigent people for the remote and educationally backward districts.
7. Child care center: In has been found that having younger siblings at home are one of
the obstacles for schools age girls to attend school. In certain rural areas, there is a
particular project launched by UNICEF where there are child care centers also.
8. Adult Education Programme: Illiteracy has been a major bottleneck in educating children. Rural people are less literate than the urban people. So, the Adult Education Section, Women’s Education Project, Education for Rural Development Projects, etc
of the MOE and other governmental agencies and non-governmental agencies like Nepal Women’s Organization, Agricultural Development Bank etc. are implementing literacy programmes in order to eradicate illiteracy from the country.
9. Education Programme for Rural Development (Seti Project): The Seti Project has implemented various innovative programmes in Seti Zone Chelibety programme (out – of school girls programme) is one of the programmes. This programme has facilitated increasing the participation of girls in education that is out of school.
In conclusion we must give priority to five steps to improving equal access of girls and women education. They are:
1. Provide a strong foundation through early childhood development.
2. Manage strong focus on basic education.
3. Educate with job relevant skills to lunch own business.
4. Create conducive environment that encourages in knowledge and creativity.
5. Promote flexible, efficient and secure labor market.
( Prof. Karmacharya was a former Resource Person for China ( Unesco Nanjing), Denmark, World Education , Banepa Municipality and  LRCs of Indonesia, Iran, Myanmar, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand, UNESCO ).