KATHMANDU, SEPTEMBER 12

Secretary at the Ministry of Education, Science, and Technology Ram Krishna Subedi said today that the Federal Education Act was in the process of being issued and issues related to management of teachers would be addressed with its enforcement.

He said this while addressing a national level programme on sharing of learning on 'Education and Child Labour in Madhes Province', organised by Society of Education Journalists and ASA- MAN Nepal today.

Although there is no serious obstacle in working in the education sector even without this Act, the Education Secretary said, it would further clarify the educational rights and responsibilities of the three tiers of government.

He recalled that arrangements had been made when he was chief secretary of the Madhes Provincial government to provide Rs 300,000 under the 'Protect Daughter, Educate Daughter' programme and the 'Daughter Insurance' scheme, as the status of girls education was comparatively poor in Madhes Province.

Secretary Subedi stressed that insurance programme should be effective for reducing child labour and child marriage.

He added that the government was open and positive about educational reforms as far as resources permitted and cooperation of all sides was needed in this endeavour.

National Convenor of India-based MV Foundation R Venkat Reddy shared the initiatives made in India for ending child labour and achievements in this sector. He suggested spreading the message that it is the out-of-school children who mostly end up as child labourers.

The literacy rate in Madhes Province is 49.54 per cent. All eight districts in the province (Saptari, Siraha, Dhanusha, Mahottari, Sarlahi, Rautahat, Bara, and Parsa) are yet to be declared fully literate districts.

Rautahat district has the lowest literacy at 41.69 per cent while Parsa has the highest literacy rate at 76.98 per cent in this province. The student enrolment rate in the province is 53.3 per cent.

Educationist Professor Bidyanath Koirala said the standard of education couldn't be improved until government agencies and teachers were sincere. He stressed that civil society and journalists should constantly raise voice on this issue.

ASAMAN Nepal's Executive Director Nawal Kishor Yadav informed that they had been working for making positive intervention in improving education sector in Madhes Province through campaigns such as, 'Get the children out of work and send them to school' and 'Provide quality education'.

A version of this article appears in the print on September 12, 2022 of The Himalayan Times.