Kathmandu, November 6:

The Higher Secondary Education Board (HSEB) is introducing various new programmes from this year to increase the number of female students in higher secondary schools.

Ram Bahadur Khadka, Chief Administrative Officer at the HSEB, said an additional fund will be given to the schools that appoint more than 50 per cent female teachers.

“The main aim is to increase the number of female students in higher education. The parents in remote areas send girls to schools if there are female teachers,” said Khadka.

The HSEB recently passed a budget of Rs 306,825,000 for this year’s programmes.

A major chunk of the budget will be spent on examination, teachers’ training, principles and community schools’ management committee meetings.

The HSEB is providing Rs 25,000 to each school for the construction of ladies toilets. One hundred schools will benefit from the programme this year. “It has come to our notice that a majority of girls do not attend schools due to lack of toilets, hence the programme is being introduced,” said Khadka. There are a total of 700 community higher secondary schools throughout the nation.

The HSEB is providing Rs 5000 to each school to conduct programmes to create awareness about teasing, physical and mental harassments.