Special enrollment campaign underway to ensure education for all: PM Oli

KATHMANDU: Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has inaugurated 'Delivering the Learning Generation in South Asia: Regional Conference on the Delivery Approach' organised by UNICEF here today.

Delegates from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and host Nepal are taking part in the three-day conference. The conference will focus on creating learning opportunities for all children and then ensuring quality education to children already in schools.

Delegates would also share experiences about the failure to achieve results as much as was invested in the sector in the region while focusing on the Sustainable Development Goals related to education.

According to UNICEF data, some 10 million children are still deprived of primary education while another 20 million fail to receive secondary education.

Addressing the inaugural session, Prime Minister Oli said the government had given top priority to ensuring an atmosphere conducive for all children to go to school. "A special enrollment campaign is underway to ensure that every child in the country goes to school," he said.

Stating that access to quality education was the fundamental right of children, Prime Minister Oli emphasised the need to focus on poverty alleviation in the region as it had impacted the education sector. "Emphasis should also be laid on the use of information technology and research to achieve the SDGs, including education," he added.

Minister for Education, Science and Technology Giriraj Mani Pokhrel was also present on the occasion.