World Bank to provide Rs 19 billion in loan assistance

KATHMANDU: The World Bank has agreed to provide Nepal Government with Rs 19 billion assistance loan for increasing the quality of education.

An agreement to this effect was signed by and exchanged between Secretary of Finance Minister Shanta Raj Subedi and World Bank Nepal Country Manager Takuya Kamata amid a function at the ministry on Thursday.

The loan amount that requires five year's time to pay off would be used for increasing educational quality, expanding justifiable access to primary and secondary education, improving teaching and learning activities and building strong and reformed educational system, it has been said.

Addressing the occasion, Kamata expressed hope that the initiative would contribute to the school sector reform plan of the Government as he said around seven million students and 180,000 teachers would benefit from the programme.

Likewise, Finance Secretary Subedi urged the Ministry of Education and its subordinate bodies to be serious and work hard to implement the programme.

He also requested the World Bank to provide additional support to the government's initiatives to ensure sustainable social service, manage human resources and build development infrastructure of the country.