Himalayan News Service

Kathmandu, April 18:

The government, from this year, will provide special ‘booster’ scholarship of Rs 500 per student per year to one lakh students across the nation who still have not received primary education. Bidyadhar Mallik, secretary at the Ministry of Education and Sports, today announced the scholarship scheme among other incentive programmes in order to bring in the 18 per cent school-going children who are out of schools.

“The fund for the programmes will be received by this fiscal year,” said Mallik at the inauguration of the Action Week for ‘Global Campaign for Education’ that will start from tomorrow. The government has also announced to provide free admission and free text books to those who have access to school but dropped due to the lack of money and scholarship worth Rs 250 to each girl students. The grant that used to be allocated for Early Childhood Development Programme has now been concentrated to the backward community and poverty-stricken areas. In order to strengthen the communities, the government has intensified the handing over of school management to the community and providing the lump sum amount to each community schools. Till date, the government has handed over 761 schools to the communities.

Mallik also said 25 per cent of the grant will be allocated for increasing girls’ enrolment rate in 20 districts and children from dalit and backward communities enrolment in 24 districts.

In order to update the information on the education scenario, the government is planning to bring out the statistical report of all the students admitted to school during this academic year.

Koto Kano, resident representative of UNICEF, said that this year’s theme is Big Lobby by the Children to the Political Leaders and Prime Ministers. “Children know the best about their problems,” said Kano. The Action Week for Global Education Campaign focusses mainly on awareness creating programmes, media campaign, letter submission to global march, big lobby day, organising interaction programme with people’s representatives, public appeal, school enrolment campaign and publishing letters in newspapers. The campaign is being jointly organised by several campaigners for child education, NGOs, teachers’ unions along with the support of MoES, UNESCO, UNICEF and ILO.