Nepal ranks 5th in gender equality in education

Nepal stands fifth among South Asian countries on gender equality in education.
Sixty percent of girls in Nepal do not have access to secondary education, said a report released here on Thursday on "Gender Equality and Education: A Report Card on South Asia Living and Learning for Future -The Power of Adult Learning" organised by Didibahini and Asia South Pacific Association for Basic and Adult Education (ASPBAE).

The report said 96 million girls in South Asia are out of school and Nepal is in unfavourable position. Nepal has to work further to increase the gender equality index, basic and girls education though there have been some interventions in the past, said Saloni Singh, President of Didibahini, in her presentation. Because of social and economic pressure, 48 percent of girls in South Asia marry before the age of 18.

The report further said that Sri Lanka tops among the South Asian countries in girls education and India ranks second while Afghanistan ranks last among the Asian countries.

The report states that inadequate government spending and the quality of education remain major obstacles towards fulfilling the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) of primary education by 2015.
The study was done jointly by ASPBAE and Didibahini.

(2010 Nov 17)