women education

Women Education

Education in Nepal has had, and continues to have,dedicated, talented educators. Yet, reminiscent of a jigsaw puzzle, most but not quite all of the essential pieces of a dynamic education service, are in place.

Empowering women and girls through education

takes more than the pieces, it requires their sensitive,

correct interlocking. It must be holistic.

There have been decades of enlightened policies,

and an amazing list of incentives, designed to

increase girls’ enrolment and achievement. Yet the

impact has been marginal. Either holism was never

achieved or it has been shattered.

The Cheli-beti Programme is reflective of many of

the strengths and strategic weaknesses of education

programming. The Cheli-beti Programme for outof-

school girls, launched in 1981, is considered by

many as one of Asia’s leading success stories in girls’

empowerment. Cheli-beti was shaped by the

participating girls’ needs, songs, and vocabulary. It

triggered the girls’ self-discovery of how to improve

life in their remote rural villages. The end-of-project

evaluation focused on outputs. Since then, Chelibeti

has inspired, and been modified into, Nepal’s

national girls’ out-of-school literacy programme.

However, in the seven years since project completion

there has been no impact evaluation. An assessment

of what is and is not sustainable is essential in

guiding Cheli-beti’s off-shoot programs.