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The World Bank organized the symposium on “Learning during and post-COVID-19 in Nepal” as a side event to the Global Education Summit in collaboration with Nepal’s Ministry of Education, Science and Technology; Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO); UNICEF and USAID.
Like other countries in South Asia, widespread school closures and other disruptions to education due to COVID 19 are likely to have long-term impacts on the well-being and learning and earning potential of children in Nepal.
These effects are anticipated to hit disadvantaged children the hardest, as they fall even further behind their peers.
In response to this challenge, the Government of Nepal (GON) has rolled out multimodal learning programs during school closures and other periods of disruption, including provision of online, offline and printed learning materials to students and promotion of flexible learning approaches to help teachers cover core curriculum content in a shorter time.
At the same time, the GON recognizes that high-technology approaches are likely to deepen educational inequities in a country where many households do not have access to radio, TV, and internet.
A range of development partners have supported the GON’s efforts to stabilize education across the country, through alternative, catch-up learning approaches that utilize low- or no-tech solutions for some of the most educationally disadvantaged children.
The objective of this symposium was to bring together key stakeholders to combine efforts and strategies towards mitigating learning losses due to prolonged school closures and inequitable access to technology-based learning.
The timing for this symposium was opportune because it aligns with the GON’s efforts to finalize and begin implementing the next Education Sector Plan (2021-2030) in a context of ongoing ripple effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Likewise, the symposium aimed to inform Nepal’s contributions and commitments as part of the upcoming Global Education Summit, in which Global Partnership for Education recipient countries and donor nations will affirm shared priorities for supporting equitable, quality education.
Last Updated: Jul 28, 2021
Opening:
Dr. Tulashi Prasad Thapaliya, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Education, Science and Technology
Lada Strelkova, Operations Manager, World Bank Maldives, Nepal and Sri Lanka
H.E. Nicola Pollitt, British Ambassador to Nepal
James McQuen Patterson, Acting Country Representative, UNICEF Nepal
Adriana Hayes, Acting Mission Director, USAID Nepal
Lightning talks:
Mark Waltham, Chief of Education, UNICEF Nepal-- Nepal Education Sector COVID Response
Karthika Radhakrishnan, Senior Education Specialist, World Bank -- Remote Learning: Evidence from Nepal during COVID-19
Jodie Fonseca, Chief of Party and Narayan Shrestha, Director of Programs, RTI -- National Early Grade Reading Program Learning Outcome Trends and Catch-up Learning Activities.
Usha Limbu, Street Child Nepal -- Girls Education Challenge
Discussants:
Shwetlena Sabarwal, Senior Economist, World Bank
Noam Angrist, Young Love
Tom Kaye, EdTech Hub
Closing:
Ram Prasad Thapaliya, Secretary, Ministry of Education, Science and Technology
Panel Discussion on the Role of Local Governments in COVID-19 Education Response
The local governments in Nepal play a crucial role in ensuring the continuation of learning during the COVID-19 crisis. The panel discussion will share local government experiences, including COVID-19 response for girls' education.
Panel members:
Last Updated: Jul 22, 2021
