US$10.85 million additional grant to support learning and build resilient education sector in Nepal amid COVID-19 crisis

The Government of Nepal and the World Bank signed a financing agreement for an additional grant of US$10.85 million to the School Sector Development Program (SSDP) to maintain access to basic education and continued learning for children amid the COVID-19 crisis.

The government’s SSDP is a sector-wide program supported by IDA credit of US$185 million, together with support from the Asian Development Bank, European Union, Finland, Global Partnership for Education (GPE), Japan International Cooperation Agency, Norway, USAID, UNICEF, and REACH Multi-Donor Trust Fund administered by the World Bank. The program aims to improve the quality, equitable access, and efficiency of basic and secondary education in Nepal.

“The education sector in Nepal and across the world has been one of the hardest hit owing to the pandemic which has deeply affected learning outcomes for children”, stated Mr. Faris Hadad-Zervos, World Bank Country Director for Maldives, Nepal, and Sri Lanka. “While supporting the immediate needs for safeguarding access and learning for children, especially girls, the additional grant will support the broader resilient recovery efforts of the government and help build back better the education sector in Nepal.”

The additional grant from the GPE COVID-19 Accelerated Funds will contribute to the implementation of the Ministry of Education, Science, and Technology’s COVID-19 contingency plan to mitigate and respond to the potential impacts of the pandemic on the education sector.

The additional grant will finance activities to support remote learning programs through television, radio, and the learning portal as well as printed learning packs for children who do not have access to media or the internet. The grant will support communication campaigns and teacher professional development programs and help strengthen the Education Management Information Systems. The Grant will also support provincial and local governments to support the safe reopening of schools and the continued learning of children.

Original source: World Bank