Learning from the Pandemic: Need for a Resilient Education System in Nepal

The numerous challenges to Nepal’s education sector brought forth by the Covid-19 pandemic highlighted the need for a resilient education system. The pandemic had an immediate and long-term impact on the education system, with severe consequences for early and primary-level children, especially from remote areas and marginalized communities. 

Echoing the impact of the pandemic, a two-day learning event organized under The Asia Foundation’s Covid-19 Emergency Response – Education Support Program in Nepal convened government stakeholders from partner municipalities, the Ministry of Education, Science, and Technology, Private and Boarding Schools’ Organization Nepal, and experts in the field of education for the panel discussion.    

The Covid-19 Emergency Response – Education Support Program, supported by the Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) works toward adopting a holistic approach to support basic education brought about by the pandemic. The program focuses on three main areas: providing alternative learning materials and guidance for families and communities, creating an enabling environment for children through psychosocial support, and empowering local governments with evidence-based policies and practices to facilitate equitable remote learning and informed school closure/reopening.  

A panel of experts from the education sector acknowledged a significant gap between emerging needs and the support available in the schooling system of the country, stressing the need to develop a progressive education strategy. “It has helped us recognize the need for restructuring the education system by creating space for new ideas as well as approaches that better align with the needs of students and the demands of a rapidly changing world”, said Swastika Shrestha, CEO, and co-founder, Teach for Nepal. 

In its two-year implementation, the program has successfully fostered a culture of alternative learning approaches through learning kits, empowering parents, teachers, and guardians with ideas to actively engage in their children’s education. The program also equipped adolescents with crucial knowledge on social media influence, substance abuse awareness, and online harassment protection, along with providing teachers with skills to recognize and address students’ psychological needs to foster a supportive environment for students’ well-being.   

Moreover, the program produced a series of five videos to raise psychosocial awareness in children and adolescents and to instigate effective conversations about mental health among children and parents. Watch all five videos on The Foundation’s YouTube Channel.