Premature marriages, lack of funds, and menstruation present barriers to Nepalese girls getting an education
Published: Jul 23, 2024 Reading time: 5 minutesNearly 28% of girls in the Terai region of Nepal fail to complete primary school. Yet education is one of the critical factors for the country's economic growth. Klára Bílková spent three months with our Nepal country programme last year. She travelled through the long plains of the Terai region, known as Nepal's rice bowl due to its fertility. She talked to girls from different social groups about why they wish to study and what obstacles they often face. As part of the Leave No Girl Behind project, we trained 9,497 girls to help them overcome barriers to education.
Frequent marriages at a young age, apart from poverty, are the main reason for the high number of girls without completed schooling. The Terai has the highest percentage of early marriages of all regions in Nepal, at 33.4%, compared to the national average of 24.5%. "Parents often arrange marriages. However, it also happens that two young people fall in love and run away from the village for a few days. When they return, their families and neighbours consider them married," says Klara, a support officer for the Nepal country programme from the headquarters in Prague.
Parents sometimes arrange marriages out of fear that mixed classes in schools will lead to their daughters falling in love with someone else. To prevent this, they marry the girls off before they finish school. Some families allow the girls to study until Class 10, the completion of primary school. However, after that, the girls often get married, making further education impossible, as women are expected to take care of the household and family.
On the other hand, some families would like to support their daughters in their education, but the schools are far away, and parents cannot afford the transport cost.
Many girls skip school during their periods, partly because schools have no separate toilets. At the same time, some girls cannot afford to buy menstrual supplies. While local government should supply these free of charge, this is not always the case. Menstrual poverty is a common problem in Southeast Asian countries.
Courses supplementing schooling
Girls who have not completed or have not attended school can participate in a 10-month course in which they learn Nepali, reading, writing, and maths. After completing the course, they can return to school, where they can stay after school day for tutoring from their teachers. We also provide the girls with cash so they can buy the supplies they need. "According to the teachers I have spoken to, girls who have been through the courses are much more active in their classes afterwards than other students."
In several schools, we have supported the construction of water taps, separate toilets, and changing rooms for the girls so they do not have to stay home during menstruation.
In Rautahat district, located in the Madhesh province, we partnered with the local government, which has set up a pad bank and distributes free pads to girls monthly. We also support the school in organising workshops where girls learn to make washable sanitary items. They then pass on their experience to the women in their families.
Learn the skills and start your own business
However, going straight to school after completing the training courses at the community centres is not obligatory. We also provide courses for graduates to learn how to sew or make toys or scented sticks. We then provide them with the cash they need to start their own businesses.
"The girls I had the opportunity to meet and talk to are all married. However, they have agreed with their husbands and families to move in with their parents for the duration of the course. Most of them are planning to start their own business," adds Klára.
The financial support from the Club of Friends and other donors made this project possible.
With education, these girls can pursue their dreams
Aarambha project
We implemented the Aarambha project in Madhesh province in the Rautahat and Bara districts to improve the lives of out-of-school adolescent girls (10-19 years).
In addition to courses, the project also offered classes to support and encourage these girls to pursue their life dreams. Schools and communities where graduates had started businesses or continued their education hosted a Gender Transformative Workshop (GTW). Both approaches strive to enable girls to achieve their goals. The GTW focused on alleviating gender-based violence and socially harmful practices such as child marriage, the dowry system, and other restrictive social barriers that hinder girls' education.
The Aarambha project works to improve the lives of marginalised girls by providing basic education in a non-formal setting. Under the project, we have opened 462 accessible community education centres in 21 districts in Bare and Rautahat to accommodate these students. After completing accelerated training courses at these centres, graduates could either move on to formal schooling in Grades 1 to 9 or upgrade their skills through technical or vocational training. Both education and employability interventions have successfully addressed early marriage and breaking down social norms. Of the 9,497 girls enrolled, 8,122 successfully graduated and made plans to achieve their goals.
Of the girls enrolled, 4,986 transitioned to school to continue their studies, and 2,347 chose technical and vocational education and training (TVET). The project also consistently tracked girls' educational progress through assessments in both formal education and TVET.
