This study aimed to explore the magnitude and dimensions of privatization of school education in
Nepal, especially focusing on disparity in attendance and parents’ perception in private schools.
This study utilized both primary and secondary information. Secondary information was obtained
from government reports and the Nepal Living Standards Survey 2010/11 data. Primary data were
collected from a household survey, a school survey, key informant interviews and a workshop.
The household and school surveys cover 12 districts with the highest concentration of private
schools but representing all development regions in the country. A total of 1,224 households and
132 schools were surveyed.
The key findings of the study are 1) the share of private schools in Nepal has been increasing over
the years; 2) there is disparity in school attendance by gender, social group, economic strata and
place of residence; 3) parents’ perceive that private education provides their children with quality
education and hence are increasingly inclined to send children to private schools; and 4) private
schools have, however, yet to comply with the equity provisions in school education required by
the government. The study concludes that private schools in Nepal have evolved at a time when
globalization of education has been taking place and private schools have contributed to 20
percent of enrolment in school education in Nepal. At the same time, there is indication that
disparity in education prevails. In order to reduce this inequity, there is an urgent need to improve
the quality of education in public schools through building effective public-private partnerships.
Also necessary is effective monitoring in private schools to make them more accountable to
students and to ensure equity in education in Nepal.