In 1995, the International Consultative Forum on Education
for All commissioned case studies in developing countries as part of a
mid-decade review of progress in expanding access to basic education. This
paper examines the progress of Nepal's Basic and Primary Education Master
Plan (BPEP), which aims to increase female participation in formal and
nonformal education programs and to train women teachers. BPEP has two key
targets for the year 2001: 100 percent gross enrollment for girls in primary
school and a national primary teaching staff that is 30 percent female.
Eleven initiatives address various aspects of the problem, providing basic
education and skills training to out-of-school girls, raising awareness in
rural villages of the need for girls' education, offering in-service training
to teachers in remote areas, providing scholarships and stipends to girls at
all levels of schooling, recruiting and hiring new female teachers,
publicizing BPEP goals and activities, sponsoring literacy classes, and
providing technical assistance to community schools. Analysis of quantitative
data suggests that BPEP goals will not be met by 2001 and may take an
additional 12 years. A large 1995 survey identified educational risk factors
for girls but also pointed out the fallacy of relying exclusively on quantitative data for program planning. Marriage customs, family
expectations, and religion influence attitudes toward girls' education, and
local people must be involved in designing the programs meant to change their
lives.