In this fiscal year´s Program Implementation Manual (PIM), the final draft of which has already been prepared by the Department of Education (DoE), almost half of the total budget earmarked for various scholarship programs, which totals around Rs 1.9 billion, has been allocated to provide incentives to girl students at basic school level (grade 1-8). [break]
This is the first time that the government has decided to provide incentives to all girl students. Until the last academic year, the government had been providing incentives to only 50 per cent of the total girl students. Earlier, School Management Committees (SMCs) used to select girl students for incentives by following certain criteria like being members of marginalized groups.
The DoE has allocated over Rs 900 million to provide incentives to more than 2.2 million girl students. However, this money will not be used to distribute scholarships among girl students from Karnali, arguably the most backward region in the country. In Karnali, all girl students up to grade 10 have been receiving incentives for the last few years, and the Ministry of Education (MoE) already has an exclusive scheme for this.
"The incentives provided to girl students are meant for buying stationery and school uniform," Ganesh Poudel, under secretary at the DoE, told Republica. "The objective of providing incentive to girl students is mainly to increase their enrollment rate and retain them in schools. It also makes them feel that the government is doing something for them, and they will be motivated to perform better in classrooms."
The MoE will provide Rs 200 for stationery and Rs 400 for school uniforms for girl students in mountain districts. Similarly, each girl student will get Rs 175 and Rs 350 in hill districts and Rs 150 and Rs 300 in Tarai districts for stationery and uniforms, respectively. "Some girl students will receive incentives only for buying either stationery or uniforms while some will get money for both purposes. This will be determined by the SMCs," Poudel said, adding, "Girl students will get Rs 400 on an average for stationery and uniform."
As a consequence of discrimination against females in Nepali society, enrollment of girls is lower than that of boys in public schools. Although the overall population of girls is higher than that of boys, the gender gap in Net Enrollment Rate (NER) at primary level is still 2.1 percentage points, according to a recent report by the National Planning Commission (NPC). This gap is even wider in Tarai districts, by as much as 5.1 percentage points.
"The incentive for girl students is expected to bridge this gap," said Dr Lekhnath Poudel, assistant spokesperson of the MoE.
However, all girl students will have to fulfill certain criteria to be eligible for incentives. They have to attend at least 80 per cent of the total classes conducted by their schools every year; they also have to pass yearly exams. "Those girl students who repeat classes will not get incentives," Poudel said, adding, "And, those girls who have already received scholarships under quotas allocated for Dalits or marginalized groups will not receive these incentives."
Previously, days before unveiling the annual budget for fiscal year 2010/11, Finance Minister Surendra Pandey had disclosed the government´s plan to provide monthly stipends for all students. Later, the Ministry of Finance (MoF) had to drop the plan after other politicians, including Education Minister Sarvendra Nath Shukla, criticized it as being ´politically motivated´.
Related story
Export cash incentive scheme fails to deliver
