New computer learning brings girls empowerment and education

13 Nov 2009

KATHMANDU: Nepal has always been classed as a developing country. In the U.S. it is often called a “third world” country. And it may well Studying remain that way unless Nepal can break out of the vicious cycle of exploiting its people, particularly its women. One strategy that could break the cycle is a dynamic evolution in the role of Nepali women and the use of new technology.

Since 1980, almost 30 yrs ago, Nepalese women have been included in numerous plans, policies and programs inside the country. Paradoxically, though, the impact of broad inclusion has been very discouraging. But something new is coming. The innovations of computer learning in rural schools will definitely level the field for many girls who will now finally be able to climb the ladder.

For years, Nepal “enlightened policy” for girls education has provided incentives for increasing girls rights in school enrollment, with a push toward “basic education” completion, but efforts have fallen short. Why?

“Educational exclusion is most pronounced among the poorest children, and especially poor girls,” says Dr Máiréad Dunne in her 2009 report for the University of Sussex (UK), Centre for International Education.

Education with career, leadership and political opportunity is key to advancing the role of women’s educational rights in Nepal. It is crucial for Nepal to focus on efforts using increased awareness. But will Nepalese society make any real improvements? These and other questions are part of a revolutionary new approach with Nepal girls, and other global education programs. For the first time, rural and poor girls, have a chance to learn through “hands on” techniques in ICT (Information and Communication Technologies) with the use of laptops and desktop computers.

If we see the total picture of enrollment in school, it is nearly equal for both boys and girls in grade one, with the same dropout rate. After this, the dropout rate for girls begins to outnumber the boys. In high school, the rate of dropouts for teen girls rises remarkably over boys. It is due mainly to a girl’s household workload, which grows as she gets older. The obligation for teenage girls to manage household duties is twice as much as teen boys in Nepal.

“I do not send my daughter to school,” said Santi, a rural woman from the Tharu community in the Northwest region of Nepal. “She helps me in domestic work. She needs to know the household chores before marriage.”

The overall picture of education for girls in Nepal is often one of ongoing limitation. Many girls are sent to Nepali government schools which are poorly funded, are lacking facilities and often over crowed. Numerous boys, in great contrast, are often sent to private English-based schools.

One handicap for girls is that they are generally asked to leave school at the young age of 12, just after completing grade five, leaving them with only a rudimentary understanding of literacy.

“Investing in adolescent girls is precisely the catalyst poor countries need to break intergenerational poverty and to create a better distribution of income. Investing in them is not only fair, it is a smart economic move,” said Robert B. Zoellick, President of the World Bank in a 2009 report, “Because I am a Girl,” by the UN Girls Education Initiative.

Locked out of opportunities, girls from the lowest castes, known as “dalits,” are sometimes sold by desperate parents to middle-men who promise to find work, along with training and education, for their daughters. One girl selling as a domestic worker currently goes for 4,000 – 6,000 Nepali rupees ($53.00-$80.00 USD). These dalit domestic workers, called “Kamlaris” in Nepal, often live with dashed hopes, mounting limitation, degradation and complete educational exclusion. Although selling and hiring Kamlaris is considered illegal in Nepal, the practice is still in motion.

Most Kamlari girls start out happy with the promise of work and education when they leave home. As they begin to work, though, they soon realize with regret that all the promises made to them were lies.

Nepal schoolgirls in Kathmandu. Image: Wonderlane
Girls and women in Nepal are often steered toward gender identified occupations. The Nepal Ministry of Education statistics show only 15 percent of women in 2006 entered the field of engineering, and less than 20 percent began careers in agriculture, forestry, law, science and technology combined. Basic nursing education, on the other hand, welcomes the majority of Nepalese women. In 2007, only fifty people nationwide held a Ph.D. degree in Nepal. Of those fifty, only four were women who had doctorates in science.

Source: nepalgirlseducate