pipeline· Education

Activity under preparation Advancing Quality Education for all in Nepal

Recent political developments in Nepal, including the emergence of a new government following the September 2025 youth-led protests, have reinforced the priority placed on education reform. Young people increasingly demand a more relevant, inclusive and future-oriented education system that equips them with digital, technical and labour market-relevant skills. In response, the Government of Nepal has reaffirmed its commitment to improving the quality, relevance and governance of education, with stronger emphasis on skills development, digitalisation and employability.Nepal¿s Constitution guarantees free and compulsory education up to basic level and free secondary education. The Government is implementing the School Education Sector Plan (SESP) 2022¿2032, aligned with the federal governance structure and jointly financed by the Government and development partners. The SESP prioritises improved learning outcomes, strengthened local government capacity, enhanced education data systems, and stronger monitoring and accountability mechanisms.Nepal has made important progress in expanding access to education and improving gender parity. However, major challenges remain in learning outcomes, quality of teaching, curriculum relevance and equitable access, particularly for disadvantaged and remote communities. The independent SESP Mid-Term Review (2025) confirmed progress in participation, local planning and post-COVID recovery, but also identified continuing weaknesses in local capacity, governance, curriculum relevance, teacher management, coordination and data use.This action supports the implementation of the SESP and is aligned with the EU Global Gateway initiative ¿Nepal Quality Education for All¿ and the Global Partnership for Education (GPE). It focuses particularly on SESP pillars ¿Quality and Relevance¿ and ¿Governance and Management¿, while promoting digital innovation and skills development. The action contributes to the overall objective of building a well-educated and skilled population able to support Nepal¿s social and economic development and transition beyond Least Developed Country status.The action has four specific objectives:Improve equitable and inclusive access to and completion of quality basic and secondary education, especially for girls and disadvantaged groups.Improve learning outcomes and strengthen digital, foundational and labour market-relevant skills.Improve the effectiveness, accountability and resilience of the decentralised education system.Strengthen public financial management, including anti-money laundering, audit follow-up, domestic revenue mobilisation and public investment management.Expected results include improved enrolment and completion rates, better learning outcomes, stronger teacher capacity, increased use of digital learning, enhanced local government capacity, stronger community engagement, and improved transparency and efficiency in public financial management.The action combines nationwide budget support with complementary measures implemented with UNICEF and GIZ. Complementary support will focus on the three provinces with the lowest learning outcomes ¿ Karnali, Sudurpashchim and Madhesh ¿ while also strengthening local governance, accountability and public financial management reforms through a Team Europe approach.