SESP Budget Review Meeting Begins
The Ministry of Education and Sports has begun the review meeting of the School Education Sector Plan (SESP). As the budget formulation process for the upcoming fiscal year is underway, the Ministry reviewed the progress and budget of the SESP program being implemented with donor agencies and discussed future initiatives to be taken in the education sector.
The five-day budget review meeting includes the participation of the Ministry of Education, the Center for Education and Human Resource Development, the Curriculum Development Center, and other agencies under the Ministry, as well as development partners supporting SESP.
The first day of the meeting, which began under the chairmanship of Ministry Secretary Chudamani Paudel, was attended by eight joint partners and other development partners under the leadership of the European Union (EU), the coordinator of development partners. The meeting was attended by the United Kingdom, the EU, Finland, Norway, the United Nations agency UNICEF, the Asian Development Bank, the World Bank, and others.
During the opening session, ambassadors from various countries and heads of agencies highlighted their respective programs in the education sector. The heads of development partner agencies investing in SESP held a meeting with Minister Sasmit Pokharel and discussed bilateral interests as well as the support being provided by various agencies to Nepal’s education sector. During the meeting, the development partner agencies expressed their commitment to continue their support to Nepal’s education sector.
Speaking at the opening session, Secretary Paudel said that many achievements had been made in the education sector through the joint efforts of the government and development partners. However, he pointed out that student learning at the basic level in schools and the use of technology in education still need to be prioritized. He emphasized that education should be made effective by managing resources and human resources for effective coordination and collaboration among the three tiers of government.
Joint Secretary of the Ministry Shivkumar Sapkota mentioned the coordination and partnership being carried out by the Ministry, related agencies, and development partner agencies for improving the education sector. Ramesh Prasad Ghimire, Head of the Development Assistance Coordination Section, highlighted the objective of the program.
In the technical session of the meeting, the Ministry of Education and the Center for Education and Human Resource Development reviewed various programs proposed by the Ministry of Education based on the budget ceiling received from the Ministry of Finance for fiscal year 2083/84. The meeting also reviewed the progress made by the Ministry of Education and related agencies on various indicators related to the education sector.
In particular, the meeting reviewed the priorities set for the education sector in the upcoming fiscal year, proposed programs, budget formulation, and the budget and programs to be implemented by the three tiers of government. Most of the education budget is implemented through local levels.
Group discussions were held on the main challenges in implementing SESP, with the participation of officials related to education from the federal, provincial, and local levels. The discussions covered the problems being faced by provincial and local levels during SESP implementation, as well as the working policies and strategies to be adopted in the coming days by the provincial governments, local governments, and the federal government to address those problems.
It has been stated that other issues will be discussed in the technical sessions at the Center for Education and Human Resource Development in the next meeting. The review meeting will conclude at the Ministry of Finance on Jestha 8. Based on the issues raised during the discussions, agreed actions to be carried out over the next six months will be taken forward.
The SESP plan is a 10-year long-term strategic plan implemented for the development and improvement of Nepal’s education sector. The plan, covering B.S. 2079–2088, aims to ensure equitable, inclusive, and quality education for children.
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