The modern history of Nepal began with its annexation by Prithivi Narayan
Shah in 1768. In 1816, the Sugauli Treaty with the British East India Company
defined the boundaries of present day Nepal and due to this, Nepal lost
nearly 40 per cent of its territory. Factionalism inside the royal family led to
the Rana rule, founded by military leader Jung Bahadur Rana in 1847 (Chand,
2000). Then, in 1950, the Ranas were thrown out and democracy established.
Democracy was lost by force in 1960, and reinstated in 1990, and removed
again in 2005. In 2007, Nepal became a republic and it is currently governed
by a constituent assembly.
Nepal is predominantly an agrarian country but has a number of industries that
process and export agricultural products. About a quarter of the population
lives below the poverty line and the Government of Nepal seeks to reduce
poverty in the country. Tourism, agricultural and industrial development are
seen as key sectors for economic development (Pokharel, 2010). Education
plays a major role in providing the required human resource requirements.
Education in Nepal
Overview
The Nepalese school system is currently structured as follows: primary
(grades1–5), lower secondary (6–8), secondary (9–10) and higher secondary
(11–12). The structure is undergoing changes, however, in line with the
National Curriculum Framework (NCF), School Sector Reform Plan (SSRP) and
other rules and regulations. The SSRP (Ministry of Education [MOE], 2009)
envisions two tiers of schooling: basic education (grades 1–8) and secondary
school education (grades 9–12) and the SSRP has indicated the possibility
of breaking down basic education into three types of schools: foundation
(grades 1–3), primary (1–5) and upper primary (1–8).
Currently, the government provides one year of pre-primary education – Early
Childhood Development (ECD) – for children aged 4 and above, with the aim
of preparing children for primary school. ECD provision is either community-
or school-based, and support children’s physical and cognitive development
(Curriculum Development Centre [CDC], 2005).
The objective of primary education in Nepal is to provide children with
knowledge and skills in the areas of nationality, democratic values, basic
language and arithmetic, life skills, creativity, inclusive attitudes and
awareness of human rights. Lower secondary level education emphasizes the
development of positive attitudes towards work. The NCF framed the main