The government and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) on Tuesday signed a concessional loan agreement amounting to $200m (equivalent to Rs 26.51bn) for supporting the first five years of the School Education Sector Plan (2022–2030) and a Grant Agreement of USD 12 million to implement the Strengthening Systems to Protect and Uplift Women Project. The Ministry of Finance in a press statement said that the project will benefit survivors of gender-based violence (GBV) across Madhesh, Lumbini, and Sudurpaschchim provinces through the establishment of long-term rehabilitation centers, development of survivor-friendly facilities for the women, children and senior citizen service centers within selected district and area police offices and strengthening of survivor-friendly services in these provinces. The project will also build a new national long-term rehabilitation center in Bhaktapur. Joint Secretary of MoF, Ishwori Prasad Aryal, and Saugata Dasgupta, ADB Officer-in-Charge for Nepal signed the agreement papers. The proposed assistance will support the implementation of the government’s School Education Sector Plan in a sector-wide approach supported by eight development partners, including ADB under the Joint Financing Arrangement.

“The program will enhance learning provisions for basic and secondary schools; strengthen teaching and learning skills in schools; accelerate the recovery from learning losses caused by the Covid-19 pandemic; and improve the capacity of local governments in education planning, monitoring and reporting,” reads the statement.

Speaking on the occasion, Aryal said that Nepal has achieved significant progress in terms of improving access to education in the past decades. "However, much more needs to be done to further improve equity of access and the quality of education," he mentioned. According to him, the program will be crucial to operationalize Nepal’s holistic approach to improving overall learning outcomes. “This agreement is a key part of ADB’s overall efforts to help Nepal accelerate reforms and transform the country’s education system to develop human capital, reduce social inequity, and attain sustainable growth. The plan is designed towards eliminating inequities in access and participation in school education, and improving quality and resilience of school education,” the statement quoted Dasgupta as saying.