Bimalendra Nidhi Minister for Education and Sports Born in 1955, Mr. Bimalendra Nidhi is currently Minister in the Ministry of Education and Sports as well as the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supply in Nepal, having served once as President of the Nepal Student Union from 1980 to 1983, and twice as Cabinet Minister for General Administration. He earned a bachelor’s degree from L.N. Mithila University in Bihar, India, and a master’s degree from Nepal’s Tribhuvan University. Since his early school life, Mr. Nidhi has been a political activist for democracy in his country. He is an Executive Member of the Central Working Committee and Chief of the Policy and Program Development of the Nepali Democratic Congress.

Quality Education and Social Inclusion

His Majesty’s Government of Nepal is committed to improving all aspects of quality education. We believe that education underpins our efforts to improve quality, to eliminate inequality and to foster harmony in the country. The gains we have made in education are attributed to our focus on decentralisation and local level capacity building. Our efforts towards decentralisation are in part driven by the need to improve educational quality in the context of immense diversity in our schools. Owing to the effects of social exclusion and marginalization in the community, our educational interventions have not yet been relevant to the life or our children. Thus inclusiveness in education is a key to ensure educational quality of all children.

Quality of education relates to the overall holistic development and high learning achievements to meet the learning needs of all including children from Dalit (disadvantaged) and indigenous communities, linguistic minorities and children with special needs. With over 100 local languages throughout the kingdom, Nepal’s EFA National Plan of Action includes an additional goal of ensuring the rights of children from ethnic minorities to a quality education through their mother tongues. In parallel with this initiative, we have also made provision for up to one fifth of the school curriculum to be developed at the local level.

With a view to ensuring quality in education, it is crucial to minimize the gaps that exist between home and school. Those who suffer most are dalits and women as well as the non-Nepali speaking communities in the school system. It is therefore imperative to empower Dalits, women and non-Nepali children by emphasizing their empowerment and inclusion. Social inclusion is fundamental for equity and social justice.