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National Workshop on Adolescent Girls’ Education comes up with suggestions on making programme more effective

© UNICEF Nepal/2012/RJoshi

a girl sharing her thoughts during the workshop

April 20, 2012:  Participants at the 2-Day National Technical Workshop on Adolescents Girls' Education that took place from 19 - 20 April 2012, deliberated on ways of making the current Non Formal Education (NFE) system more effective.  The workshop included over a dozen girls from 11 districts as well as representatives of NGOs working in the field of non formal education, from NFEC, the Ministry of Youth etc. There were out-of-school girls as well as girls from the Girls' Access To Education GATE, and Urban Out of School Programme. The workshop was held in Jawalakhel in Kathmandu.  

© UNICEF Nepal/2012/ RJoshi

Different girls representing different districts participating in the workshop

The main issues raised by the participants during the workshop were: flexibility in timing, setting age group targets, the time for starting the classes and concerns around  gender sensitivity. They also outlined the need to integrate for life skills and livelihood skills component into the curriculum to enhance employment opportunities, and teaching in mother tongue and in a child friendly system.

Some of the issues that the girls outlined in the initial session as hindrances to their education included: having to drop out to help with household work, child marriage, lack of food, poverty, old customs and traditions, gender discrimination, lack of parental income, parents' lack of understanding about importance of girls' education.