Support to Nepal's School Sector Development Plan (SSDP)

Description What is done in the programme or project and why, what results are pursued, who benefits from the activities and who are involved in the implementation.

The School Sector Development Plan (SSDP) program is the second phase of the first education sector program in Nepal, the SSRP (School Sector Reform Program), which Finland supports over the years 2009-2016. The most important achievements of the SSRP were the substantial increase in access to education, achievement of gender parity in education, a decrease in illiteracy and classroom size and an increase in the number of educated teachers. The second phase of the education sector program, the SSDP, will begin in July 2016. The SSDP is based on the achievements of the first stage and in order to ensure continuity, also the main objectives remain largely the same. In the SSDP, there is however a much stronger focus on enhancing the quality, equitable participation and learning outcomes in education. There is also a stronger emphasis on tying disbursements of funds to achieved targets. The objectives of the program are divided into four categories: equity, quality, efficiency and relevance. The program aims to enhance these aspects of education on all levels: early childhood education, basic education, secondary education and lifelong learning. The program strives to ensure that all students in Nepal have equal opportunities to access high quality education. A reform of the governance and management system of the education sector is also part of the objectives of the program. The final beneficiaries of the program are Nepal's around 7.3 million students and almost 29.000 public schools. The Ministry of Education of Nepal is implementing the program and the Government of Nepal funds at least 80% of its budget. Other development partners who fund the program include the Asian Development Bank, Australia, the EU, the World Bank, Norway, UNICEF and Global Partnership for Education. Finland's contribution to the program is proposed to be 20 MEUR over the years 2016-2020.