Background:
In Nepal, more than 80% of people live in rural areas, where insurmountable barriers exist in accessing education. UNESCO data indicates a mere 9% tertiary education attendance of age adjusted groups for the whole of Nepal; the rural figures would be much lower. Further, the national figure for women is reported to be a dismal 3%. These levels are unacceptably low for supporting robust economic growth. In the view of the World Bank, for countries to achieve sustainable economic development, the Age Participation Rates in higher education should be around 40 to 50%. This demonstrates the enormity of work required in university-level education in Nepal.
Due to increasing needs for specialized skills for employment, the demand for higher education is growing rapidly. But the existing institutions do not have sufficient capacity to meet the demand. Further, they are located in urban areas and are too expensive for ordinary Nepalese from rural areas. Higher education in Nepal, therefore, is in short supply and unaffordable, a real problem for building human capital for a prosperous economy.
The educational needs of a mother, a farmer, a teacher, or a working person still in the villages remain unaddressed because traditional institutions neither exist there nor offer classes with flexible hours. While some satisfy their need for higher education through self studies, it is difficult to do so in fields like mathematics, science and technology. Distance Education is an effective solution to address these problems.
Excerpt from the Brochure for the Open University of Nepal by Ben Wood
Due to increasing needs for specialized skills for employment, the demand for higher education is growing rapidly. But the existing institutions do not have sufficient capacity to meet the demand. Further, they are located in urban areas and are too expensive for ordinary Nepalese from rural areas. Higher education in Nepal, therefore, is in short supply and unaffordable, a real problem for building human capital for a prosperous economy.
The educational needs of a mother, a farmer, a teacher, or a working person still in the villages remain unaddressed because traditional institutions neither exist there nor offer classes with flexible hours. While some satisfy their need for higher education through self studies, it is difficult to do so in fields like mathematics, science and technology. Distance Education is an effective solution to address these problems.
Excerpt from the Brochure for the Open University of Nepal by Ben Wood