Success Story

Background

With the authority granted by the new constitution of Nepal, local governments are now empowered to design and implement their own education policies. In light of this, the Manahari Rural Municipality (RM) took the initiative to prepare a local education policy that aligns with the local context. As part of a project supporting local governments in formulating gender-transformative and inclusive education policies, including STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Mathematics) and WASH (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene) components, Plan International Nepal encouraged the rural municipality to take this important step.

Steps Taken to Prepare the Policy

  1. Stakeholder Interaction Program

    The first step in the process was an interaction program organized with a mass gathering of various school stakeholders. This included teachers, School Management Committee (SMC) and Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) members, social workers, and representatives from local political parties. During the session, stakeholders were asked to provide suggestions on how the local education policy should be framed, considering the unique local context. These valuable suggestions were then documented for further reference.

  2. Formation of a Policy Preparation Team

    Based on the input from the interaction program, a team was formed consisting of 20 people, including the Chief of the District Level Program Implementation Unit (DLPIU), Makawanpur, the Chief of the Education Section, and a school supervisor from the Manahari RM. This team was tasked with preparing the policy, with technical support and guidance provided along the way.

  3. Draft Preparation in Subject-Wise Groups

    The selected team members were divided into five groups, each responsible for preparing a subject-wise draft based on the suggestions collected during the first meeting. This approach ensured that each aspect of the education policy was well-considered and aligned with local needs.

  4. Review and Finalization

    Once the drafts were prepared, the proposed policy was presented to the RM’s President, Vice-President, Administrative Officers, and other stakeholders. The document was reviewed, feedback was provided, and necessary revisions were made. After this collaborative process, the draft was finalized.

  5. Approval Process

    The finalized local education policy was then approved by the Education Committee and submitted to the Palika Assembly for final approval. With this, the policy was officially endorsed, and the project achieved its goal of incorporating gender-transformative, inclusive education, STEAM, and WASH components into the local education framework.

Impact and Recognition

The project was a huge success in terms of its inclusivity and the comprehensive approach taken in designing the education policy. The Chairperson of Manahari Rural Municipality shared the achievement, saying:

“We have become the first one to prepare a local level education policy among the ten municipalities in Makawanpur district with the support of Plan International Nepal. We are thankful to CDO-Nepal and Plan International Nepal for their unwavering support.”

Manahari RM has now become a model for other municipalities in the region, demonstrating the importance of local context, inclusivity, and collaboration in shaping the future of education at the grassroots level.