In Nepal, literacy is defined as the ability to read and write daily life-related short and simple sentence written in the person’s mother tongue or national language, as well as ‘numeracy’ or the ability to do simple arithmetic calculations. Literacy is seen as a key determinant for long-term human development and a significant factor for the social and economic improvement of individuals and a country. Although the word literacy has been officially replaced by “non-formal education,” literacy as the skill of reading and writing is still used to denote the literacy rate of the country.
A decade later, at the World Education Forum (Dakar, Senegal, April 2000) the six EFA goals were reaffirmed, including the fourth objective to achieve a 50% improvement in levels of adult literacy by 2015, especially for women, and to ensure equitable access to basic and continuing education for all adults. This declaration has positively influenced Nepal to promote literacy and NFE programmes as major vehicles for poverty reduction and social empowerment. Nepal has developed and is implementing a National Plan of Action to raise the adult literacy rate to 90%for the age +6 group (from 54%). To achieve the anticipated outcomes a variety of literacy, post literacy, and income-generating programmes are being designed and implemented.
Source:Asia and the Pacific Education for All (EFA) Mid-Decade Assessment, SOUTH ASIA, Synthesis Report
