Forty Access Program students have received their certificates of completion after two years of English language training provided by the United States Government.

During the ceremony, U.S. Embassy Deputy Chief of Mission (DCM), Patricia Mahoney, addressed the graduating youth, their parents, teachers, and the media.  DCM Mahoney encouraged the first group of Access graduates in Nepal to continue with their studies and achieve the future they imagine for themselves, for their families, and for Nepal.

Another 40 Access Program participants from Gorkha and 40 more from Bhairahawa will receive their certificates of completion at similar graduation ceremonies this week.  The Access Program provides two years of English language instruction, as well as computer skills and leadership skills to disadvantaged youth, ages 13 through 20, in over 85 countries.  The program participants from Nepal are from government schools.  Each group of 40 participants consists of 20 girls and 20 boys from various religious and ethnic backgrounds.

The U.S. Embassy partners with Nepal English Language Teachers’ Association (NELTA) in order to carry out the Access Program. The success of the Access Program owes much to the dedication and the preparation of the NELTA teachers who receive frequent training, which they in turn have been sharing with other teachers in government schools. Among many successes of the Access Program, 100 percent of the Nepali participants passed their end-of-year school examinations in 2012 and many of them have been making the top scores in their regular school classes.