JICA Nepal signed Grant Assistance agreements for the School Sector Development Program (SSDP)today, Government of Japan extended Grant Assistance of 300 million Japanese yen (approx. NPR 335million)to the Government of Nepal for the 5th year of the “School Sector Development Program (SSDP).”

Exchange of Notes (E/N) for the assistance were signed and exchanged today between Masamichi Saigo, Ambassador of Japan to Nepal, and Sishir Kumar Dhungana, Secretary, Ministry of Finance, on behalf of their respective Governments.

On the same occasion, the Grant Agreements for the SSDP were signed and exchanged between Shreekrishna Nepal, Joint Secretary, Ministryof Finance, on behalf of the Government of Nepal and Ms. Yumiko Asakuma, Chief Representative of JICA Nepal, on behalf of Japan International Cooperation Agency.

The SSDP started implementation from July 2016 and aims to consolidate gains from previous reform programs and continue crucial reforms needed in the school education sector through the SWAp modality. The overarching mission of the SSDP is to produce the needed human resources to elevate the country’s status from a least developed country by 2022 and to reach the goal of achieving the status of the level of the middle-income country by 2030.

Purpose of the SSDP is to improve the equity, quality, efficiency, governance and management of the education sector. SSDP focuses on capacity and knowledge enhancement of both students and teachers by developing relevant teaching and learning methods and materials that ensures quality development. Lately, SSDP also focuses on strengthening school-level disaster management and resilience to develop school as a conflict free zone.

As present education policies and sector plan (SSDP) of Nepal target to meet Sustainable Development Goal 4: “Ensuring inclusive and equitable education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all”. It targets to ensure that all girls and boys complete free, equitable and quality of education leading to relevant and effective learning outcomes while adhering to tackling disparities in remote area.

Development of Education sector in Nepal is one of JICA’s top priorities and it assures to continue its support to this sector for effective implementation and output. Considering the current situation of COVID-19 and its possible impacts to education sector, the Government of Nepal may explore necessary flexibility and develop a common understanding with all development partners to best utilize the available resources in addressing the emerging needs of the school education.