APR 12, 2012 Kathmandu – Lack of awareness, illiterate parents, Lack of government policy and exceeding cost of fees and other materials for students, Thousands of children are not attending school every year who are at the age group of primary schooling.

The Department of Education (DoE) is set to begin its school enrollment campaign in government schools across the country from April 14. The government has decided to run the campaign this year as well to provide primary education to around 40,000 children below 14 years of age who have not been going to school for various reasons.

The children of school-going age would be encouraged to be enrolled in government schools by convincing their guardians through a door-to-door programme for a month, said Mahashram Sharma, director general at the DoE.

The Department, which aims to provide primary education to all children by 2015, has a target to admit 6.7 million children this academic session, thereby increasing the school enrollment rate to 97 percent, up from 95.1 last year.

According to Sharma, around 4.6 million children will be admitted to Grades 1 to 5 and some 1.8 million in the lower secondary level—Grades 6 to 8—this year.

During the campaign, the government will target various marginalised communities such as Satar, Chepang, Majhi, Bote, Danuwar, Dhami and Thami in Saptari, Siraha, Dhanusha, Mahottari, Sarlahi, Rautahut, Bara, Parsa, Tanahun, Kapilvastu, Kailali, Kanchanpur, Manang and Mustang, among other districts.

Various awareness programmes such as interaction with parents and street plays will be carried out to motivate parents to send their children to public schools across the country.

Government of Nepal provides free education to the primary level with textbooks and in some part providing snacks during the day to motivate and drag children from villages to the school as well.