In Lumbini province, 17% of children of the school going age are deprived of their right to education. Although the government has launched a quality education campaign, 8,53,000 children of school going age between four and 17 years have been deprived of the right to education across the country. Seventeen percent of those children are in Lumbini province. Despite the government conducting enrollment campaigns every year, many parents are still unable to send their children to school due to poverty and illiteracy.
According to the statistics of the National Census 2021, out of 750,000 children of four to 17 years, 11.3 % are out of reach to school. About 18.5% of 24,39,200 children of the age of four years group and 8.1 % of children in the age group of studying in class 1 to 5 are out of reach of school. Similarly, 7.4% of children studying from 6th to 8th grade could not attend school.
Due to poverty and illiteracy, parents struggle to send their children to school, and the state appears to neglect the issue. Educationist Bidyanath Koirala recommends special programs for children and job opportunities for financially unstable parents to facilitate their access to school. Despite a government campaign launched two decades ago to enroll all children in classrooms, it appears to be ineffective in addressing the problem.
Thaneswar Gyawali, the Deputy Secretary of the Education Department of the Ministry of Social Development in Lumbini Province, stated that as education up to the secondary level falls under the jurisdiction of local governments, the provincial government lacks data on the number of children without access to education. To enhance education quality, the provincial government has implemented policies and programs, including provincial educational initiatives, supporting local levels through informal mediums, and establishing a national qualification system to bring children into education.
Article 31 of the Constitution of Nepal, 2015 provides for the right to education under the fundamental right, in which all citizens are guaranteed access to basic education. Similarly, education up to the basic level is compulsory and free, and education up to the secondary level is also provided free of charge. However, in Lumbini Province, 17% of children are still deprived of their fundamental right to education.