SOS Children's Villages Nepal

Health and Education Assessment 2017 SOS Children’s Villages Nepal HEALTH & EDUCATION ASSESSMENT 2017 SOS CHILDREN’S VILLAGE NEPALHEALTH & Final Report EDUCATION ASSESSMENT 2017 OS

CHILDREN’S VILLAGE NEPAL Submitted by Nepal Development Research Institute (NDRI) Pulchowk, Lalitpur April 2018

Prepared by:

NEPAL DEVELOPMENT RESEARCH INSTITUTE (NDRI)

Health and Education Assessment 2017 SOS Children’s Villages Nepal

April 2018

Study Team: Dr. Manjeshwori Singh, Team Leader Mr. Ganga Ram Gautam, Education Expert Dr. Sujata Sapkota, Health Expert and Researcher

Ms. Pratigya Regmi, Researcher

Preface

Guided by the mission of providing family care to the children at risk of losing parental care and children without parental care, SOS Nepal offers them a supportive village environment where children live and grow to their potential with their mothers, brothers and sisters. SOS has been supporting children with quality education through seven schools across different districts of Nepal and it has been providing technical and vocational training for young people through two vocational training centers. It also runs a medical center for community people in Bardiya and a national training center in Kavre. SOS Children’s Villages International’s 2030 Strategy has identified seven strategic themes to ensure sustainability in its programmes through practical measures in its services. The themes include 1) innovative alternative child care 2) strengthen families 3) empower young people 4) advocate for children 5) mobilize people for quality child care 6) create a simpler, agile and digital organization and 7) invest for funding growth.

In order to ensure quality care of children, SOS has proposed a multi-pronged approach to include local stakeholders and build an alliance among them. By doing this, SOS can concentrate on the core components of the programme aligning the rest to the priorities and agenda of the local stakeholders that include national governments, local governments, development partners, organizations that are running the similar programmes, if any and the community at large. The current study is one of the initiatives in this direction that aims to explore; a) whether the SOS’s services are reaching out to the children of the target groups b) the best placed stakeholders to provide the service in terms of accessibility, affordability and quality education and health care services to the target group children and c) if the Member Associations (MA) are financially self-sufficient to provide the expected services. This report is an attempt to seek answers to these prominent questions so that a well thought-out plan could be worked out to manage the stakeholders’ engagement in the services of the children that SOS has been involved so far. Here are some of the key messages from the report.

SOS IS REACHING OUT TO THE TARGET GROUP AND BEYOND

Contribution of SOS has been recognized in Nepal for serving the children not only from the SOS’s target groups but also for the children of the community at large. By bringing children from across the board in the community, SOS has communicated the message that all children are equal and all of them have the right to quality education. In addition to this, community is very pleased that SOS has provided quality education in the affordable price. Community members have a high regard to the SOS schools and parents are very happy to have SOS in their community as a center of quality education.

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SOS HAS BEEN RECOGNIZED AS A CHAMPION OF QUALITY EDUCATION

Quality in education is a buzz word in Nepal and both the government and non-government sectors are working hard to address quality issues in Education through various interventions. This report indicates that SOS Hermann Gmeiner Schools in Nepal are considered to be the champions of quality education not only in terms of providing education in classrooms but also providing parental care and overall development of both the target and non-target group of children, however, its main concern is to reaching out and serving the target group. The high application rate during admission time, competitive enrollment process and the branding of SOS in career development of students show that SOS has been able to brand itself as a center of quality education.

Similarly, most of the SOS schools have ‘A+’ rank in the government ranking. Nepal government has categorized non-state funding schools into several categories and SOS Hermann Gmeiner Schools have been ranked in the top category. Adequate infrastructure, quality teachers, conducive and inclusive learning environment, completion rate of the students and affordability were identified as the key parameters used in the ranking1.

OTHER STAKEHOLDERS IN EDUCATION AND HEALTH SERVICES ARE STILL STRUGGLING FOR QUALITY

The report discusses the involvement of the other government and private stakeholders in education and health services in the areas where SOS schools and medical centers are located. Private sector service providers seem to be offering quality services but they are very expensive and beyond the reach of the people living in poverty. Public school system and government health facilities are struggling in the quality issues and they lack even the basic amenities required for quality services. A high majority of children in Nepal still attend government schools but quality has always been a major issue as only less than 50% of the student’s complete high school education from the public school system. Though, there are random initiatives among the government schools to improve their quality, it will take a while to institutionalize such initiatives in a more sustainable manner. Thus, though there are stakeholders that provided education and health services in the areas where SOS schools and health facilities are located, it will be pre-mature to expect quality services from these stakeholders at least for some time.

SOS HAS A POTENTIAL TO DEVELOP AS A LEARNING ORGANIZATION

Nepal has undergone a big political shift from centralized governance to the decentralized management. According to the new constitution of Nepal, school education and basic health services are part of the local

1 The ranking of SOS Hermann Gmeiner Schools under grade A was reported by the school principals and government authorities interviewed.

iv government’s responsibility. With this provision the local governments are looking for ways of improving the quality of education and health services in their communities. In this context, SOS could collaborate with the local governments and create SOS as a learning organization for mentoring head-teachers, enhancing teachers’ quality and creating quality learning environment in the schools.

SUSTAINABILITY IS POSSIBLE BUT IT IS A LONG TERM PROCESS

The report mentions the views of the stakeholders how SOS education and health services can sustain in the long run and how local stakeholders can contribute to it. One of the points that emerged during the discussion was the need of a phase-wise sustainable plan to engage the stakeholders in various components of education and health programmes. Including more fee paying students from the community, collaboration with the local and provincial governments, corporate partnership to support the children of target groups were some of the strategies suggested in this report.

Another possibility that can be explored to sustain SOS’s services is the collaboration with the provincial governments which are in the making at present. Budhanilkantha school in Kathmandu and Gandaki Boarding School in Pokhara are the examples of such partnership between the government and international partners. Since the SOS schools are already recognized for quality education and they are located in different provinces of Nepal, the provincial governments can partner with SOS to gradually take over the management of the schools with the funding provision by the provincial government.

SOS schools are integral parts of the Nepali communities and stakeholders do want them to continue their services. Since Nepal is going through a big transition phase and still struggling to manage the political transition, SOS should continue its services in Nepal in the current form at least for some years. At the same time, sustainability plan should be worked out involving the key stakeholders on the ground.

The Study Team

Acknowledgements Nepal Development Research Institute (NDRI) is pleased to be a part of SOS’s Health & Education Assessment project. We thank SOS Children’s Villages Nepal for entrusting NDRI to carry out such an important study and express our sincere thanks to Mr. Ishowri Prasad Sharma, National Director, for extending requisite administrative and management support in organizing and hosting Health & Education Assessment successfully in Nepal and to Mr. Nabin Bajracharya, Director-Programme, for extending overall coordination among field teams, and explaining local context of Health & Education Assessment in proper light.

We express our gratitude to the members of SOS International Office for Asia, Mr. Subrata Banerjee, Programme Advisor- Review & Assessment and Mr. S. Nambi Varatharajan, Consultant, Programme Development Department, for facilitating, guiding and managing Health & Education assessment in order to accomplish the exercise successfully.

Furthermore, we would like to thank all the participants for their kind participation in the study. Our sincere thank goes to Dr. Hari Lamsal, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Education, Government of Nepal, for his participation in the study and for providing invaluable insights regarding the educational scenario in Nepal.

We are grateful to all the government stakeholders, for taking time out of their busy schedule for the study. We thank Mr. Krishna G. Chaudhary (Public Health Inspector , District Health Office, Gulariya), Mr. Suresh Regmi (Health Coordinator, Motipur Health Post, Bansghadi, Bardiya), Mr. Saligram Adhikari (Mayor, Bansghadi Municipality, Bardiya), Dr. Dinesh Shreshtha (Assistant Director, Kohalpur Hospital, Kohalpur), Mr. Bhoj Prasad Lamsal (Acting DEO, District Health Office, Surkhet), Mr. Nilkantha Khanal (Ward Chair, Birendranagar- 4, Surkhet), Mr. Bidhut Pd. Bhattarai (Member, Ward Office, Ward- 2, Sanothimi, Bhaktapur), Mr. Madan Sundar Shrestha (Mayor, Bhaktapur Municipality), Mr. Arjun Bdr. Rayamajhi (DEO, District Education Office, Sanothimi), Mr. Jaya Prasad Mahat (Deputy DEO, District Education Office, Itahari), Ms. Laxmi Gautam (Deputy Mayor, Municipality Office), Mr. Bhumilal Sharma (DEO, District Education Office, Chitwan), Ms. Renu Dahal (Mayor, Bharatpur Municipality), Mr. Narendra Raj Poudel (DEO, District Education Office, Pokhara), Mr. Man Bahadur G.C. (Mayor, Pokhara-Lekhnath Metropolitan City), Mr. Bhim Neupane (Mayor, Panauti Municipality), Dr. Dipendra Gurung (DEO, District Education Office, Kavre).

Similarly, we extend our gratitude to all the principals of the government and private schools, for their kind cooperation and participation. They all dedicated their time and facilitated the research process in achieving this goal: Mr. Rudra Bd. Khatri (Principal, Shree Tripureshwor Secondary School, Dhodekhaali, Surkhet), Mr. Yam Raj Giri (Principal, Janapriya Secondary School, Birendranagar- 3, Surkhet), Mr. Surya Bd. Karki (DMPS, Adarsha Secondary School, Sanothimi), Mr. Shree Narayan Yadav (Principal, Bhaktapur English School, Bhakatpur), Mr. Bhairab Prasad Sapkota (Principal, Jana Jyoti Secondary School, Itahari), Mr. Dil Kumar Tamang (Principal, Secret Heart Boarding School, Itahari), Mr. Bhola Sapkota (Principal, Saradapur Secondary School, Chitwan), Mr. Dayanidhi Aryal (Principal, Polar Star English Boarding School, Chitwan),

Mr. Balaram Giri (Principal, Kalika Secondary School, Gandaki), Mr. Puran Konwar (Principal, Gyotikunj Secondary School, Gandaki), Mr. Durga Dutta Pangeni (Principal, Balodaya English School, Pokhara), Mr. Dilli Ram Baral (Vice-Principal, Chorepatan Secondary School, Pokhara), Mr. Jeevan Bhandari (Vice- Principal, CTEVT, Pokhara), Mr. Keshav Raj Chapagain (Director, Panchakanya Training Center P. Ltd., Pokhara), Mr. Akarshan Pradhan (Red Cross Training Center, Kavre), Mr. Bhairab Badal (Dhulikhel Training Center, Kavre), Mr. Jaya Ram Shrestha (Principal, Shreekhandapur Secondary School, Kavre), Mr. Hira Sharma Nepal (Principal, Bidhya Sagar Secondary School, Kavre), Mr. Kiran Karki (Director, Home and Small Industries Ceramic Training Center, Bhaktapur), Mr. Santa Kumar Prajapati (Director, Thimi Ceramic Center, Bhaktapur).

Furthermore, we would like to thank the In-charge and Principals of each of the SOS centers where assessment was conducted, for their participation and their assistance in the assessment of each facility. Our thanks goes to Mr. Udaya Aryal (Director, NTC Kavre), Mr. Rajan Khadka (In-charge, Ceramic Center, Bhaktapur), Mr. Hikmat Oli (Principal, Hermann Gmeiner School Surkhet), Mr. Shiva Kr. Chaudhary (In-charge, SOS Medical Center, Bardiya), Mr. Dorjee Wangyal (Director, VTC Pokhara), Mr. Saki Kumar Upadhya (Principal, Hermann Gmeiner School Itahari), Mr. Laxman Bhandari (Principal, Hermann Gmeiner School Bharatpur), Mr. Rajendra Kumar Shrestha (Principal, Hermann Gmeiner School Gandaki), Mr. Phurbu Thinley (Principal, Hermann Gmeiner Schools Pokhara), Mr. Nareswor Acharya (Principal, Hermann Gmeiner School Kavre). Our sincere thanks also goes to Mr. Mukund Giri (Director, SOS CV Surkhet), Mr. Suman Parajuli (Senior Counsellor, CV Gandaki), Mr. Hari Chandra Sapkota (Vice Principal, Hermann Gmeiner School Pokhara), Mr. Mohan Khatri (Senior Teacher, VTC Pokhara) and Laxmi Upreti (Senior Teacher, Hermann Gmeiner School Sanothimi) for their kind assistance. NDRI also acknowledges the contribution of all the teachers, parents, care givers, students, graduates and staff members in the research. The interactions with each group have contributed significantly to develop the report.

Last but not the least, NDRI also offers gratitude to the entire research team: Mr. Ganga Ram Gautam, Education Expert, Dr. Manjeshwori Singh, Team Leader, Dr. Sujata Sapkota, Health Expert and Researcher, Ms. Pratigya Regmi, Researcher for their hard work from the inception period to project accomplishment. We would also like to acknowledge the contribution of all our field researchers, Ms. Pritam Pokherel, Ms. Yurika Magar, Mr. Mugadhan Rai, Mr. Sudarshan Thapa, Ms. Nabeena Lamichhane, Mr. Arun Shrestha, Ms. Anju Gurung and Mr. Rajendra Shrestha; without their contribution this study would not have been accomplished. We also thank Mr. Rajendra Khatri, our Research Associate, for his assistance in the field and for helping plan the field work. We are thankful to Ms. Monica Maharjan, Research Associate and Ms. Samriti Maharjan, Research Intern for their kind assistance to the study team in drafting the report.

Jaya Kumar Gurung Executive Director Nepal Development Research Institute

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Abbreviations CV : Children’s Villages DoHS : Department of Health services DEO : District Education Officer DHO : District Health Officer FSP : Family Strengthening Programme FGD : Focus Group Discussion FBC : Family based care FS : Family Strengthening H&E : Health and Education HP : Health Post IDI : In-depth interview KII : Key Informant Interview LCD : Least Developed Country MC : Medical Center MoH : Ministry of Health MoHP : Ministry of Health and Population NER : Net Enrollment Ratio NHP : National Health Policy NHSS : National Health Sector Strategy NIP : National Immunization Programme NPC : National Planning Commission NRCS : Nepal Red Cross Society NTC : National Training Center NGO : Non-Governmental Organization PPP : Public and Private Partnership PTA : Parents Teachers’ Association PHI : Public Health Inspector SSRP : School Sector Reform Plan SWAP : Sector Wide Approach SDG : Sustainable Development Goal VCT : Voluntary Counseling and Testing VTC : Vocational Training Center

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Executive Summary

Background Health and Education (H&E) feature strongly in SOS Children’s Villages programme. Assessment of SOS H&E programmes to evaluate their relevance to the target group beneficiaries, to ensure their cost-effectiveness and to assess their situation of financial independency was felt necessary considering the changing circumstances since the establishment of these programmes. The H&E Assessment 2017 was, therefore, carried out to: • explore if H&E programmes were reaching to an acceptable number of target group beneficiaries; • investigate if SOS Children’s Villages programmes, the programme of the government or of the private sector is best placed to provide the services that the SOS’s H&E programmes are delivering; and, • assess if the operation of the facility, including maintenance and renovation can be self-sustained in the long run.

Assessment Method Eleven SOS projects in Nepal, including 7 SOS Herman Gmeiner Schools, 1 Medical Center, 1 National Training Center and 2 Vocational Training Centers were assessed. Assessment methods were predominantly qualitative, and involved Key Informant Interviews, In-depth Interviews, Client Satisfaction Interviews, Focus Group Discussions, and Interactions conducted with different stakeholders and beneficiaries from and outside SOS. Respondents included teachers, parents, students, SOS staff, patients receiving services from the MC, Mayors, District Education and Health Officers and Ministry of Education official. Quantitative information was also collected from the SOS programmes and similar programmes of the government and of the privately-run facilities. Purposive and convenience sampling techniques were employed for selecting participants for the study, as appropriate.

Key Findings SOS Hermann Gmeiner Schools Target group beneficiaries- reach and implications Primarily, children who lost parental care, children from poorest of the poor family, vulnerable and marginalized family are the target group of SOS Hermann Gmeiner Schools. The study has shown that percentage of target group beneficiaries enrolled in Herman Gmeiner Schools varies from school to school within the range of 11% to 48%, in 2017. All schools, except Hermann Gmeiner Pokhara, had lower number of target group children than specified in the SOS policy. The number of target group children calculated for the past two years has been constant in most schools, except in Hermann Gmeiner School Surkhet and Hermann Gmeiner School Sanothimi, where it has slightly increased in the year 2017. The lower number of target group beneficiaries in the schools was attributed to the decreasing number of the children of target group in the immediate vicinity of the schools, lack of transportation facilities for children who live at a distance from schools and lack of adequate advertisement about SOS’s educational services for the target group population. SOS’s services provided to the children were highly valued by the participants. It was reported to have created a mixed culture environment for the students from various background where they could learn from one another and create a good social bonding. Hermann Gmeiner Schools in Nepal have not only provided affordable quality education opportunities to its children but has helped children from the SOS Children’s

Villages and other vulnerable children of the community to get along with other kids of the community, grow and become educated in an inclusive environment and become accomplished citizens. The lower number of target group enrollment in the Hermann Gmeiner Schools did not imply that there are less number of target group children. The need of the society at large was still reported unmet in rural parts of Nepal. Accommodating more target group children in Hermann Gmeiner Schools, and opening more schools like the Hermann Gmeiner Schools or enhancing the quality of government schools at par with the Hermann Gmeiner Schools was reported to be essential. Service quality and institutional credibility Service quality and institutional credibility of SOS Hermann Gmeiner Schools was rated high and the schools have high reputation in the society. They are recognized as quality education providers at a lower price with sound learning environment. Engaging teaching methodology, availability of adequate and appropriate infrastructure, playground facility, well equipped laboratories and libraries, integration of technology in teaching and learning, co-curricular and extracurricular activities as a part of school system are the key highlights of the schools. The respondents unanimously reported that SOS Hermann Gmeiner Schools have contributed to the community through its graduates who are serving in high profile ranks of the government and non-government sectors, at the local, national and international level. Through its noble services and provisions of high quality education, the schools possess strong goodwill in the society. The brand image of SOS was quoted as a sense of pride and facilitative for preference to the SOS graduates in hiring and further study. Additionally, SOS Hermann Gmeiner Schools have also been showcased as model schools for quality education, not only by the immediate stakeholders, but also the elected representatives of the local governments, and the officials of the Ministry of Education. Respondents in few schools, however, expressed concerns over the quality of education in the recent years. They felt that the maintenance of quality in education has been an issue. Professional development trainings for teachers were reported to have been reduced over the years. Similarly, facilities and incentives provided to the teachers were reported to be inadequate in the present context. A need to address these concerns is essential to maintain SOS Hermann Gmeiner Schools’ goodwill and make them as the centers of academic excellence.

Best placed stakeholder- SOS, government or private Considering the accessibility, functional capacity, and education quality, most SOS Hermann Gmeiner Schools have secured higher average scores than the government and private schools, thus positioning them as the best placed amongst the three. The respondents also unanimously reported that Hermann Gmeiner Schools were better than private and government schools and replication of the quality of the Hermann Gmeiner School in government schools in the present scenario was perceived difficult on the ground that the government schools neither have adequate resources nor do they have rigorous quality scrutiny in their current academic programmes. Hermann Gmeiner Schools were best placed by the respondents considering not only due to their provision of quality education, but also for addressing the social justice by integrating the poor and vulnerable population of the society.

Pathways for sustainability International funding supporting the expenditure was in the decreasing trend compared to the previous year in most schools, signifying that the schools are gradually moving towards to be financially independent. Increasing school fees for fee paying students was one of the key sustainability strategies suggested by most of the respondents. However, in a few schools, respondents felt that relying only on fee increment for sustainability was not possible, particularly when 30% target group had to be considered. Despite SOS’s declaration of its policy of self-reliance to be met by December 2019, effective support from SOS for a

x few more years was perceived essential. Creating environment to garner support from the government was perceived essential. Other strategies suggested for sustainability included; developing clear policies and goals for sustainability by each school, upgrading infrastructure to add classes (sections) to add the number of fee paying students, running higher secondary level education in both science and management streams, adding facilities such as canteen and transportation to attract more students, engaging alumni and parents in fund raising and upgrading quality. Participants expressed that allowing some autonomy to the school management to make independent plans would pave ways for future sustainability. Prospects of collaboration with the government authority at local, provincial and federal level were reported as viable option. Government representatives have shown interest to support and collaborate with the Hermann Gmeiner Schools but, a concrete plan of action on the mode of collaboration need to be worked out. However, handover of the Hermann Gmeiner School to government was not reported as an option at least for some years. Official at the Ministry of Education also mentioned that due to the transitioning political scenario, and perceived lack of capacity of the government to effectively manage schools maintaining the quality of education provided by the Hermann Gmeiner Schools, immediate handover will be difficult.

SOS Medical Center (MC), Bardiya Target group beneficiaries- reach and implications The Medical Center has provided various health services to the community members who are mostly from the SOS target group. In 2017, until October, almost 82% of the total beneficiaries were reported to be from the target group that include poor, marginalized and vulnerable people who could not afford the services in private medical centers or hospitals or those who did not have easy access to other health facilities. In addition to the regular services delivered to the target group through the center, the medical center also organized health and awareness camps aimed at the poor and vulnerable people. The overall services provided by SOS MC, was reported to have contributed significantly in addressing the healthcare needs of the people far and wide.

Service quality and institutional credibility SOS MC was known primarily for its affordable, accessible and quality health services. Almost all participants expressed their satisfaction with the quality of the health services provided by the SOS MC; these services were rated better than services provided by the government and private health care providers. Provision of the MBBS doctor’s consultation services (three times a week) and laboratory services provided by the MC, were the unique features that other health providers did have around the locality. SOS MC was thus filling a void in the medical services in the area. Overall, the patients who have received services from the medical center were satisfied with the service quality and the attitude of the staff was also found good. The staff working in the MC said that they feel proud to be helping the people in need through the organization like SOS.

Best placed stakeholder- SOS, government or private The number of health facilities compared to the population size, in and around the area where SOS MC is located is significantly less to meet the increasing health care demand of the community. SOS MC and Motipur HP were the key providers of primary level healthcare to the target population around Bansghadhi area. Kohalpur Hospital that provides tertiary level health care services is located at a distance of about 18 kilometers from SOS MC. Each of the health facility had its own set of patients, and an important role in addressing the healthcare needs of the people in the area. In primary care, SOS MC offered services that were not offered by other health facilities. SOS MC’s role and its contributions in the community were

xi observed irreplaceable. Thus, SOS MC is the best placed organization for the services it has been offering to the community.

Pathways for sustainability Increasing service charge and reducing the currently offered discounts on the health services including medicines appeared as the obvious solutions for financial sustainability. However, doing so, was not suggested as the good option due to the fact that majority of the community members cannot afford to the increased cost of the health services that the center is offering at the moment. Therefore, respondents speculated that increasing the cost of the services will create negative impact to MC’s reputation, and ultimately be counterproductive. Rather adding or expanding services to include provisions of regular medical doctors’ services, upgrading the laboratory and adding other diagnostic services, such as X-rays, could not only strengthen the MC but also lead it towards financial sustainability. Furthermore, improving the skills of the existing staff through trainings or recruiting qualified and skilled healthcare professional(s) to effectively respond to the emerging healthcare need is necessary for sustainability. Responding to the healthcare needs of the community in collaboration with other private and government health care providers can lead to effective delivery and build pathway for future sustainability. Whilst the existing collaboration with the government facilities needs to be strengthened, new collaborators in private and other sectors, for example, I/NGOs should be sought.

SOS Vocational Training Centers (VTC) Target group beneficiaries-reach and implications The two VTCs assessed as part of the assessment had specific set of target groups, when they were established. In case of VTC Pokhara, Tibetan refugees were the target, and in case of Ceramic center Sanothimi, the target group was the youths from Prajapati families. Later they expanded the target group to include other vulnerable members of the community as appropriate. Despite the capacity the enrollment figures show the target group enrollment in both the centers is lower than their capacity utilization. Lack of official recognition of the training by the government of Nepal due to the lack of affiliation to CTEVT, legal issues with the Tibetan refugees to obtain employment in formal job market, lack of adequate information about the training among the youths of target group and lack of inclusion of the emerging trades in the training based on market needs were some of the reasons for the lower enrollment in the VTCs.

Service quality and institutional credibility On the basis of overall facilities such as well-equipped lab, quality training with qualified trainers, and friendly environment of the institution, both the VTCs were considered effective, reliable and credible institutions for vocational education. However, in case of ceramic center, most of the ex-trainees reported that the training was not sufficient to become professionals in different aspects of ceramics. But in case of VTC Pokhara, the ex-trainees have said that the training obtained for the center has helped them to get employed not only in the city but also at the national and international market.

Best placed stakeholder- SOS, government or private Among SOS, governmental and Private VTCs, SOS VTCs were reported to be better than other centers in terms of infrastructure, trainer competence, employability, fees, quality of trainings and training equipment. Different to other centers, SOS VTCs have a very specific purpose of serving the target groups. Considering the low enrollment of the trainees against the capacity and lack of interest of the people in vocational trades

xii such as ceramics, drawing conclusion on the best placed stakeholders requires more rigorous investigations in all aspects of the centers.

Pathways for sustainability Some key measures suggested for the sustainability of the VTCs by the participants are: • VTCs need to process for legal affiliation from CTEVT for testing and certification, then the trust will be built to the prospective trainees and the enrolment rate will be increased. • Enroll more students from non-target group on fee paying basis. • Boarding facility might attract candidates from the distance geography • Both long and short-term service-oriented trainings could be introduced on the basis current market demand • Increase the production especially ceramic goods and supply in the national and international market • Ceramic Art exhibition shall be conducted for promotion of the training and products • As majority of the schools do not have their own ceramic workshop & firing kiln, the training center can cooperate with the institution or schools and can provide the practical class charging nominal fee.

SOS National Training Center (NTC), Kavre Target group beneficiaries- reach and implications Primarily, SOS mothers and co-workers are the target group of NTC. Among total participants in the training, more than 80% comes under the target group beneficiaries of the NTC. During the last three years (2015- 2017), 97% of the training participants were from NTC target group.

Service Quality and Institutional credibility NTC is the only training center established under SOS Nepal, and thus holds a significant place among the SOS MA. Good infrastructure with adequate space and training facilities, quality of training, and ambience of the place, boarding facility for trainees, homely atmosphere during training were the key features highlighted by the respondents. Majority of the participants who have received different training from NTC reported their satisfaction with the training and the outcome of the training, they reported, was productive. Furthermore, as the NTC also conducts need based trainings, transfer of training at the work place was reported to be yet another good aspect of NTC. However, the frequency of some essential trainings such as teacher’s professional development training and training on child safeguarding were reported to be decreasing in the recent years.

Best placed stakeholder-SOS, Government or private Despite the presence of several government and private training centers in the vicinity, NTC was perceived as the best placed training center for the target group, as there were no other centers to cater the training needs of the specific SOS staff.

Pathways for sustainability According to the director, most of the training are for the SOS staff and thus the National SOS office covers the training cost. Continuation of this trend in the future by provisioning training budget in each SOS Herman Gmeiner Schools and other centers would contribute to the sustainability. Similarly, funds could also be generated by renting out the training venue to government and non-government sector and selling teacher training programmes to both public and private school teachers. Collaboration with the local governments in this regard was suggested as an immediate strategy.

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Conclusions & Recommendations Conclusions The government has committed free education through public schools but the achievements (output) of most of these schools remains below the satisfactory level. Public schools are constantly criticized for not being able to provide quality education to its pupils. Private schools on the other hand, mostly serve the children whose parents can pay for education. Although, there is a mandatory provision of scholarships for a very few children in private schools, these scholarships are not enough to cover the needy children of the areas where SOS is working. Thus, service of the SOS to educate the children from SOS target group is still vital until the public schools improve their quality education for all the children. The contributions of SOS in the society and in the lives of the vulnerable children, most particularly in providing homes and quality education to the children without parents or those at risk of losing parents was highly regarded. Similarly, SOS schools are the integral parts of the Nepali communities and stakeholders do want them to continue their services. Since Nepal is going through a big transition phase and still struggling to manage the political transition, continuity of the SOS at least for some years is crucial. At the same time, a systematic sustainability should be worked out involving the key stakeholders on the ground. Similarly, SOS MC in Bardiya has served the population of the marginalized communities through its various services and the MC has been recognized as the people’s center for quality health care. Continuation of the existing services and initiating partnership with the government and private collaborators might be the way forward to institutionalize the MC as quality health organization in the long run. Similarly, SOS VTCs have been instrumental to equip the young population from the target group with the employable skills. Considering the growing job market potential in the changed stable political context, the role of SOS VTCs could be expanded to include more trades and attract more young people in the program. NTC, the only training center of SOS, has established its credibility for quality training in areas of teacher training, continuous professional development training and various other needs based training. It has a great deal of potential to grow as a quality training organization provided that NTC moves in that direction with a long term strategic planning.

Recommendations Based on the key findings of the study, the study team makes the following recommendations: 1. The recently formed three tiered (Federal, Provincial and Local) governments are still working on the regulations for the governance, management, financial modality, community engagement and quality dimensions in education and it will take some times to crystalize these things in their policy and develop programmes accordingly, the SOS schools should continue as they are at least for some years until the local governments are ready to collaborate with them and share the liability. 2. For the next few years, it seems that the financial flow of the government will be towards institutionalizing the federalism by developing the required infrastructure for the three level governments, preparation of human resources for the governance and development of the public infrastructure. In this backdrop, the need and significance of the Hermann Gmeiner Schools in Nepal can only be emphasized. The recommendation is, therefore, to continue running all seven schools without any resource constraints and gradually explore the ways of sustaining them. 3. Representatives of the local governments in all SOS school locations have shown interest to collaborate with the SOS but no clear plan has been spelled out. SOS should, therefore, take this as an opportunity to collaborate with the local governments and jointly work with them to chart out the details of the mode of collaboration both in the short and long term. 4. The assessment has revealed the lesser number of target group population than mandated by SOS policy in six Hermann Gmeiner Schools. This does not mean that there are no children of the SOS target group in Nepal. The SSRP document informs about 10 percent of deprived children in Nepal are still unable to attend schools due to the geographic, economic, social reasons. Thus, SOS needs to find ways of attracting the target group children and strategies need to be developed to retain them in schools. Providing transportation service to the children living in a distance, providing boarding facilities for the target group children could be some of the ways to bring more target group children to school.

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5. One of the issues raised by teachers during the assessment was the lack of raise in their salary and other benefits. Since the inflation rate is going up every year in leaps and bounds, teachers’ expectation for the rise is natural. It is, therefore, suggested that teachers’ concerns are addressed to keep their motivation going in their work at school. 6. Another issue that was related to the quality of education as pointed out by teachers was the inadequacy of the professional development trainings. Teachers have indicated that frequent refresher training and other professional development programmes are necessary, typically, to ensure that Hermann Gmeiner Schools’ quality is sustained (or, even increased) and its teachers are updated with the undercurrents. SOS should, thus, continue its professional development programme that it was doing in the earlier days on a regular basis. 7. The study indicated that stakeholders have raised their doubts over to the maintenance of “quality” in education and overall school performance in the recent years. In order to make sure that the SOS programmes do have the expected quality rigor, an external ‘quality audit’ is suggested in all of the SOS programmes. Based on the results of the ‘quality audit’, appropriate measures need to be adopted to address the quality issues in all the programmes. 8. For sustainability, a phase-wise plan of sustainability is suggested at both ends. The schools in Nepal should be engaged in developing a sustainability plan along with concrete strategies. SOS International should also develop an exit strategy looking at each programme on a case-by-case basis. Each school is in unique position with specific features grounded in the local context. Hermann Gmeiner School Pokhara, for example, is targeting Tibetan refugee children and currently enrolling about 50% from the SOS target group and withdrawal of SOS support to this school would immediately jeopardize the future of these children. Thus, a generalized conclusions for their sustainability cannot be worked out at this level. SOS Nepal and SOS International need to work together in designing sustainability strategies involving all the stakeholders of all the locations so that these plans are owned by every stakeholders and they can work to implement them in their true spirit. The starting point for this exercise could be to develop the capacity of the leadership working in different programmes and engage them in leading the whole planning process. Some of the broad areas for the sustainability of the SOS programme might include: a) Collaboration with the local governments to support the local schools around SOS in areas of teacher training, mentorship and collaborative activities among teachers. By doing this, SOS schools could generate fund and also support the public schools to improve their quality. b) Working with the local I/NGOs to enhance the quality of education in the public schools will also create collaborative atmosphere at the local level. Here the SOS schools can provide consultancy services to the I/NGOs for creating quality learning environment in the public schools. c) Negotiation with the provincial governments to establish SOS schools as the model schools under the provincial government on cost-sharing basis could be the next option that SOS can initiate. This will be a win-win approach both for the SOS and for the provincial governments. Budhanilkantha school in Kathmandu and Gandaki Boarding School in Pokhara are the examples of such partnership between the government and international partners. Since the SOS schools are established quality schools in different provinces of Nepal, the provincial government can partner with the SOS to gradually take over the management of the schools with the funding provision by the provincial government. d) Collaboration with the corporate sector to use the Corporate Social Responsibility budget to support the children from poor and disadvantaged. If such collaboration can be established, the target group support of the SOS will continue on a long term basis. The schools will select the children from the target group communities and the corporate sector will cover the cost of those children’s education and health. e) SOS graduates have shown interest to support the schools to be self-sustained and they are expecting a plan of action from the schools. The study has shown that SOS graduates are working in different fields and many of them are in high profile positions. Creating alumni network and engaging them in fund raising activities could be another strategy to ensure sustainability. f) School stakeholders particularly the Principals of the SOS schools and teachers have demanded flexibility in the SOS policy to make decisions at the local level in areas of leasing or renting out

the physical facilities, expanding the programs to include new stream in 10 plus 2 programs, revising fee for the fee paying students and developing partnership at the local level. SOS could give some kind of autonomy to the school Principals to make decisions in those areas so that the Principals become empowered at the local level and schools could work out their plan for long term sustainability. 9. The assessment indicated that SOS MC functioned in close collaboration with the government health post and complemented each other. By providing laboratory services and services from qualified health professionals (doctors) SOS MC was filling a huge void in the healthcare services in the region. Large catchment area, larger number of poor and vulnerable population in the community and lesser number of private and government health centers, further emphasized the need and significance of the center until the public-sector services are well-placed. The recommendation therefore, is to continue to run SOS MC, strengthen the existing collaboration with the government, whilst also exploring ways for extending services and collaboration with private healthcare centers and/or I/NGOs for assessing ways for long- term sustainability. 10. SOS VTCs have been providing skill development training to the members of community coming from both target and non-target groups. The equipment available in these training centers were reported to be essential. Such equipment and tools are not present in other training centers of the vicinity. Similar to schools, these centers have stood as examples and have been providing opportunities to a large number of people, who would, otherwise, have difficulty to pursue their vocations. Recommendation, similar to other facilities, is to continue to run the VTCs, whilst exploring options for sustainability. Training provisions for newer trades can be explored as per the current needs of the society, for example, Ceramic Center in Bhaktapur could opt for other trainings in other forms of ceramic arts and fine arts. 11. Trainers in the VTC are motivated and they are proud of being a part of the SOS. However, they have indicated that they need continuous professional development training and exposure to maintain the quality of the training. Thus, in order to incorporate the undercurrents in the relevant vocational fields, training and professional development support for the trainers of the VTC would motivate them to contribute to quality training. 12. In case of SOS Ceramic Center located in Sanothimi, a well thought out program is required to continue its operation. Rather than being autonomous institution, the center could adopt multiple strategies, such as, a) using it as a fun center for young students from various schools during vacation, b) integrate ceramic art as a part of the local curriculum in collaboration with the local government and use the center to offer classes for SOS children and beyond, c) integrate it with the fine arts activities and develop it both as an activity as an exhibition center so that students from other schools and community could visit and learn the local arts. 13. NTC with its primary engagement in providing training to SOS mothers and co-workers, did not have major issue with sustainability as the member associations of SOS allocated money for their Human Resource Development (to train their members), and was involved mostly in training of its target group. The recommendation is therefore to continue to run the NTC. Further, fund generating mechanisms can nonetheless be explored, for example, organizing training for external organizations. NTC can sell its training to the principals and teachers of the private schools, NGOs and other relevant stakeholders. Also, the training venue and facilities could be rented for external organizations while they are not used for SOS activities.

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Table of Contents Preface ...... iii Acknowledgements ...... vi Abbreviations ...... viii Executive Summary ...... ix CHAPTER 1: BACKGROUND ...... 19 1.1. Nepal: contextual demographics and policies ...... 19 1.1.1. Socio-economic background ...... 19 1.1.2. Current educational and Health care policies of Nepal...... 19 1.2. SOS Children’s Villages, its programmes and the need for assessment ...... 22 1.2.1. SOS Children’s Villages ...... 22 1.2.2. Health and Education assessment and its need ...... 23 1.3. Objectives of the assessment ...... 23 CHAPTER 2: ASSESSMENT METHODOLOGY ...... 24 2.1. Data sources and sampling ...... 24 2.2. Data collection methods ...... 24 2.3. Data analysis and reporting of the findings ...... 26 CHAPTER 3. ASSESSMENT OUTCOMES ...... 27 3.1. SOS Hermann Gmeiner Schools ...... 27 Overall context: ...... 27 3.1.1. Hermann Gmeiner School Surkhet ...... 28 3.1.1.1. Overview ...... 28 3.1.1.2. Findings ...... 28 3.1.2. Hermann Gmeiner School Sanothimi ...... 32 3.1.2.1. Overview ...... 32 3.1.2.2. Findings ...... 32 3.1.3. Hermann Gmeiner School Bharatpur ...... 37 3.1.3.1. Overview ...... 37 3.1.3.2. Findings ...... 38 3.1.4. Hermann Gmeiner School Itahari ...... 42 3.1.4.1. Overview ...... 42 3.1.4.2. Findings ...... 42 3.1.5. Hermann Gmeiner School Pokhara ...... 46

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3.1.5.1. Overview ...... 46 3.1.5.2. Findings ...... 46 3.1.6. Hermann Gmeiner School Gandaki ...... 50 3.1.6.1. Overview ...... 50 3.1.6.2. Findings ...... 50 3.1.7. Hermann Gmeiner School Kavre ...... 54 3.1.7.1. Overview ...... 54 3.1.7.2 Findings ...... 55 3.2. SOS Medical Center, Bardiya ...... 63 3.2.1. Overview...... 63 3.2.2. Findings ...... 63 3.3. SOS Vocational Training Centers ...... 68 3.3.1. SOS Vocational Training Center (VTC), Pokhara ...... 68 3.3.1.1. Overview ...... 68 3.3.1.2. Findings ...... 68 3.3.2. SOS Ceramic Training Center, Sanothimi ...... 73 3.3.2.1. Overview ...... 73 3.3.2.2. Findings ...... 73 3.4. SOS National Training Center, Kavre ...... 76 3.4.1. Overview...... 76 3.4.2. Findings ...... 76 Chapter 4: Conclusions & Recommendations ...... 78 References ...... 86 Appendices ...... 88

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CHAPTER 1: BACKGROUND 1.1. Nepal: contextual demographics and policies 1.1.1. Socio-economic background Nepal is a landlocked, Himalayan country in South Asia with 28.98 million people (2016)1. Recently Nepal has made a big political shift from centralized governance to the federal system with 7 provinces, 77 districts and 753 local units2,3. A multiethnic and multicultural nation, it is also one of the least developed countries (LCD)4 with per capita GDP of 682.2 USD (2016)5. Although the country has evolved from an isolated, agrarian society to a more economically liberal society with ample progresses in economic growth (poverty reduction) and literacy rate (education), a large disparity in the rates of poverty by gender, social group and geographical area do still exists4. Absolute poverty is measured at 21.6 percent and is among the highest in South Asia4. Similarly, despite achievements, Nepal is at the bottom of the countries with middle human development status. On education front, whilst primary education enrollment has significantly improved over the years, the situation of enrollment and retention at the tertiary level is dire. Also, gender disparity in access to tertiary education exists and needs to be reduced4.

Most of Nepal’s population live in rural villages that are difficult to reach and, thus, lack adequate public health services and easy access to quality education. A significant population in Nepal do not have access to political participation and representation to public affairs due to poor economic and social conditions, social stigma and lack of access to information, among other reasons. Poor, marginalized and vulnerable population, in particular, are not only deprived of economic opportunities but also suffer from general neglect by the state.

Socio-economic development in Nepal has been affected by the instability in the political scenarios and lately, by two major natural disasters. On April 2015, an earthquake caused large-scale damage and destruction. Nearly 9,000 people died, 22,309 injured and 700,000 families displaced, with many still in temporary shelters6. As the country was recovering from the staggering impact of the earthquake, in August 2017, the country, particularly the Terai terrains was hit by the flood, impacting a total of 1.7 million people7. Some communities in Rautahat, Banke, Bardiya, Mahottari, Dhanusa and Saptari districts remain inaccessible by road7,8. The earthquakes, floods and the landslides have not only made many people homeless but also magnified pre-existing issues in healthcare access, affordability and availability, and significantly added to peoples’ economic burden.

1.1.2. Current educational and Health care policies of Nepal The Constitution of Nepal 20159 has ensured the right of every citizen to free basic health services and access to basic education. It has also indicated to make a provision of a special arrangement of an easy

19 access to health and education for women, dalit and the indigent citizens. Special provisions in education, health, employment, housing and social security have been made for the families of the martyrs, people forced to disappear during the war, disabled and injured people in all people's movements and conflict victims.

Similarly, Higher Education Policy 207210 facilitates the accessibility of people from geographical region that lags behind in higher education including women, indigenous groups, Dalit, Madhesi community, disabled citizens and poor and marginalized community to higher education through programmes such as scholarships, concessional loans and provision for self-earning for studying.

Inclusive Education Policy (IEP) 207311 aims to provide equitable access to opportunities for quality education to the children with disabilities for which Policy 8.1 provisions for free education opportunities at all levels. The IEP also aims to provide skill and employment-oriented education to the people with disabilities. Policy provision 8.7 ensures green skills-based education according to the nature of disabilities. Similarly, provision 8.10 makes the right of disabled citizen real and functional by ensuring disable-friendly education. For this provision 8.11 underscores generation of database on disability for researches and formulation of plans on inclusive education. A policy provision to establish “Inclusive Education Council” for ensuring the rights of disabled citizens as well as ameliorate inclusive education with time has been established.

Ministry of Education has made continued efforts to bring reform in school education through various programmes in different points of time. Basic Primary Education Programme (BPEP), the Education for All (2001- 2015)12, School Sector Reform Plan (SSRP)13 and recently the School Sector Development Plan (SSDP) are the major projects that have been implemented to ensure access, quality and equity to education for children.

Over the years, national budget for education has increased from 3.5% (2009) to 4% (2016) in which school education gets the highest share of 85% with 79% for basic education and 9% for secondary education. The net enrollment ratio (NER) in primary education, in 2015, stood at 96.2%5.

With regards to peoples’ health, National Health Policy (NHP) 2048 (1991 AD)14 suggested the policy framework with primary objective of extending and strengthening the primary health care system to the rural population. Revised NHP 207115 adopted the Universal Health coverage approach integrating it within the broader National Health Sector Strategy (NHSS), 2015 – 2020 (MoH 2016). At the moment, NHP 207416 has been drafted to reflect the spirit of the Constitution of Nepal 2015 and is under the review process. According to National Annual Review 2017 of Ministry of Health, relevant laws and regulations including Public Health Act, Drug Act and Tuberculosis Act will be amended as required in the new federal structure of Nepal (MoH 2017).17

The draft NHP 2074 has a provision to provide second and third level health services (Specialist Service) through Health Insurance based on the principle of social justice and cover the premium of health insurance of the underprivileged groups and integrating family health with sex and reproductive health. Other strategies include the integration of youth friendly health services in all health service organizations and school health programmes.

Similarly, the NHP has also tried to integrate health education programme with educational institutions. An Integrated Urban Health System has been envisioned targeting urban poor and marginalized group. These measures which were introduced under National Health Policy 2071 and Nepal Health Sector Strategy (2015-2020 AD)18 have increased the accessibility of health services in the country (NPC 2017)19. The government has been providing free basic health care including 70 types of basic medicines to the poor and marginalized people to get free treatment facilities for some acute diseases related to heart and kidney. Pregnant women get transport allowances for delivery (NPC 2017)19. National Immunization Programme (NIP) of Nepal government has contributed substantially in reducing morbidity and mortality among children and mothers from vaccine preventable diseases and thus, helped in achieving Millennium Development Goals 4 and 5 in Nepal (DoHS 2017)20.

The Constitution of Nepal 2015, under Article 51, has emphasized the private sector investment in education and health as well as increasing state’s investment on those sectors along with regulation and management of such investments.

Public and Private Partnership (PPP) in Nepal The PPP Policy, 2015 aims to leverage resources from the private sector to enhance the quality of services, increase the productivity, reduce costs and distribute the risks across private and public-sectors. In 2011, National Planning Commission (NPC) introduced three main models of PPP: revenue-based, availability-based, and hybrid model. The availability-based model is particularly applicable in health and education sector to allow private party to receive revenues from the payments of the public partner or government body. These PPP models offer opportunities for people to ensure the rights to healthcare and education. Nevertheless, lack of standards in partnership structures and effective supervision and monitoring have questioned the sustainability of partnerships (MoHP 2015).21

Public and Private Partnership (PPP) in Health Although the constitution has guaranteed the right to healthcare, the public healthcare systems in Nepal is still under-resourced. The PPP model in this context is vital to provide good health care to the public. One of the recent examples of the PPP between the Ministry of Health and a non-governmental organization is Nyaya Health Nepal 2016 to manage and expand healthcare services at Charikot Primary Health Center in Dolakha district. Other examples of the PPP in health care services in Nepal include:

Health Sector Reform Programme- - Contracting-out model for maintenance of medical Implementation Plan (NHSP-IP), Ministry of Health equipment to a private sector The USAID funded Nepal Family Health - NFHP II and Lomus collaboration on chlorhexidine Porgramme (NFHP) II of Ministry of Health and manufacturing Population on the usage of Chlorhexidine for cord - Reduction of neonatal mortality rate in Nepal by care 24%

Public and Private Partnership (PPP) in Education Some examples of the PPP in education in Nepal include:

Service - Basic and Primary Education Programme II: GoN provides support to community-based Contracting early childhood development centers - National Center for Educational Development is outsourcing the delivery of teacher training from the private organizations - CTEVT is providing training of trainers (TOT) for the trainers of the private training institutes - Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry trade schools Management - Little Angel’s School took over the management of a school and increased the Contract enrollment of students from 70 to 1,300, of which 30 are visually impaired children Demand-side - Manmohan Memorial Polytechnic is operated by Manmohan Memorial Foundation in a Financing tri-party agreement with the government of Nepal, Indian organization and CTEVT

1.2. SOS Children’s Villages, its programmes and the need for assessment 1.2.1. SOS Children’s Villages SOS Children’s Villages (CV) International is a child-centered development organization that provides family based alternative care and strengthening the families for children who are deprived of parental care or those at the risk of losing parental care. The programmes and services are delivered through alternative care, schools, health centers, family strengthening programmes, and other community-based activities. The programmes are hugely supported by the sponsors, donors, institutional and corporate partners worldwide. SOS CV was founded in Austria by Hermann Gmeiner, with the first SOS CV based in Imst, Austria in 1949. Since then, SOS CV has expanded its work across the world; today, SOS works in 135 different countries providing a home base to hundreds and thousands of children and supporting their development through different programmes and facilities. In Nepal, SOS CV was established in 1972 at Sanothimi as the first CV. At present, there are 10 SOS CVs, 10 youth facilities, 1 SOS Kindergarten, 7 Hermann Gmeiner Schools, 12 Family Strengthening programmes (FSPs), 3 Vocational Training Centers (VTCs), 1 Medical Center (MC) and Emergency response programmes. A total of 43 programmes are running in SOS CV in Nepal.

1.2.2. Health and Education assessment and its need Education and health have featured strongly in the SOS CV programmes. Historically, education and health facilities were built to serve the SOS families who lacked access to affordable quality education and health services. These facilities included SOS Kindergartens, Hermann Gmeiner Schools, SOS Vocational Training Centers and SOS Medical Centers. Since the establishment of the first SOS CV in 1972, a lot of other programmes have been added in different parts of Nepal. Over the years, the scope of SOS’s programmes have expanded beyond SOS families to include prevention and support through family strengthening and a range of other alternative care options.

Nepal, similar to the other countries of the world, has undergone a lot of changes over the years in socio- economic and overall development fronts. The need to evaluate the changes and their impact on the SOS’s mission, vision and plans is essential to pave the way for future. Effective planning of the funds and running costs to sustain the changing nature of the programmes also require a review of the existing programmes. This H&E assessment is geared to that direction to respond to the changing conditions of the society and find solutions for sustenance. The H&E assessment was conducted in 11 different SOS centers (7 schools, 3 training centers and 1 medical center) of Nepal.

1.3. Objectives of the assessment The assessment is chiefly aimed at evaluating the ‘range and reach’ of the services and is expected to pave way for future decisions, and thus, seeks to answer: • if the facility is reaching to an acceptable number of beneficiaries from the programme’s target group; • if SOS Children’s Village programme, the government or another stakeholder is best placed to provide the services that the facility is delivering; • whether the operation of the facility, including maintenance and renovation can be self-sustained in the long-run.

CHAPTER 2: ASSESSMENT METHODOLOGY The methods employed for the assessment of Health and Education (H&E) programmes of SOS Nepal were predominantly qualitative, and involved interviews, discussions and interactions with the relevant stakeholders and beneficiaries, including both internal co-workers and external stakeholders. Quantitative information of the SOS programmes and similar programmes of the government and privately run facilities were also collected. Specific methods used in the assessment is provided below.

2.1. Data sources and sampling Data sources: Primary data sources were the project heads of the respective SOS projects, principals of the seven Herman Gmeiner School, persons in-charge of the MC, NTC and respective VTCs. Teachers, parents and students (current and ex-students/graduates) of the schools, staff of the MC, NTC and VTCs, patients receiving services from the MC were other key sources of information.

In addition to the stakeholders directly connected to the SOS (internal) mentioned above, stakeholders outside of SOS were also included as respondents. In order to explore the local education and health scenario, to identify the best placed stakeholders to fill the gap(s) in H&E sector, information was obtained from one private and one government school/ healthcare/ training facility in the vicinity of the respective SOS center. Information was also collected from the relevant government stakeholders, such as, the Mayors and District Education Officers, Health Officers (DEOs/ DHOs) and the Joint Secretary of the Ministry of Education to get their perspectives on the study.

Sampling: Selection of the Herman Gmeiner School principals, in-charges of MC, VTCs and NTC and Government stakeholders involved purposive sampling methods. Selection of teachers, students, graduates, parents and staff was done using convenience sampling by the responsible or the assigned member(s) of each facility (assigned by SOS Nepal and respective facility). The clients of the MC were selected using convenience sampling available on the site.

2.2. Data collection methods The following methods were used for data collection:

a) Key Informant Interview (KII) KIIs were carried out to collect detailed information about each SOS project, and each government and private facility (the other facilities in the area) to assess their financial self-

sufficiency, capacity to provide high quality services and long-term commitment to supply the services as per the need of the target group in the field area.

Both quantitative and qualitative information were collected using the pre-designed structured questionnaires in the KIIs with the principals of the Herman Gmeiner Schools, in-charges of the MC, VTCs and NTC and the principals and in-charges of other facilities (private and government education/health/training facilities) in the vicinity. A total of 32 KIIs were conducted.

b) Focus Group Discussion (FGD) FGDs were conducted to assess stakeholders’ views on the quality of SOS programmes, their impact in the community, services delivered by the SOS facility, how SOS projects compare with other similar facilities in the locality and possible pathways for financial sustainability in future. Question prompts were designed for the FGDs. FGDs were conducted separately with teachers, parents and graduates (ex-students) of each Herman Gmeiner School, the staff of the MC and the teachers and graduates (ex-students) of the VTCs. A total of 25 FGDs were conducted.

c) In-Depth Interview (IDI) IDIs were conducted with the local government stakeholders, such as, Mayors and DEO/ DHO (or acting government official). The Joint Secretary of the Ministry of Education was also interviewed. The interviews were aimed at exploring the health and education scenario in the locality (district) and government’s activities and plans in these sectors typically with regards to the vulnerable children. The interviews also intended to explore possible future collaboration with the local and federal government authorities for financial sustainability. A total of 17 IDIs were conducted. d) Interactions Interactions were conducted with the students in each school. The purpose of the interaction was to understand the quality of the schools from students’ perspectives, explore their expectations and satisfaction from and with SOS Hermann Gmeiner Schools. Students from both target and non-target groups were included in the interaction. A total of 7 interactions (one per school) were conducted. e) Client Satisfaction Interviews Client Satisfaction Interviews were conducted with eleven patients of SOS MC in Bardiya to assess their satisfaction and perceptions about the services delivered by the center, and to investigate their opinions on the need for improvement, if any.

All the FGDs and interactions, and a few IDIs were audio-recorded with the consent of the participants.

The checklist of all activities conducted to assess each SOS centers, and the number of participants in each activity is presented in Appendix I.

2.3. Data analysis and reporting of the findings The information obtained from the KIIs were entered into the worksheet developed by SOS International with the built-in formula and assessment mechanisms; accordingly, the analysis was performed.

The FGDs, interactions and IDIs that were recorded, were transcribed. Each transcription and relevant field notes were carefully and repeatedly read by the researchers; the data were managed and analyzed using a framework method. Deductive approach to derive the information on the pre-selected themes based on the research questions was used. The pre-selected themes included:

a) Target group beneficiaries- reach and implications b) Service quality and institutional credibility c) Best placed stakeholder- SOS, Government or Private d) Pathways for sustainability

CHAPTER 3. ASSESSMENT OUTCOMES

The findings related to each of the SOS center is presented in detail hereafter.

3.1. SOS Hermann Gmeiner Schools

Overall context: SOS Hermann Gmeiner Schools were established primarily to provide education to the children living in the SOS Children’s Villages, typically, in areas that lacked access to affordable, quality education. The services have now been expended to other children of the community as well. In the current context, the community children at large are receiving education in the Hermann Gmeiner Schools, nonetheless, education of the poor and vulnerable children of the community, alongside the children of SOS Children’s Villages, remains Hermann Gmeiner Schools’ top priority.

The schools aim to:

• provide quality child-centered education from basic to higher secondary levels to promote their relevant and potential knowledge and skills; • ensure that children are properly equipped to meet their basic and contemporary educational needs so as to lead a dignified life; • prepare higher secondary level students for tertiary education and make them capable as middle level human resources in the job market; • prepare students for high end scientific and technical occupations through higher study such as medical sciences, engineering sciences, management, teaching and research; • instill in them a sense of social responsibility and commitment to the development of nation.

A brief overview of all the seven schools assessed, their specific contexts and the findings from the assessment are presented below.

3.1.1. Hermann Gmeiner School Surkhet 3.1.1.1. Overview Established in 1988, Hermann Gmeiner School Surkhet is located in Birendranagar Municipality- 4 of Surkhet district, the capital of Province 6. The school lies within the premises of SOS Children’s Villages in the north-eastern outskirt of the Surkhet Valley. The school initially started with classes from Nursery to three in 1988 was gradually upgraded to become a full-fledged secondary school in 1996. It started higher secondary (+2) level classes (management stream) in 2006.

Birendranagar Municipality consists of approximately 52,000 population (Census, 2011). The school is surrounded by 5 wards of the municipality which are the primary catchment areas of the school. About 60% of people in this area are from middle class and there is a significant proportion (40%) of Tharu Community in ward 2 and 3 of which almost 40% was estimated to be below poverty line. Similarly, in ward 1, 2 and 5, approximately 35% of the total population was reported to be from Dalit community and 70% of them were estimated to be under the poverty line. A significant proportion of the population in the area is, therefore, socio-economically poor and vulnerable.

For the past three years, the school has been operating in its full capacity. The capacity utilization for the years 2017, 2016 and 2015 were 109%, 100% and 114% respectively. The enrolment figures are: 699 students in 2017, 643 in 2016 and 627 in 2015. Similarly, 29, 28 and 27 teachers were employed in the years 2017, 2016 and 2015 respectively (Table 1).

3.1.1.2. Findings Target group beneficiaries- reach and implications Enrollment of target group beneficiaries in Hermann Gmeiner School Surkhet in the past three years was reported lower than the number specified in the SOS policy. In the year 2017, only 19.5% of the students were from the target group. This number was a slight increase from the number of the previous two years i.e. 18.7% in 2016 and 17.7% in 2015.

According to the respondents, Hermann Gmeiner School Surkhet was considered a pioneer institution in the field of education in Surkhet and it has contributed highly to the society. Its graduates are among high profile professionals in different fields, such as doctors, engineers, businessmen, academics and researchers. The graduates who participated in the FGD were the individuals working in all walks of life and were successful professionals themselves. This exemplifies the contribution of Hermann Gmeiner School, not only on the individual lives of the people who studied there but also to the society at large.

The SOS ‘brand’ was reported to have helped its students to further their careers. Due to SOS’s national and international recognition, students from SOS Hermann Gmeiner School have received scholarships and faced less hurdles in their career path compared to students from other schools. Graduates who were in the SOS Children’s Villages mentioned that in addition to better education and opportunities,

SOS school also helped them to get along and grow with other kids in a mixed environment and be accomplished citizens. The students, both past and present, reported that as the students of Hermann Gmeiner School Surkhet, they felt motivated and committed to give back to the society.

Service quality and institutional credibility The service quality and institutional credibility of Hermann Gmeiner School Surkhet was reported high by the majority of stakeholders and it was considered as a credible school for quality education and contributory to the social development (welfare) of the people in Surkhet. Representatives of the local and federal governments perceived Hermann Gmeiner School Surkhet as the ‘best’ school, not only in Surkhet and Province 6 but the entire Mid-Western region of Nepal.

“In the field of education, this (Hermann Gmeiner School Surkhet) is the best in whole Mid- Western region. According to Nepal Government grading system, it falls on the A+ category” (Ward Chair Person, Ward-4, Birendranagar, Surkhet)

Infrastructures, educational excellence, qualified and competent teachers, good teaching and learning environment were the key highlights of the Hermann Gmeiner School according to the students and the parents. The IT enabled classrooms (for example, use of smart board in classrooms) and availability of computers and IT based systems for information delivery were the key features that impressed and attracted them to the school. Graduates of the school defined education they received in Hermann Gmeiner School as “education without tear and fear”. Similarly, a good network between students, teachers, administration, management and parents was reported to create a sound environment for quality education in Hermann Gmeiner School Surkhet.

The teachers felt proud and highly respected in the society for being a part of a reputed social organization such as SOS. However, they raised concerns about the recent reduction in facilities, inadequate training opportunities and lack of raise in their pay scale.

Best placed stakeholder- SOS, government or private Three government and 7 private schools were reported to be present in the vicinity of Herman Gmeiner School Surkhet; nonetheless, Hermann Gmeiner School Surkhet was reported to have a distinct place, and considered at the present context, the ‘best placed’ institution in the locality for providing quality education and in addressing the need of poor and vulnerable population of the community. The respondents reported Hermann Gmeiner School ‘incomparable’ with any other schools of the area and it also scored higher in terms of accessibility and functional capacity, quality of services and governing guidelines and credibility compared to the government and private school assessed (Table 2).

Government schools in the locality were reported lacking infrastructures and to have low performances of the students. Head teacher of the government school in the sample also admitted lack of adequate

29 infrastructure and human resources in government schools to comfortably accommodate the students enrolled in their school. There were as many as 126 students in grade 6 in a single class. Capacity utilization of the government school in the sample was calculated 139% (Figure 1); and, a teacher was handling about 27 students whereas the student teacher ratio in Hermann Gmeiner School was 22:1 (Figure 2). The head teacher of the government school also indicated lack of proper management of the school and that the low motivation and enthusiasm amongst its teachers have consequently affected the quality of education in the government schools.

Similar impression was reported about the private schools in Surkhet. Despite the higher tuition fees and other charges, private schools in Surkhet were reported to have inadequate infrastructure and carelessness in the health of children and sanitation in schools. More importantly, private schools were reported to be driven by profit.

“We are profitable (institution). We need Welfare (driven institutions such as Hermann Gmeiner School)” (Principal, Private School).

Capacity utilization of the private school assessed was calculated significantly less (77%) than that of the government and Hermann Gmeiner School Surkhet (Figure 1). Similarly, the burden to the teacher was high; in the private school assessed a teacher had a responsibility of about 36 students (Figure 2).

Hermann Gmeiner School Surkhet was recognized as a welfare driven school providing quality education to the target group children in a safe and child friendly environment.

“In welfare area, private sector (similar to government) is also lagging behind. SOS is entirely welfare driven” (Acting DEO, Department of Education, Surkhet)

The participants felt that government and other institutions should learn from Hermann Gmeiner School Surkhet.

“What we want is, SOS should lead and set example (for the education sector in Surkhet).” (Acting DEO, Surkhet)

In Birendranagar-4, Bhairabsthan, Kopila Valley School has been in operation since 2010. It was established as a Kopila Valley Children home, in 2008 to provide home for children affected by extreme poverty, harsh labor conditions and severe economic inequality. Whilst Kopila Valley School was reported to be a welcome addition to help address the needs of vulnerable children of the society and widen the coverage, the project, was stated to be mostly focused on children from the Dalit community. The need and place of Hermann Gmeiner School Surkhet was, thus, still regarded crucial to include the children from other communities.

Pathways for sustainability The implications of possible fund crunch and future sustainability were discussed with all participants. In all the discussions, the need to continue Hermann Gmeiner School Surkhet was emphasized. Efforts have been made to increase the local fund and this has reached 63%; the international funding of 32% was reported for the year 2017 (Figure 3). This indicates that the school is gradually heading towards financial-independency. Teachers and the principal stated that sustainability of the programmes in the long run is possible provided that some flexibility and a bit of autonomy is granted to generate funds for the school. Some of the possible strategies suggested by them include:

• Increasing fees (nominal) for the fee-paying students, • Building a few extra classrooms and extending the higher secondary (+2) level programmes to include more subjects, • Adding transportation (bus) facilities, to attract students (target and non-target group) living at a distance. The parents felt that due to its recognition in the community, Hermann Gmeiner School will not have difficulty in sustaining. They stated that community will be willing to support and contribute to the school by paying “a little more” money for their children’s education in Hermann Gmeiner School Surkhet, in case of fund crunch to the school in the future. Finding local sponsors, donors and loan without interest to build infrastructure to extend the facilities were suggested as the possible ways to address sustainability. The graduates also expressed their willingness to support the school from their side if the school comes with concrete plans and strategies.

The government stakeholders also expressed their interest and readiness for partnership and collaboration with the Hermann Gmeiner School. A certain level of collaboration with the government was reported to be already in place, for example, government monitoring the school, providing trainings to the teachers and involvement of Government officials in SOS’s teachers’ selection process. It was reported that the present government was not in a position to directly invest or fund SOS, but could provide operational and behavioral support. However, such an informal mode of collaboration is not adequate for sustained partnership but requires a more systematic approach and concrete plan of action. Private school principal also shared his readiness to collaborate with Hermann Gmeiner School typically in teaching-learning mechanisms (or models) but not on the financial side.

The handover of Hermann Gmeiner School Surkhet to government was not considered as an immediate option by the stakeholders. In case of the handover, it was speculated, that the government might not be able to run the school maintaining its high quality standards and Hermann Gmeiner School’s image could be severely hampered. The standard of SOS Hermann Gmeiner School was perceived “so high” and replication of its quality by the government was reported “unaffordable in the present context”. Stable political situation and strong government mechanisms in place were reported to be the critical foundations for the government to take over the entire responsibility in the future.

“Our government mechanisms have not yet become capable. …. If (in future) the local level becomes able... (after certain years) if we (government and SOS) are able meet at a certain point…only then Government can take responsibility. To reach there it might still take 8-10 years. If private sector, non- governmental and governmental sector does not work together it will be difficult” (Acting DEO, Surkhet)

3.1.2. Hermann Gmeiner School Sanothimi 3.1.2.1. Overview Hermann Gmeiner School Sanothimi was established in 1973 with an aim to provide child-centered quality education. The school is located adjacent to the SOS CV Sanothimi, in Bhaktapur district (Province 3), approximately 10 km east of Kathmandu. Established as one of the ancillary facilities of the SOS CV in Nepal, it has played a pioneering role in the development of SOS Hermann Gmeiner Schools in Nepal. Initially established as an elementary school with almost all of its students from SOS CV, it operated as a lower secondary school until 1979. Gradually, it was upgraded to a secondary school and became a higher secondary school in 1998.

Capacity utilization of this school for the years 2017, 2016 and 2015 were 107%, 101% and 100% respectively and the enrollment figures of the students for the same years were recorded as 942, 886 and 882 respectively. Similarly, 46, 44 and 47 teachers were employed in the years 2017, 2016 and 2015 respectively (Table 1).

3.1.2.2. Findings Target group beneficiaries- reach and implications Target group beneficiaries’ enrollment in Hermann Gmeiner School Sanothimi in the past three years was reported lower than the number specified in the SOS policy. Only 12%, 10% and 12% of children were from the target group in the years 2015, 2016 and 2017 respectively. Number of children from family-based care (FBC) and family strengthening programme (FSP) has also declined in the past three years (Table 1).

Bhaktapur was more ‘rural’ at the time of establishment of Hermann Gmeiner School Sanothimi. Due to its proximity to Kathmandu and the overall urbanization trends in the past few decades, it has now become a part of the big city. Socio-economic situation of people has also improved over the years. This kind of change in the demography was referred as the potential reason for the decline in the number of students from the target group. However, principal of the school stated that the low number of students from the target group was not due to the lack of target population in the community but due to the lack

32 of information about the objectives of the Hermann Gmeiner School among the target groups. The (vulnerable) people, she mentioned, were not aware that the school provided facilities for them.

The contribution of Hermann Gmeiner School Sanothimi to the society and its people was widely appreciated among all respondents. Graduates of the school reported that Hermann Gmeiner School Sanothimi provided them with a strong foundation. A former SOS CV child stated “Hermann Gmeiner School Sanothimi provided us all the opportunities he has today”. The environment (culture) where they mingled with each other and one another provided them sound socializing skills. “SOS products” they reported, were “competent” and “highly valued” in the society. Success stories of the students from target group were shared and those successes were attributed to the contribution of Hermann Gmeiner School Sanothimi.

Service quality and institutional credibility Hermann Gmeiner School Sanothimi was recognized as a high quality education provider until now. Its quality was rated ‘good’ in the past and present context. Some respondents, however, showed their concerns about the maintenance of the quality in the last few years and emphasized the need for its improvement.

The graduates of the school stated that Hermann Gmeiner School Sanothimi was known for providing quality education at a lower price (or free, in the earlier times), and a sound environment for education. Parents also praised the “previous free education easily accessible to the locals”. Teachers reported that Hermann Gmeiner School Sanothimi was a “grand success”. It has been the first choice of the students to pursue higher secondary level education in science stream. Well maintained facilities, infrastructure, disciplined environment, extracurricular activities, such as sports along with regular studies, computer education, good library, motivated teachers were reported as the highlights of the Hermann Gmeiner School Sanothimi. The government stakeholders also rated the quality of Hermann Gmeiner School Sanothimi higher, particularly, in terms of education, infrastructure and other facilities. The ward member considered it “a very good school” and “very essential” for the community. Students (current) were happy and satisfied with education and other services that they were receiving from the school.

The students (both present and past) felt that the school provided them life skills, and they have been able to improve their personality skills, confidence level and socialization skills. They reported that the school promoted learning without fear and favor. The bonding between students and teachers was highlighted as one of the key features of the school. Current students also mentioned that they received Adolescence Education at the school. Female students mentioned that they received adequate support from their friends during menstruation, and were able to talk freely with their teachers regarding personal health and hygiene issues.

Despite the praises in quality, a concern whether Hermann Gmeiner School Sanothimi will be able to maintain quality in future was expressed, particularly by the teachers and parents. Although the teachers felt happy and proud to be associated with the school, they stated that their initial enthusiasm might gradually decline due to lack of adequate facilities and incentives to commensurate with their performance and current inflation rate. Professional development training for the teachers was also reported to have been reduced over the years.

“In terms of education quality…. education (quality) is not bad, its fine! But the thing is, when I observe, I feel if its quality has degraded compared to the past… my observation. Slightly compared to the past.. if we draw a line..its stepping down gradually.. I feel that! Nonetheless, I like its education system. Because they do not emphasise the rote learning, they don’t give burden to the children. There is an environment for a child to be self-motivated.” (Parent, Hermann Gmeiner School Sanothimi)

Concern over the lack of parents-teachers interaction and lack of job satisfaction among the teachers were some other concerns raised by the parents. Teachers’ motivation and dedication towards their profession were questioned. A need for “active working culture” amongst teachers and seriousness in the management team to address the teachers’ concerns were suggested as the way out to maintain its quality. Revising the salary and incentive package to motivate teachers was perceived essential.

“Educational quality is good but it is degrading these days. Teachers go on strike sometimes. PTA (Parents Teachers Association) has not been formed yet. Teachers should let us (parents) know if they are troubled in any ways. … There are teachers with low qualifications but still teaching higher classes. (Our) complaints are not addressed well. We have noticed errors in publishing results. There are plenty of spare classes due to the absence of teachers.” (Parent, Hermann Gmeiner School Sanothimi)

Concerns over the upbringing of some children of the SOS Children’s Villages Sanothimi were also raised by the parents.

“The children in the village have high quality facilities but the way they are trained in their handling, is poor. They should be shaped well. Some mothers of the Children’s Villages are not well- disciplined. Some smoke and they do not seem to be aware of how their behavior affects the children’s growth. If this continues village kids might become a bit problematic in future.” (Parent, Hermann Gmeiner School Sanothimi)

The current students felt that the school should initiate fruitful collaboration with other national and international schools and promote students’ learning and sharing of experience. Furthermore, they felt a need to make extracurricular activities more inclusive to provide opportunities to all students, arrange bus facilities for students and computer classes for higher secondary students.

Best placed stakeholder- SOS, government or private Four government and four private schools were reported to be in operation in the vicinity of Hermann Gmeiner School Sanothimi. One government and one private schools were visited as a part of the assessment. The quantitative assessment revealed that government and private schools fared better than Hermann Gmeiner School Sanothimi in terms of service quality, accessibility and functional capacity; however, Hermann Gmeiner School Sanothimi was rated higher in terms of governing guidelines and credibility. Overall, it was placed in the third best position (Table 2). In the qualitative assessment, nonetheless, the respondents emphasized that Hermann Gmeiner School Sanothimi was indispensable for the holistic development of students and its presence is necessary to address the needs of the marginalized community and the families that can afford only limited amount of fees.

The capacity utilization and the student teacher ratio of the government school assessed was similar to that of Hermann Gmeiner School Sanothimi. The capacity utilization of the government school was 104% and Hermann Gmeiner School Sanothimi for 2017 was 107% (Figure 1). However, the student teacher ratio in Hermann Gmeiner School Sanothimi was ignorantly less (18:1) than the government school (27:1). Whilst both the government and Hermann Gmeiner School Sanothimi were found to have slightly overutilized their resources, the resources of the private school were underutilized with the capacity utilization of only 71% (Figure 1). A teacher in the private school was handling about 18 students in a class (Figure 2). The figures also indicate that compared to the private school, Hermann Gmeiner School Sanothimi and the government school were preferred by the parents and students.

Qualitative assessment indicates that Hermann Gmeiner School Sanothimi is still better in terms of quality education than the government school. Government’s ability to upgrade the education quality and to effectively address the needs of poor and vulnerable population was questioned by the participants. Despite the government’s commitment about free education and enactment of different policies to better the education scenario, the participants reported that they saw no visible improvements in government schools, and neither any government initiated efforts to improve education in the locality. They said that everything was in paper and they think that it would take a long time for the government to fully implement the policies in practice. Respondents also mentioned that private schools were too focused on the exam scores (rather than in holistic development of children) and highly commercial guided by the profit. Hermann Gmeiner School, on the contrary, was reported to be focused on holistic development of children and a place for quality education opportunities for the children of marginalized and needy communities. The Mayor of Bhaktapur perceived Hermann Gmeiner School as a “model school” and rated it “better in comparison to government as well as private schools”. The need of more schools like Hermann Gmeiner School to provide quality education to the vulnerable children of the society was stated.

“Government have high budget and funding for health and education development, but scenario is very disappointing. They lack proper implementation of rules and regulations. Similarly, there is a commercialization in private sector education, only focusing on the academic excellence and are driven by profit. SOS student-teacher go hand-in-hand in the teaching learning process for the holistic development of the students.” (Graduates, Hermann Gmeiner School Sanothimi)

“In my view, SOS system lies in between the private and public school system. Private education is based on rote learning and in public school, quality is very low-and less effort is seen in the system. Whereas, SOS have a quality education where liberty and experiential learning is possible. (Student, Hermann Gmeiner School Sanothimi)

In the light of the contributions made by Hermann Gmeiner School Sanothimi to the target group children of the community (and community at large) and the responses made by the participants during the assessment, Hermann Gmeiner School Sanothimi is regarded as an important place for the children coming from poor and marginalized community.

Pathways for sustainability Hermann Gmeiner School Sanothimi was found to be gradually moving towards the path of self- sustainability. The international funding in relation to expenditure was calculated as 6% in year 2017, 22% in 2016 and 29% in 2015. The local funding in relation to the expenditure was high at 82% (Figure 3).

Respondents suggested various strategies to make Hermann Gmeiner School Sanothimi sustainable in the long run. Key ideas floated by them included, raising the tuition fee (gradual), raising the local fund, donations from graduates, increasing the number of students per class, exploring the local and international scholarships (for the target group children), enhancing the quality of education and expanding its services.

Parents, however, stated that “increasing the fees is not a solution”. The graduates showed their enthusiasm to support the school from their side. They suggested that creating a formal alumni network; strong alumni, they thought, would give a strong platform to discuss ways to help SOS and to bring those discussions into action.

The teachers felt it challenging to maintain 30% target group, and at the same time reach 100% sustainability. They felt “extra support” would be necessary to achieve and maintain 30% target group. Teachers suggested that SOS policies need to be flexible so that decisions can be made at the local level to generate fund. They felt that providing autonomy to school was necessary to make plan for the next 5-10 years with the involvement of all stakeholders to ensure sustainability. A need for setting clear goals and visions by the SOS for its schools in Nepal was emphasized; similarly, the need for

36 proper management of human resources within SOS to better utilize the fund in the service of the target group was reported to be necessary.

The graduates were strictly against the idea of government interfering with the school management and were skeptic about the prospect of collaborating with the government or handing over the school to the government. They emphasized that the management of the school should not “go to the hands of the “third party”, and that the management should essentially be based on the “SOS System”. Teachers also felt that government would not be able to maintain the standard of SOS Hermann Gmeiner School. However, collaboration with government for fund generation was perceived a possible option.

The Mayor of the municipality expressed the possibility of both collaboration and handover. The ward chair, however, had a different opinion. He reported that, because the local government was recently formed, there was still confusion about the exact policies for collaboration or handover. The possible mechanisms and support, he stated, should be discussed with the school authority as well as the government at the higher level to find the appropriate modality. Both the officials, however, shared their enthusiasm to support the school in any way they can for its sustainability and survival.

3.1.3. Hermann Gmeiner School Bharatpur 3.1.3.1. Overview Located in Bharatpur-8, Gaurigunj Chitwan, Hermann Gmeiner School Bharatpur was established in 2004 with Nursery to Grade five and upgraded to high school in 2007. It added higher secondary (+2) level (science stream) in 2008. The prime beneficiaries of the Hermann Gmeiner School Bharatpur include the children from SOS CV Bharatpur, target group children from the community, local students and the children of the staff of Hermann Gmeiner School.

Bharatpur is one of the fastest growing cities of Nepal. It is a home of the migrant communities from all over Nepal and a large number of indigenous communities including Tharu, Darai and Chepang. Most people in the school’s catchment area depend on their daily wages and there are also people from middle class, upper middle class, urban poor and slum dwellers.

The capacity utilization of the school has been gradually increasing over the past three years; the resources as of the present is slightly overutilized. The capacity utilization for the years 2017, 2016 and 2015 were 108%, 106% and 98% respectively. The enrolment figures are: 626 in 2017, 614 in 2016 and 598 in 2015. Similarly, 30, 29 and 28 teachers were reported employed in the years 2017, 2016 and 2015 respectively (Table 1).

3.1.3.2. Findings Target group beneficiaries- reach and implications The school’s contributions to the education of children who have lost their parents, poor, vulnerable and marginalized was widely appreciated by the stakeholders. In addition to providing a secure home and parental care to the children through the Children’s Villages, SOS was reported to provide students quality education, positive motivation and supportive environment in a mixed-culture. The number of target group beneficiaries enrolled in Hermann Gmeiner School Bharatpur, however, was less than specified in SOS policies.

Only 11% of the target group beneficiaries were enrolled in the past three years (2017, 2016 and 2015). The teachers reported that one reason that SOS could not reach the target group was due to the lack of transportation facility for children to come to school. The target group children were reported to live at a distance from the school and making daily commute without transportation facility difficult. Teachers also felt that there was a lack of proactive initiation of the school management to attract students from the target groups. Nonetheless, the participants reported that those children who come to this school from the target group have received good education, and the school has also helped children from the non-target group to realize their dreams. Particularly to the children from economically poor background, the school was reported to have contributed significantly.

Service quality and institutional credibility Hermann Gmeiner School Bharatpur was reported to have a good reputation in the society. Due to its effective management, the quality was reported to be good and its students were rated better in terms of academic achievement, discipline, extracurricular activities and overall performance.

Students (both past and present) of this school were reported not only the best in academic fields, but also to be “critically, analytically and mentally forward” in different fields. The students reported a friendly environment between teachers and students in the school which enabled them to express their views confidently and improve their elocution abilities. They also reported that Hermann Gmeiner School helped its students to be self-reliant and boost their personal development. Parents also felt that students of this school were “more confident” compared to the students of private schools. The graduates felt that the school have made their foundation strong and education they received in the school contributed to their overall development. The teachers stated that among schools of Nepal, SOS was ranked in the 3rd position; and among SOS schools, it was in the 5th position. In terms of achievement the school was reported to fall in the fourth position.

Despite the contributions that the school has made in students’ life, concerns were raised by the participants about the current scenario of teachers’ turnover and lack of motivation.

“In the beginning everything is nice, isn’t it? Accordingly, at inception the teachers I felt were very good. There were teachers with sound academic career (background). At present context, slowly … the teachers have started looking for (other) opportunities. The teachers, we have seen, have migrated .. here and there.. outside.. and mostly abroad.. in foreign countries” (DEO, Bharatpur)

Teachers also expressed dissatisfaction over the remuneration, and they said that number of professional trainings have reduced significantly. The salary scheme (and other benefits) of Hermann Gmeiner School (at present) was reported to be lower than that of public schools. This, they felt, demotivated them to give their best and it had made their own future unsecured. Furthermore, they stated that the constant rumour of “possible closure of Hermann Gmeiner School” have stifled their enthusiasm to work. Teachers’ dissatisfaction was also expressed by the graduates and the parents.

“There is no school that can be compared to SOS. It’s an institution for common people. However, in the present context questions have been raised regarding its quality with reference to the teachers’ motivation and encouragement. The charm of SOS has been reduced.” (Graduate, Hermann Gmeiner School Bharatpur)

“I fully second the opinion that the quality has been an issue now. There is not much communication between school and parents. It looks like the school is operating in isolation. Parents have difficulty receiving even minor information. There should be a provision of Parents Teachers Association. We are concerned that the quality will further degrade.” (Parent, Hermann Gmeiner School Bhaktapur)

For quality appraisal, performance assessment of students who have lived and studied in the SOS Children’s Villages, rather than those who were selected after a tough competition was suggested. Need for teachers training and motivation, upgrading infrastructure and facilities and prioritization of English speaking practices were reported to improve quality.

Best placed stakeholder- SOS, government or private Five private and two government schools were reported to be present around the vicinity of Hermann Gmeiner School Bharatpur. The quantitative assessment indicated the private school in the sample as the best placed institution (Table 2). The private school scored higher in terms of quality, than both Hermann Gmeiner School Bharatpur and the government school included in the sample (Table 2). The parents, in the FGD, also expressed that, in recent times, a large number of private schools in Chitwan, have emerged with a focus on quality education. Some of them were also reported to have strong management.

Similarly, the DEO reported that out of 577 public schools in Bharatpur, 15 to 20 schools were “excellent”. Narayani School, he reported was “one of the best schools in whole development region”. A progressive nature in growth of both private and public schools was mentioned. However, holistic plan to address the need of vulnerable children was reported lacking in public schools due to transitioning political situation.

“Now we are entering into a new federal system; it is quite a new practice for all of us. I guess, (in future) newly formed local government will definitely bring programmes for marginalized community. As we all know, federalism is established to make the situation better. So, I hope there will be better plan and policies in future. But due to lack of different laws we still do not have specific plans for such children (children of target groups).” (- DEO, Bharatpur)

According to the respondents, Hermann Gmeiner School Bharatpur was a choice considering its history, legacy, social values that it carries and its reputation. They think that Hermann Gmeiner School Bharatpur is better than other educational institutions of the community because it offers quality education and it is a social organization that serves the poor and vulnerable population. The student teacher ratio of the three schools revealed that teachers in Hermann Gmeiner School Bharatpur had a less student-load, compared to the private and the government school (Figure 2).

Students teacher ratio of Hermann Gmeiner School Bharatpur was 19:1 in 2017 and it was 23:1 and 33:1 in government and private schools respectively (Figure 2). The capacity utilization indicated that Hermann Gmeiner School was more popular and it scored higher in terms of accessibility and functional capacity than the private and government schools (Table 2). Hermann Gmeiner School Bharatpur also fared better in terms of addressing target group beneficiaries. Therefore, in the present context, Hermann Gmeiner School Bharatpur was perceived as the best placed institution for the children of the target group.

Pathways for sustainability The funding situation of Hermann Gmeiner School Bharatpur indicated that the school was gradually moving towards self-sufficiency. The international funding in the past three years was reported to be 23, 32 and 35 in the years 2017, 2016 and 2015 respectively. A fair share of the local funding (70%) supported its expenditure (Figure 3).

The need for support from society and parents were reported essential for the full operation and sustainability of Hermann Gmeiner School Bharatpur. The participants expressed their willingness to support the school.

“Depending upon the need of the school, parents are ready to provide any kind of help at any time. Accordingly, teachers and management have to be ready (to receive the support).” (Parent, Hermann Gmeiner School Bharatpur)

“We are ready to support the school wholeheartedly (with every means) from our side. We have realized our responsibility to support Hermann Gmeiner School from our side when we have the earning capacity to support” (Graduate, Hermann Gmeiner School Bharatpur)

The deputy mayor felt that 70% of the (fee paying) students could support 30% students from the target group. Attaining sustainability, whilst also incorporating the 30% target group was, however, perceived difficult by the teachers. Constant change in the “leader” was reported to hinder the formation of effective plans and policies for future.

Some possible ways to achieve sustainability as suggested by the participants included; • Stable leadership • Clear policies, plans and goals for Hermann Gmeiner School • Adding new infrastructure, for example, adding more sections (classes) • Running grade 11 and 12 (10+2) in science and management streams • Adding facilities, such as canteen and transportation, to attract more students and to be more inclusive of the target group • Increasing fee for fee paying students • Improving the quality of education to attract students of rich parents

Due to the transitioning political situation and lack of clarity about how the local government will address education at the local level, the DEO said that it is difficult to predict the exact level of support, collaboration or the feasibility of handover. However, government’s support and collaboration for trainings were possible. Furthermore, he expressed his doubts in government’s ability to maintain the quality of Hermann Gmeiner School Bharatpur in case it is handed over to the government mainly because government cannot concentrate its resources only for a particular school. Graduates of the school felt that Hermann Gmeiner School should not be handed over to or partner with the government, and alternatives should be sought.

3.1.4. Hermann Gmeiner School Itahari 3.1.4.1. Overview Hermann Gmeiner School Itahari is located in the outskirts of Itahari in Sunsari district, Province 1 in the eastern part of Nepal. Itahari is the main transportation junction of eastern Nepal and is regarded as the ‘town of emerging importance’. The ethnic composition of Itahari includes 40% Rai and Limbu, 39% Madhesi, 13% Tharu and 1% Dalits.

Hermann Gmeiner School Itahari was established in 1993, following the establishment of SOS Children’s Villages Itahari in 1992. At present it runs classes from nursery to class ten. The 6th programme of SOS Nepal, the primary purpose of Hermann Gmeiner School Itahari, like other Hermann Gmeiner schools, is to serve children without parents or those at risk of losing parents and the poor population of the region.

Hermann Gmeiner School Itahari was running in its full capacity for the past three years. The capacity utilization of the school was calculated as 100%, 103% and 104% in the years 2017, 2016 and 2015 respectively. A total of 559 students in 2017, 579 in 2016 and 583 in 2015 were enrolled in Hermann Gmeiner School Itahari. Similarly, 26, 27 and 27 teachers were working in the years 2017, 2016 and 2015 respectively (Table 1).

3.1.4.2. Findings Target group beneficiaries- reach and implications The primary beneficiaries of Hermann Gmeiner School Itahari included the children from SOS CV Itahari, children of SOS staff, community children (enrolled through merit basis) and children from economically weak family, vulnerable and needy children. Of the total students, 12% of them were from the target group in 2017 and 2016. In 2015, only 11% of the enrollment was from the target group. However, teachers reported that there were many children from the very poor families in the school but they are not necessarily included in the target group.

“There are many (target group children). There are students who are very poor or belong to marginalized group, students whose parents work in brick kilns and depend on daily wages. There are more (target group children) in kinder classes. At least 7-8 students in each class is from target group.” (Teacher, Hermann Gmeiner School Itahari)

Hermann Gmeiner School Itahari has provided educational opportunity to the poor and vulnerable children together with other children of the community. All the respondents appreciated this and they mentioned the need of more ‘children villages’ of that type in their community. Teachers reported that the school has made life changing impacts to the lives of many target group beneficiaries.

The parents reported that Hermann Gmeiner School Itahari has contributed to the development of the entire region; and provided education opportunities to the children, who otherwise would have been

42 deprived of quality education. Additionally, it provided employment opportunities to the local people. The graduates felt that Hermann Gmeiner School Itahari has also provided them the prestige and recognition in the community.

Service quality and institutional credibility Quality of Hermann Gmeiner School Itahari was perceived “good” by one and all including the Deputy Mayor of Itahari and the DEO. Overall educational environment of the school, teaching methodology, teaching learning environment were reported to be of high quality. Furthermore, the outcome of the school (class 9 & 10) was reported ‘good’ and the school was reported to provide a strong base to its students.

Similarly, the students reported their satisfaction with the school and its education. The students, both past and present, stated that SOS education gave them easy access to job opportunities. The current students also think that education from this school will help them to apply for the study abroad program in the future.

“They had opened a vacancy in a boarding school in Biratnagar. They had asked for Masters qualification and at least 2 years of experience. I was in the 3rd year in the undergraduate level. Seeing the certificate from SOS (Hermann Gmeiner School Itahari), even without any experience… they selected me saying, ‘we feel that you are the best’.” (Graduate, Hermann Gmeiner School Itahari)

The teachers felt proud to be a part of SOS Hermann Gmeiner School, an organization that was highly recognized for its services to the poor and needy communities. They reported teaching methodology in SOS was ‘different’; the classes were more ‘project’ focused and there was increased students’ participation in various activities. Parents also reported that their children’s education had improved after coming to Hermann Gmeiner School and they found the quality of education in the school better than in other schools.

“There are extracurricular activities, the teaching learning process is good. The way they make students do their homework is good. The students are given greater responsibility in learning. … Hearing about a lot of good things (about Hermann Gmeiner School Itahari) while I was in Pokhara, I moved to admit my child here” (Parent, Hermann Gmeiner School Itahari)

Concerns were, however, raised by the parents and teachers about the maintenance of quality in the past few years.

“For the last four years, the quality of teachers and the output (of the school) have reduced. May be this is due to the absence of renowned teachers (who were here before).” (Parent, Hermann Gmeiner School Itahari)

Teachers, similarly, reported that for almost nine years, they had not received any subject related or professional trainings, and they expressed dissatisfaction with the management’s failure to address to their needs and concerns.

Best placed stakeholder- SOS, government or private Seven private and three government schools were reported to be in the locality of Hermann Gmeiner School Itahari. The quantitative assessment ranked Hermann Gmeiner School Itahari highest in accessibility, functional capacity and quality compared to the government and private schools assessed, thus positioning it the best placed institution amongst the three (Table 2).

The resources of the government school were underutilized (capacity utilization: 84%), compared to the private school (capacity utilization: 97%) and Hermann Gmeiner School Itahari (capacity utilization: 100%) (Figure 1). The student teacher ratio of the three schools indicated a higher burden to the teachers of the government school compared to the private school and Hermann Gmeiner School Itahari. The student teacher ratio for government, private and Hermann Gmeiner School Itahari was calculated to be 43:1, 26:1 and 22:1 respectively (Figure 2).

The qualitative assessment also indicated that, Hermann Gmeiner School was better than other schools and government and private schools at the moment cannot compete with this school. Furthermore, Hermann Gmeiner School’s role in addressing the need of the vulnerable poor was highly valued. Being a social organization, the recognition of its mission in the society was evident. No other schools (private or government) were reported to provide opportunities for quality education to the vulnerable poor. At the present context, therefore, Hermann Gmeiner School Itahari can be regarded as the best placed stakeholder in terms of providing quality education to the vulnerable poor.

Pathways for sustainability The percentage of the international funding of Hermann Gmeiner School Itahari was only 20% in the year 2017 and the local funding that supported the total expenditure was 66%. This indicates that the school is moving towards financial-self-sufficiency. The international funding had declined by 17% from the previous year. The international funding in relation to the total expenditure in previous years, 2016 and 2015 were calculated as 37% and 33% respectively (Figure 3).

In the qualitative assessment, the participants of the study suggested some possible strategies for financial self-sufficiency and pointed out the areas that needed addressing to reach financial independency. Effective leadership and advertisement of Hermann Gmeiner School’s goodwill for promotion, for example, were identified as key measures for effective planning and implementing mechanisms for sustainability of the school. A disconnect with the community due to lack of effective management was reported. The school, they reported did not have a principal since last year.

“For the sustainability of the institution, they have done nothing. There is no training, no efforts to enhance quality, where is the promotion of goodwill?, there is no principal.. no report. It feels that they are trying to convey the message that the school is going to be closed. The rumor has spread outside the school.” (Teacher, Hermann Gmeiner School Itahari)

Effective support from the central level SOS office and from government was perceived essential. Relying merely on fee for sustainability was not seen a viable option.

Parents also agreed that increasing fee would not promote sustainability. The parents emphasized on the necessity of fund for the survival of Hermann Gmeiner School Itahari for now.

“In the (present) situation where private schools are increasing their facilities and fees charged by SOS is equivalent to the private… if it (Hermann Gmeiner School Itahari) increases the fees further, it cannot continue” (Parent, Hermann Gmeiner School Itahari)

The need to explore other options for income generation, for example, seeking donation from people who are financially sound was felt necessary. The graduates suggested to find sponsors for the students of the target group, building hostel, extending higher secondary education to include science as the strategies for sustainability. The graduates felt that if SOS CV and Hermann Gmeiner School operated independently of each other, sustainability would be easier to achieve.

Government stakeholders expressed their readiness to support the school but at this stage the government was not in a position to take over the responsibility of the Hermann Gmeiner School. They stated that the present local government could not run Hermann Gmeiner School maintaining its current standards. The DEO felt that, although the prospects of merger or handover might be considered in future, the merger or handover at this stage, might impose injustice upon the children of the Hermann Gmeiner School. The deputy mayor also stated the difficulty to address the need of all categories of people by the government; he felt that awareness about the policies and about the need of education in general amongst the parents and the students was necessary. The need for foreign aid, community support, government’s interest and collaboration to strengthen and extend Hermann Gmeiner School services in the present context was perceived essential. The respondents pointed out the need of a specific mode of collaborations between the government and the Hermann Gmeiner School.

Whilst parents did not perceive government partnership as a good option and were against privatization, the graduates and teachers felt that privatization (or running the schools using the policies of private schools) rather than ‘hand over’ to government as a better path for sustainability.

“There is no point thinking about running the school through partnership. The brand image of the SOS will be damaged. The students won’t come here saying this is the school (they want to attend). …. If it becomes like a private school, it won’t be able to fulfil (address) its mission” (Parent, Hermann Gmeiner School Itahari)

3.1.5. Hermann Gmeiner School Pokhara 3.1.5.1. Overview Hermann Gmeiner School Pokhara was established in 1987 to provide quality education to the students from Tibetan Refugee community, students from High Himalayan districts (Manang, Mustang, Baglung), students from vulnerable group and the students from local community. It is located in Pokhara-Lekhnath Metropolitan city, Kaski district, Pokhara (Province 4). In addition to the general objectives of HG schools, for example, to provide quality education with child friendly environment to both target and non-target (with nominal tuition fee), Hermann Gmeiner School Pokhara was established, with the motive to serve the Tibetan People, and preserve their language, literature, history and culture.

Currently, Hermann Gmeiner School Pokhara is running classes from kindergarten to class 12 (Management faculty). Junior and senior level schools are situated in different places of Pokhara; kindergarten to junior school is located at Chhorepatan and senior school at Gharepatan. Hermann Gmeiner School Pokhara was reported as the only higher secondary school in Pokhara providing trilingual instruction i.e. Nepali, Tibetan and English as a medium of instruction and the only SOS Hermann Gmeiner School in Nepal with the best boarding facility. Quantitative assessment showed an increasing student enrollment trend in the past three years (Table1). This was reported to be because of the national policy of SOS to increase student enrolment to raise fund. A total of 36, 34 and 34 teachers were employed in the school in the year 2015, 2016 and 2017 respectively (Table 1).

3.1.5.2. Findings Target group beneficiaries- reach and implications Primary target group beneficiaries of Hermann Gmeiner School Pokhara are students from Tibetan refugee community. Later, the target group category was expanded to include the students from High Himalayan districts, students from other SOS schools and children of the SOS staff and the students from local community. Students from FBC programme have remained constant over the past three years (2015- 140, 2016- 141 and 2017- 143) and students from vulnerable groups have increased in 2017. However, number of students from FS programme has remained low throughout (Table 1). About 51% of the students enrolled in this school were from the target group in 2015 and the number is almost constant with 48% in the last two years (2016 and 2017). Hermann Gmeiner School Pokhara was reported to have been collaborating with different Tibetan refugee settlements to reach easily to the target group and the practice is likely to continue in the days to come.

Service quality and institutional credibility Beneficiaries reported their satisfaction with the quality of education and the services provided by Hermann Gmeiner School Pokhara. Both theoretical and practical classes were reported to have been

46 effectively managed at all levels. Teachers were reported to practice student-centered methods in the classroom such as group discussion, creative writing, quiz contest, problem solving, evaluation, and other non-memorizing techniques. Multimedia and other digital devices were reported to be used in classroom teaching, however completely smart class concept was not in practice.

Additionally, well-maintained library, science lab, computer lab, well-furnished classroom, internet facilities, playground and opportunities of various indoor and outdoor games and sports were available for students. Students from non-tibetan community stated that they were happy for the opportunity to be familiar with Tibetan language, literature, history and culture. Except regular course work, students are also getting chance to be acquainted with objectives, mission and vision of SOS International. Students also reported that in Hermann Gmeiner School, they developed essential life skills, such as, moral values and humanity, and obtained career counseling from the teachers.

Both Mayor and DEO from Pokhara-Lekhnath metropolitan city were positive towards the quality services and facilities provided by Hermann Gmeiner School Pokhara. Because of the objectives, mission and vision of SOS, Hermann Gmeiner School was perceived as a trustworthy organization by all stakeholders. It was considered as one of the best schools in Pokhara and could be a model school in days to come.

“SOS was misunderstood as a missionary organization and did not have good image among the people earlier but currently, quality of services provided by SOS schools, the comments are changed into appreciation, however only complaint is that their children could not get chance to be enrolled in SOS Hermann Gmeiner Schools due to tough competition.” (DEO, Pokhara) The students graduated from Hermann Gmeiner School Pokhara were reported to be engaged in various leading positions of the governmental and non-governmental organizations. As graduates of Hermann Gmeiner School Pokhara, they reported that they felt relatively different from others in the workplace because of the way of perceiving things, moral sense, and humanness, which they learnt at school. It was reported that because of the sound reputation of SOS in national and international market, graduates were getting preference in hiring. Both students and teachers felt proud to be a part of SOS because of its motive to serve the children from deprived communities.

Teachers in this school too have expressed their dissatisfaction on their salary scale, which, they reported was lower than the scale of Nepal Government; however, they are working with same energy because of the motive of SOS International. Currently, NTC, the SOS body responsible for training Hermann Gmeiner School staff, was not providing refresher training to the teachers on a regular basis. However, the institution itself was organizing professional development programmes for its staff to develop the quality of education and maintain its institutional credibility.

Best placed stakeholder- SOS, government or private A number of schools are running under government, non-governmental and private sectors in Pokhara. Private schools were reported to be of profit motive and the government school were established to serve the children from local community with the moto of ‘Education for All’. Hermann Gmeiner School Pokhara, established to serve the children from very specific target group, was reported to have provided affordable quality education in child friendly environment. Features such as earthquake resistant buildings, well-maintained infrastructure, child right protection policy, lots of ECA (indoor and outdoor), transportation facility (although limited), friendly environment (teachers are friendly), worldwide recognition of the institution, scholarship opportunities to the poor and vulnerable students, good career counseling by the teachers, and the trilingual (Nepali, Tibetan and English) teaching learning environment in the school, which was rare in other schools were reported as the main attraction of this school. According to the available data, a teacher handled around 16 students on the basis of student- teacher ratio in the school (Figure 2).

The Government school assessed during the assessment was established in 1965 to provide the free education services to the children from the local community, especially from poor, marginalized and vulnerable group, who were deprived from quality education at affordable cost. The total operational capacity of the school was reported to be 2200 (i.e. 454%), as compared to SOS Hermann Gmeiner School and student enrollment was higher than the maximum capacity (i.e. 2016-2244, 2017-2244), represents 102% capacity utilization. There were only 82 teachers. Number of student enrollment has been increasing year by year because the school is initiated to practice both English and Nepali medium curriculum and improvement in overall management of the school and opportunity of extra-curricular activities to the interested students. Available data showed that student-teacher ratio in the school was 27:1 in 2017 (Figure 2).

Similarly, the private school included in the sample was established in 1989 to provide quality education to the children. Currently, on the basis of infrastructure and available resources, the school was reported to be able to manage a maximum 1500 students in each year (i.e. 309%), as compared to Hermann Gmeiner School Pokhara but the student enrollment was reported lower than the total capacity (2016- 1200, 2017-1200), that is 80% of total capacity. 65 teachers were engaged in teaching learning activities in the school and the student-teacher ratio was reported as 23:1 in 2017. Around 10% students from low income family are receiving full or partial scholarship in the school

On the basis of observation, it can be said that Hermann Gmeiner School Pokhara is the best placed school for the target group of beneficiaries in Pokhara (Table 2). If Hermann Gmeiner School Pokhara was not established, students from Tibetan group would have difficulty to have access to quality education.

‘If the school was not here, we could not get chance to be educated in Tibetan Curriculum in higher level because one Tibetan school is in Kathmandu, which if far from our hometown.’ (- Students, Hermann Gmeiner School Pokhara)

Pathways for sustainability Primarily, Hermann Gmeiner School Pokhara was established to serve the Tibetan refugees, and the school is practicing trilingual curriculum (Tibetan, Nepali, and English), which is not a general practice in other schools. It is, therefore, not easy for the government or other private schools to provide such environment. In this circumstance, both handover and partnership with other educational institutions was perceived difficult and not feasible by the participants. Land of the school was reported to be donated by the Government of Nepal and the school is registered under public trust. It is therefore, not possible to sell or rent it to others, as well.

DEO and Mayor of Pokhara were positive towards the school. ” Local Government Authority also needs to take responsibility of the schools to make it sustained in a long run by maintaining the quality of education, however Government Authority should not interfere the internal management to maintain quality of services but need to take part to design plans and policies of the schools.” ((DEO, Pokhara) Both local and international funding is assisting to run the Hermann Gmeiner School Pokhara, however international funding has decreased gradually over the past three years (2015-61%, 2016-60%, 2017-54%) (Figure 3). The local funding consists of 41%, which is still lower than international subsidy. The assessment indicated that it is not possible for Hermann Gmeiner School to be fully self-sustained for a few (3-5) years because large number of students are from target group, the Tibetan people, who do not have regular source of income and only a small number of children are from well-to-do family. Increasing fees for the fee paying students would not be able to maintain the fund needed to run the school and maintaining the same quality services. Ways for partial sustainability, were however, suggested by the participants; the possible strategies for partial sustainability include, for example: • Collaborating with local government authority and I/NGOs to collect the fund/ for sponsorship • Forming alumni group and raising funds through them • Organizing activities such as art exhibition and cultural programme in the school, to promote culture and to raise the fund • Providing authority to the school to run the school, thereby, allowing increment of the number of students from non-target group could and revising fee structure as per need • Adding other streams in higher secondary level to raise funds through tuition fee of the students from non-target group • Expansion of transportation facilities to attract the large number of students (both target and non-target) from wider area • Increasing the facilities and salary of the teachers to motivate them, which can enhance the quality of services and strengthen the institutional credibility.

3.1.6. Hermann Gmeiner School Gandaki 3.1.6.1. Overview Hermann Gmeiner School Gandaki was established in 1982 to provide education to the children from SOS CV Gandaki, children from FS programme, children of SOS staff, children from socially and economically deprived families, and children from local community. It is located in Rambazar, Pokhara- Lekhnath Metropolitan city, Kaski district Pokhara (Province 4).

At present, Hermann Gmeiner School Gandaki is running classes from Nursery to higher secondary level (science stream). Over the last three years, number of students has reduced (Table1) because the operational capacity was over utilized. It was, thus, essential to decrease the number to maintain quality of education. Number of teachers employed in the school in the past three years is 44 (Table 1).

3.1.6.2. Findings Target group beneficiaries- reach and implications The target group beneficiaries of Hermann Gmeiner School Gandaki are the children from vulnerable group and FS programme. Though the FS student enrollment rate has decreased, the number of poor and vulnerable groups has increased in the year 2017 (Table1), because of the increasing migration pattern from village to city area (provincial headquarter and increased job opportunities) and increasing slum area in the city, the school principal reported. Only 15% of the children are from the target group in this school and this number has been constant over the past three years.

Efforts have been made to meet the target group children. Networking and coordination with the stakeholders are in progress. Apart from the lack of boarding facility for students, lack of a planned approach to reach out to the target group, communication gap between management committee and teachers, some gaps between national level and local level SOS stakeholders, misunderstanding on the mission and objectives of SOS among the local people were reported as major problems hindering to reach the target group effectively.

Service quality and institutional credibility Beneficiaries reported their satisfaction with the quality education offered by the school in nominal price. Students of this school have high pass rate in the District Level Education (DLE) and many of its graduates have been able to succeed in the entrance test of the Institute of Medicine and Ministry of Education scholarships. Higher ranking of the school in the city, its good performance and social reputation of the organization in national and international level indicate the popularity of the school in the region.

Both traditional-teacher centered and student centered methods were reported to be used in the classroom. Lecture method, memorizing, teaching learning techniques such as group work, role play, project work, pair work, educational excursion, and field visit were used in the school. However, use of

50 multimedia technique was not reported to be in practice because of lack of skilled manpower. Except regular course work, students get chance to be familiar with mission, vision and objectives of SOS International. Similarly, it was stated that there are students from multi-racial, multicultural, multi-ethnic and multi-class (different economic and social class) background. Students learn in an inclusive environment where they also learn about human and moral values. Qualified and dedicated teachers, earthquake resistant building, attractive infrastructure, well-furnished classrooms, library, computer lab, science lab, availability of playground and the opportunities of various indoor and outdoor ECA, games and sports were reported as the prominent features of Hermann Gmeiner School Gandaki.

Both Mayor and DEO from Pokhara-Lekhnath metropolitan city were positive to the quality services and provided by Hermann Gmeiner School Gandaki. The school has been able to develop trust among the people and this school has been considered as one of the best schools in Pokhara. They think that this school can be a model school in days to come. Parents reported that they were happy to pay the tuition fees because they were investing not only for their children’s education, but also contributing to the education of the children from vulnerable and disadvantaged group. It was perceived as an altruistic service which satisfied them.

It was reported that graduates from Hermann Gmeiner School Gandaki are engaged in various fields. Because of the high reputation of SOS, its graduates were reported to be facing less difficulties than others to grab the professional opportunities (such as job and study) nationally and internationally.

Both students and teachers felt proud be a part of SOS because of its motive to support the children from poorest of the poor, disadvantaged and vulnerable group. Teachers have said that they have not been able to update themselves and learn the emerging techniques of teaching. Teachers are not satisfied with their salary scale, which was reported to be lower than the scale of government school; however, they reported to be working with same dedication because of the motive of SOS International. Teachers also feel that more coordination and cooperation between the management committee and the teachers was essential to improve the quality of education services, increase the institutional credibility.

Best placed stakeholder- SOS, government or private Quality education in affordable price, experienced and qualified teachers, peaceful environment, earthquake resistant buildings, well-maintained infrastructure, child right protection policy, child friendly environment, extra care to the needy students, worldwide recognition of the institution, scholarship opportunities to the poor and vulnerable students were reported as the promising characteristics of Hermann Gmeiner School Gandaki. Student-teacher ratio in Hermann Gmeiner School Gandaki is 19:1. The maximum operational capacity of the school was constant throughout the years (2015, 2016, and 2017), that is 840.

The government school assessed during the assessment was established in 1995, to serve the students from various socio-economic class from the community. On the basis of available resources, the school could handle 1800 (371%) students in a session. The principal stated that the school was compelled to enroll 2300 (128% capacity utilization) students because of the increased number of the students in the community. The classes are run in two shifts, morning and day, to manage the large number of students. The student enrollment trend was reported to be increasing in the school because of the goodwill of the team members, good societal impression on the basis of good academic result of the students, quality education by the qualified teachers and the location of the school (centrally located in the city). Different organizations including SOS Nepal is helping the school by sponsoring some children from poor and vulnerable group. 31 permanent teachers and 49 temporary teachers were employed in the school. It was reported that salary for the temporary teachers need to be managed by school itself and it’s been difficult to maintain that. On the basis of available data, the student-teacher ratio in the class was 41 in 2017.

The private school assessed, on the other hand, was established as a company in 1990, to provide quality education to the students from the local community. The school can accommodate around 1250 students, which is 258% compared to SOS HGS and the current student number is nearly reaching the maximum capacity of the school (2016-1220, 2017-1222), that is 98%. Students’ enrolment trend is increasing in the school because of good result of the students. Quality education with qualified and experienced teachers, child friendly teaching learning environment, 25-100% scholarship scheme to some poor students, transportation facility, and the location of the school (centrally located) were the key highlights of the school. It was reported that altogether 55 teachers are there in the school and a teacher need to handle around 23 students.

Hermann Gmeiner School Gandaki is serving to the under privileged group of children and children below the poverty level. Respondents said that government also wants to provide good education to the children from the poor community but due to the lack of resources it has not been possible. Similarly, private school does provide scholarship to some of the students as per the need, but charges high tuition fee to the other students.

It is said that students from Hermann Gmeiner School Gandaki are highly disciplined, and motivated for self-learning, which is not the case among the students of other governmental and private schools. It was reported that there is a large number of students studying in government school from poor, disadvantaged, marginalized, and vulnerable group but quality of education is not as good as in Hermann Gmeiner School Gandaki. Hence, Hermann Gmeiner School Gandaki could be the best placed stakeholder to the serve the children from the target group beneficiaries.

Pathways for sustainability Part of the land of Hermann Gmeiner School Gandaki was donated by the government and the other part was purchased by SOS. The property was reported to be registered under public trust; thus, selling or renting the property of the organization was not possible. It was reported that partnership with other organizations and handover of the school to the government might not be possible. Doing so will directly affect the image of the institution and it may also have some impact in the vison, mission and objectives of SOS. However, Hermann Gmeiner School Gandaki could cooperate with the government in areas of teacher training, scholarship programmes to the needy students, and in reaching out to the target group beneficiaries. Such collaboration was expected to be helpful to upgrade the quality of education in government school. DEO and Mayor of Pokhara said “SOS Hermann Gmeiner Schools could be placed as a leader school in the city, in the sense of quality of services, and it is significant to be a leader which is providing best services from all perspectives.”

“‘SOS schools need to be sustained in the long run, because these types of schools are needed to develop the society.” (DEO Pokhara) Hermann Gmeiner School Gandaki is running with higher local funding (91%), as compared to the international funding (2% for 2017), indicating that the school was gradually moving towards the direction of financial-independency (Figure 3). The school was reported to be partially self-sufficient at present and full-sufficiency is not yet possible for few years, in case the salary is revised. Salary increment of the teachers was urgent and it will have a significant impact in the finance of the school. Along with international subsidy, other measures suggested for its sustainability are: • Increment of the tuition fee could be an option as the fee structure of Hermann Gmeiner School is lower than other private schools in the area. • Faculties and sections of the classes could be added in 11-12 classes, simultaneously skilled human resources could be added up. • Coordination with the local and provincial government and the I/NGOs could be an option for scholarships. • To improve quality of education, concept of digital class and E-library could be implemented in the school, which could attract the students from non-target group on fee paying basis • New building is required to accommodate the increasing number of students from non-target group. This will assist to raise fund from non-target group • Canteen facility could be added to school so that the profit made from there will go to the school • Transportation facility could be expanded to reach the students (non-target group) from different parts of the city

• Alumni network could be established in because former students are interested to help the school to be self-sustained by raising the fund from various ways • Authority could be transferred to the local level to make plans and policies according to the local context • Coordination between management team and teachers is essential for the betterment of the organization. • Existing network with the different stakeholders should be strengthened to reach out to the target group.

3.1.7. Hermann Gmeiner School Kavre 3.1.7.1. Overview Hermann Gmeiner School Kavre was established to provide formal education to the children from SOS CV Kavre, FS programme, children from poorest of the poor and vulnerable family. The school is located in the vicinity of CV Kavre and the NTC Kavre, Banepa, Kavre (Province 3). The main objectives of Hermann Gmeiner School Kavre are:

• To impart quality education to the Children of SOS CV Kavre • To create a wider community for SOS CV Kavre children • To operate as a touch point of SOS CV Kavre to the local community • To provide quality education to the children living with single parent, living with grandparent/s or other guardians • To provide formal quality education to the children from the families who are living below poverty line as well as in the good status of their quality life

Currently, Hermann Gmeiner School Kavre is running classes from Nursery to higher secondary level. The school can serve 630 students in a session and the number is constant throughout 2015-2017. The data indicated an increasing trend in the enrollment during the three years of period (Table 1). New sections were added in 2016 and 2017. The principal stated that because of the increased poverty in the area and increased migration pattern to the city from the village; the number of students from vulnerable group is increasing. Number of teachers is between 31-32 during the past three years of period (2015- 32, 2016 and 2017-31).

3.1.7.2 Findings

Target group beneficiaries- reach and implications Primarily, the target group beneficiaries of the school are the students from FS and the vulnerable group. Students in FS programme were reported to be decreasing in 2017; their number, however, was lower than in the year 2015 (Table 1) due to the lack of sufficient financial resources. Principal stated that it was difficult to manage scholarship for the children of FS programme. However, the number of children in FS programme was expected to increase in 2018 because Mayor has provided some fund for the needy students. Similarly, the students from vulnerable group are also increasing. In general, there are six types of beneficiaries in the school, they are:

• Children living with single parent • Children living in the family which is below the poverty line • Children who have lost appropriate parenting care • Children from the lower middle class of the society • Children from higher strata of the society for the easy socialization of SOS children in future • SOS staff children

Regarding the inclusion of the target group, only 11% students are from the target group in 2017 (2015-13%, 2016-11%). The available budget was reported insufficient to serve the students from target group, and hence the number has remained constant. It was reported that Hermann Gmeiner School Kavre is trying to serve the needy children as far as possible.

‘We could not even think deprived, and vulnerable children’s and the other’s life without SOS, because needy children are getting chance to be educated in child friendly environment with the high standard facilities.’ (Parent, Hermann Gmeiner School Kavre)

To reach out to the target group beneficiaries, school has been coordinating with different stakeholders and the regular discussions have been organized with the parents.

Service quality and institutional credibility Stakeholders reported their satisfaction with the high-quality education provided by Hermann Gmeiner School Kavre in nominal price, and in child friendly environment. Student centered methods such as group work, pair work, project work, problem solving, field visit, and report writing were followed in teaching learning activities. Extra classes were organized for needy students. Similarly, students were reported to have opportunity to browse online resources, use of multimedia devices, use of ICT, and the audio and video classes. Quality education from qualified, experienced and dedicated teachers, earthquake resistant building with unique structure, well-furnished classrooms, library, computer lab, science lab,

55 availability of playground and the opportunities of ECA, games and sports were the prominent features that attracted students to the school.

The students who had graduated from Hermann Gmeiner School Kavre are engaged in various fields. The graduates reported that they felt different from the others in their workplace because of their good attitude, and high morale which they erudite in the school. Because of the reputation of SOS, graduates from Hermann Gmeiner School Kavre are getting easy access to the opportunity (study and job) in the national and international level.

Both teachers and students felt proud to be a part of SOS, however teachers reported their dissatisfaction with the facilities provided by the school. Salary scale was reported to be lower than the scale of government school teachers. Professional development training for the teachers have not been conducted since 2012. They felt that management committee was not interested to invest in teachers’ training. It was reported that 80% of total income of the school was used for salary and 20% for school operation. Perhaps this is the reason why the school has not been able manage refresher training to the teachers. Teachers also pointed out the lack of sufficient coordination between the management committee and teachers.

Parents felt happy with the environment and facilities of the school, whereas, teachers were more concerned with the improvements and achievements of the students. Students can communicate face to face or over the telephone with teachers, as per the need. Similarly, it is important to mention that school management is aware with the sensitive issues and they consider each and every problem of the students, reported by the parents.

“Sometimes, if we are unable to pay the fee on time, children are not restricted to do anything in the school such as take part in exam and other activities in the school, which is like impossible in private school’ (Parent, Hermann Gmeiner School Kavre)

Both Mayor and DEO from the local municipality are positive towards the quality services and facilities provided by Hermann Gmeiner School Kavre. They are ready to help the school to be sustained in the long run. Hermann Gmeiner School Kavre is considered as one of the best schools in Kavre and can be a model school in future.

Best placed stakeholder- SOS, government or private Quality education in cheaper price, qualified and experienced teachers, child friendly and inclusive environment of the school were some of the good features of the school as reported by the respondents. The data indicated that student-teacher ratio is constant in the past three years at 20:1 (Figure 2).

The public school assessed was established in 1972, to serve the students from various socio-economic classes from the community. It is fully funded by government and running classes from nursery to grade

10. On the basis of available resources, the school could accommodate 400 students which is 82% in comparison with SOS Hermann Gmeiner School. However only 298 (75% capacity utilization) students were admitted in 2017. It was reported that student enrollment trend was decreasing in the school because the increasing number of private schools in the area. Altogether 20 teachers were employed and student-teacher ratio in 2017 was 20.

The private school included in the study was established as a company in 1992 to provide quality education to the students from the surrounding community. Even if the maximum operational capacity of the school was 1344, that is 277% compared to SOS HGS, however, school has only enrolled 1202 students (89% capacity utilization) in the academic year 2017-2018. The student enrollment trend was reported constant in the school because of the plans and policies of the school to enroll the student below the maximum capacity to maintain quality education. The school was reportedly providing 25-100% scholarship to the needy students, hence 14% students were benefitting from the scholarship scheme of the school. Altogether 82 teachers were employed in the school including one dance, one music and one computer teacher.

Hermann Gmeiner School Kavre was reported as a successful example of an educational institution maintaining equity, inclusion and quality in education and working with the motto ‘Education for Human Perfection’. Whilst it was reported that private school were primarily established for business purpose, Hermann Gmeiner School and government school share similar objectives to serve the children from different group. It was reported that government school was not maintaining the quality of education and child friendly environment at school. Similarly, private school, despite providing scholarship to the needy students, was charging high amount of fee from other students, which is higher than the tuition fee of the students from non-target group in Hermann Gmeiner School Kavre. Hence, on the basis of all these indicators, Hermann Gmeiner School Kavre could be the best placed stakeholder for target group of children. Additionally, available quantitative data including accessibility and functional capacity, quality of services, and governing guidelines and credibility also support the same (Table 2).

Pathways for sustainability

The land of the school was purchased by SOS and the overall property of the school is registered under public trust. So, handover of the Hermann Gmeiner School to other organizations was not possible. DEO and Mayor were willing to help the school for its sustainability but they wanted Hermann Gmeiner School to help the government schools to improve their quality. Government schools do not have enough resources but some of them are committed to improvement. In this context there is a possibility of collaboration between the Hermann Gmeiner School and the local government.

Slightly higher local funding (58%) compared to the international funding (29% for 2017) was supporting the expenditure of HGS Kavre, indicating that the school was gradually headed towards the

57 direction of financial-independency. Even if there might be possibility of partnership with the Government school, it is essential to think about self-sustainability. Following measures were suggested to be self-sustained in the long run: • Increment of the tuition fee for fee paying students • Faculties and sections of the classes could be added in class 11-12 and qualified teachers could be employed for those classes • Develop a network to reach the new local donors • Activities like art exhibition, cultural programmes could be conducted to raise fund for the betterment of the school • Coordination with the local and provincial government and I/NGOs could be made and the fund could be collected for scholarships • To improve the quality of education, concept of digital class could be implemented and teaching methods should be made more creative for better student understanding • School cafeteria might also attract students and could contribute to raise some fund • Transportation facility could bring more fee paying students • Alumni association could be initiated because Hermann Gmeiner School graduates are interested to serve the school from the way they can such as fund raising and reaching out to the target group • It is better to provide authority to the school to make plans and policies according to the local level situation, then the Hermann Gmeiner School Kavre can make strategy to move further for the betterment of the organization • Utilization of skill, knowledge and experience of the teachers in specific sectors such as computer and IT knowledge, leadership skill, socialization skill, coordinating skill could be helpful to enhance the quality of education • Some full-time teachers are going to retire soon, instead of hiring the full-time teachers in their places, part time teaches could be taken, which will decrease the salary expenditure and also reduce the whole expenditure of the school

Table 1: Number of students enrolled and teachers employed in SOS Hermann Gmeiner Schools in past three years

No. of Students No. of Teachers Students from FBC Students from target group

FSP Vulnerable

2015 2016 2017 2015 2016 2017 2015 2016 2017 2015 2016 2017 2015 2016 2017

Hermann Gmeiner 627 643 699 27 28 29 127 124 119 112* 120* 136* - - - School Surkhet Hermann Gmeiner 882 886 942 47 44 46 138 134 127 102 85 63 0 0 52 School Sanothimi Hermann Gmeiner 598 614 626 28 29 30 130 126 115 61 62 64 4 4 4 School Bharatpur Hermann Gmeiner 583 579 559 27 27 26 137 138 133 67 68 54 0 0 15 School Itahari Hermann Gmeiner 579 590 620 36 34 34 120 117 119 1 1 2 292 284 297 School Pokhara Hermann Gmeiner 939 924 905 44 44 44 168 163 158 142 133 96 0 3 37 School Gandaki Hermann Gmeiner 599 598 638 32 31 31 144 146 149 77 65 72 0 0 0 School Kavre

*the number also includes the children under ‘vulnerable’ category

Table 2: Quantitative Assessment of the schools to determine the best placed school amongst three schools in the locality

BEST PLACED

Accessibility Quality of Governing guidelines & functional Average score services** & credibility*** capacity*

Hermann Gmeiner HGS 2.88 2.78 2.86 2.84 School Govt. 1.83 2.14 2.40 2.13 Surkhet Pvt. 2.17 2.57 2.33 2.36

1.25 Hermann HGS 2.15 2.38 1.93 Gmeiner Govt. 2.00 2.57 2.17 2.25 School Pvt. Sanothimi 2.00 2.57 2.00 2.19

Hermann HGS 2.25 2.40 2.32 2.32 Gmeiner Govt. 1.83 2.57 2.60 2.33 School Pvt. 1.83 2.71 2.50 2.35 Bharatpur

Hermann HGS 2.75 2.65 2.46 2.62 Gmeiner Govt. 2.00 2.57 2.43 2.33 School Pvt. Itahari 2.00 2.29 2.20 2.16

Hermann HGS 2.25 2.65 2.80 2.57 Gmeiner Govt. 1.83 2.57 3.00 2.47 School Pvt. Pokhara 2.00 2.43 2.57 2.33

Hermann HGS 2.75 2.65 2.38 2.59 Gmeiner Govt. 1.83 2.57 2.83 2.41 School Pvt. Kavre 2.17 2.57 3.00 2.58

Main indicators used for scoring: *Accessibility and functional capacity: school fee and provision of scholarships to the needy, student-classroom ratio, infrastructure and renovation. **Quality of services: student-teacher ratio, student-dropout ratio, student-computer ratio, criteria of selection of teachers, provision of availability of school materials to teachers/students, availability of professionals other than teachers in the school. ***Governing guidelines and credibility: child-safeguarding rules/intervention, trainings and cases, Government curriculum, Monitoring visits by government officials, Parents participation in management committee meeting and parents teachers association (PTA) meeting.

Capacity Utilization (%) Comparison

160 139 140 128

120 109 107 108 108 111 104 102 101 98 100 97 98 Hermann 100 89 84 Gmeiner 77 80 80 71 74 75 School Government 60

40 Private 20

0 Surkhet Sanothimi Bharatpur Itahari Gandaki Pokhara Kavre

Figure 1: Capacity Utilization of Hermann Gmeiner School, Government School and Private School.

Number of students per teacher 50

45 43

40 36 35 33 31 30 27 27 26 27 25 22 23 22 23 23 19 19 19 20 20 20 18 16 16 15

0 Surkhet Sanothimi Bharatpur Itahari Gandaki Pokhara Kavre

Government School Private School Hermann Gmeiner School

Figure 2: Number of students per teacher of the sampled schools

100 International funding 90 in relation to expenditure (%) 2017 80

70 International funding 60 in relation to expenditure (%) 2016 50

40 International funding in relation to 30 expenditure (%) 2015

20 Local funding in 10 relation to expenditure (%) 2015 0 to 2017 HGS Surkhet HGS HGS HGS Itahari HGS Gandaki HGS Pokhara HGS Kavre Sanothimi Bharatpur

Figure 3: Funding (local and international) supporting expenditure of SOS Hermann Gmeiner Schools

3.2. SOS Medical Center, Bardiya

3.2.1. Overview SOS Medical Center (MC) is located in Bansghadi Municipality – 5 in Bardiya district (Province 5). The MC was established in the year 2000 with a purpose to provide basic treatment to the mothers and children from the underprivileged community. More specifically, the MC was established to serve the children of SOS day care center in Bardiya, to their mothers, and to the vulnerable Tharu community. However, general public of all communities at large have also benefitted from the center. The beneficiaries of SOS MC were reported to come mainly from Bansgadhi Municipality (Motipur VDC, Beluwa VDC, Deudakala VDC), Bardiya Municipality, Badhaiyatal Gaupalika and Baijanath Gaupalika.

At present, SOS MC is providing out-patient department services, ante-natal care checkup and emergency services, (temporary) family planning services, directly observed treatment, short-course (DOTS) services, Malaria kits and general laboratory services to the people. It is also a recognized Voluntary Counseling and Testing (VCT) center. It provides 20% discounts to all its clients in all types of health services; 50% discounts in medicines and laboratory services is provided to the vulnerable groups, for example, pregnant women, old citizens and poor people.

A total of 6591 patients were reported to have received medical services from SOS MC in the year 2017 (until October). The number of total beneficiaries in year 2016 and 2017 were reported to be 8351 and 7077 respectively.

3.2.2. Findings Target group beneficiaries- reach and implications Majority of the patients coming to SOS MC were reported to be from poor, marginalized and vulnerable background who could not afford health services in private medical centers, or those who do not have easy access (due to proximity) to other health facilities.

Of the total beneficiaries in 2017 (October), 4943 were reported to be from vulnerable category and 484 from the FSP. 82% of the beneficiaries were thus reported to be from target group. Similarly, in the year 2016, 6263 patients were from vulnerable category and 536 from FSP programme; and in year 2015, 5301 and 454 beneficiaries were from vulnerable and FSP programme respectively.

In addition to the services delivered through the center, SOS MC also conducted regular health and awareness camps aimed at the vulnerable poor. The study team in Bardiya had the opportunity to observe one of the health camps organized by MC in collaboration with SOS CV Surkhet. The camp was organized in Mewalal School, Duduwa Gaupalika-2 in Banke district. The venue was far from town, and thus catered the people who lived away from the health (and other basic) facilities, rendering it a

63 suitable place for conducting camps. A total of 1106 patients was reported to have benefitted from the camp.

In August 2017, the Terai region of Nepal was affected by flood. The flood was reported to have left many people, in Bardiya and other neighboring districts, homeless and prone to different communicable and non-communicable diseases. The need (and responsibility) for healthcare services and facilities (and care providers) in the region to respond this situation, is therefore, observed higher than usual.

Service quality and institutional credibility SOS MC has established its credibility not only amongst its clients and community members but also amongst the government and private counterparts in the region. The MC was known primarily for its affordable, accessible and quality health service provisions.

All the stakeholders interviewed during the assessment expressed their satisfaction with the quality of health services provided by SOS MC. The District Health Office representative stated that quality of the MC was being regularly assessed by the government and SOS MC has so far maintained its standards in its services. However, he felt that the level of ‘skilled’ manpower that MC initially had was in the decline. Whilst he rated the quality of SOS MC as similar to the government’s health facilities, the Mayor and the Health Post (HP) coordinator, both reported that overall management was better in SOS MC. The befitting infrastructure was one of the main highlights of SOS MC. Availability of an MBBS doctor (3 days/ week) and laboratory services, provided by the MC, that was not available in the health facilities around the locality, had won trust of the people.

“There is no laboratory (facility) run by the Government. SOS’s lab is perceived trustworthy (by the public). Further, in SOS, they provide service from the doctor, MBBS doctor comes on a regular basis” (Mayor, Bansghadi Municipality)

SOS’s DOTS programme was reported more successful and to have more coverage than that of government’s programme. The services provided by MC through the center and through health and awareness camps, were reported to have contributed significantly in addressing the healthcare needs of the people far and wide. It was perceived to have influenced the overall epidemiology of the locality.

“We run various awareness programmes. From those programmes, they (people) have learnt about different health related issues... (and) how to eat proper, diet/ nutrition (related information) … We continuously provide information and make them aware. Due to which there has been a lot of change. (Staff, SOS MC)

“When I came here for the first time, if I talk in context of lab (laboratory investigation), there were plenty of cases of worm infestation. Doctors used to prescribe stool tests. There were lots of cases of anemia due to hookworm infestation. I can see the change in the scenario due to such programmes and also programmes of others. General awareness regarding worm infestation has increased.” (Staff, SOS MC)

All respondents of the client satisfaction interview, expressed their satisfaction with the services they received in SOS MC; the attitude and behavior of the staff was rated ‘good’ by the majority. The staff members felt a sense of pride to be associated with SOS, an organization that was engaged in noble cause; they felt recognized in the society.

Best placed stakeholder- SOS, government or private Less number of health facilities to serve the population in the catchment area placed a significant responsibility and importance not only for the SOS MC but to every other facility providing healthcare service in the locality. There were no hospitals in Bansghadi that could cater to the healthcare needs of a large population at a time. Government HP, a few private medical shops, and SOS MC were the primary healthcare providers of the locality. A total of three HPs were reported to be present in Bansghadi Municipality. Motipur HP, was the government health facility located nearest (in about a kilometer’s distance) to the MC. In addition to the old Tharu community, a significant proportion of migrated population (internally migrated from different region of the country) were reported to reside in the area. Bansghadi alone was reported to have a population of 45,000 to 50,000. The number of health facilities compared to the population size was, therefore significantly less; and each of the facility, in the current context was contributing to community healthcare from its own side, each playing important and unique role.

Furthermore, different health facilities, whether its private, government or SOS MC, were reported to have its own set of customers (patients) within the broader/common catchment area. The customers were reported to be divided based on different (specific) factors; for example, whilst customers driven by cheaper facilities accessed Government, Semi-Government or facilities run by NGO, such as the SOS MC, patients seeking treatment in ‘odd hours’, for example, on a public holiday or off-hours, would seek healthcare from private facilities which had more flexible opening hours. The opening hours and holiday schedules of SOS MC, was similar to government facilities. Not only SOS MC operated in similar hours to government’s facilities, it was also running in close collaboration with Motipur HP; the two health facilities were reported to complement each other’s services.

“If SOS was not there, we (government facilities) would have to add a few services. The catchment area is large. SOS has filled the gap” (PHI, District Health Office, Bardiya)

Kohalpur Hospital, a larger (and more organized) private facility, located at a distance of about 18 kilometers was providing services to the patients. The hospital provided services ranging from basic (primary level care) to tertiary level. The hospital, although located farther from the SOS MC, still fell within the catchment area of the MC; as part of assessment, the assistant director of the hospital was interviewed. People from well to do families as well as marginalized group were reported to receive services from the hospital.

The three facilities assessed, viz. SOS MC, Motipur HP and Kohalpur Hospital had a unique and important role; rather than competing, they were complementing each other. Whilst SOS MC and Motipur HP was observed to have joined hands and serving the community by providing mostly the primary and to some degree secondary level healthcare services, Kohalpur Health post provided services of all levels, including tertiary level care. Services that were not provided by the MC and HPs were provided by the Kohalpur hospital.

SOS MC and Motipur HP were the key providers of primary level healthcare to the target population around the immediate locality in Bansghadi. When SOS MC was established, health facilities in the area were very limited; SOS MC, thus has a solid foundation in the health sector around the area. Despite the increase in the number of health facilities (although few) and close collaboration with Motipur HP, SOS MC’s place was recognized irreplaceable. SOS MC was rated higher in terms of people’s trust, quality and overall management. Further, it was providing the services that were not being offered by government health facilities, such as, doctors’ consultation and laboratory services. By providing the doctors’ consultation, the MC was perceived to be providing services of the Primary Health Care (PHC) Center level. Considering its location, the associate director of the Kohalpur hospital perceived SOS MC as the best placed health facility.

“Now the NGO (referring to SOS MC) is the best placed. Even we do not have the catchment area like the SOS, and neither does the Government” (- Associate Director, Kohalpur Hospital)

Pathways for sustainability Increasing service charges, reducing the discounts provided to the people on the health services and medicines appeared as the obvious solutions to increase self-sustainability (by increasing profit) in most of the interactions and interviews, however, a few participants speculated that charging fees, might in- fact reduce the customer flow and could ultimately “collapse SOS MC”. Quality health services at a low cost were recognized as key (unique) features of the MC; and any kind of compromises on these were thought to negatively impact the image. Furthermore, it was stated that Nepal Government, in the present context, was promoting/ expanding and gradually implementing free health services and health insurance programmes for the people. Whilst policy making and their implementation has been slow due to the transitioning political situation, it was speculated that as the government services becomes

‘streamlined’ following political stabilization in future and if government is able to provide a sustained quality services, healthcare services offered by government could be more attractive to people. Only promoting cheap and free services, therefore, might not be sufficient for sustainability.

Expanding services to include provisions of regular medical doctor services, upgrading the laboratory and adding other diagnostic services, such as X-rays, was considered as major steps towards strengthening the MC and for sustainability. Expansion of services/facilities, on one hand, can be expected to fill the void observed in overall medical/healthcare service sector in the region, it will also attract more patients to the MC, thereby, helping it to be financially sustainable. Furthermore, improving the skills of the existing staff through trainings or recruiting qualified and skilled healthcare professional(s) to effectively respond to the healthcare need of the people, can be expected to further strengthen peoples’ trust in the MC. Trained professional, particularly for the effective VCT services was observed necessary.

SOS MC has been working in collaboration with the Government since 2001. The stakeholders of both government and private facilities expressed their readiness to collaborate with the MC. They felt collaboration could be an important way for future sustainability. The PHI suggested that collaborating with Government’s health insurance programme could be an important way for sustainability. Collaboration with I/NGOs was also perceived possible by the staff of the MC. Upgrading the MC as/to a Primary Health Care center/level was perceived as a future possibility.

Closing of the MC was not seen as an option by any participant. The concept of closure was frowned upon and dreaded by the clients (patients). SOS MC was built on the land provided by the Government (making it a Government’s property), and thus selling the property or a part of it to generate any income had legal hurdles. Manpower management was speculated to be challenging in case both formal partnerships and handover.

3.3. SOS Vocational Training Centers

Overall Context SOS vocational training centers (VTCs) were established to provide various skill development training to the young people from SOS CV Nepal and socially disadvantaged people from the community so that they can develop vocational skills and earn qualification for their livelihood. Such trainings courses have been focused on the potential local and regional job prospects and cover areas that include Mechanics, Electrical, Electronics, Carpentry, Plumbing, Secretarial and Ceramics. There are two SOS VTCs in Nepal:

1. SOS Vocational Training Center, Pokhara

2. SOS Ceramic Training Center, Sanothimi

3.3.1. SOS Vocational Training Center (VTC), Pokhara 3.3.1.1. Overview SOS VTC Pokhara was established in 1996 to serve the Tibetan Refugee’s children living in Nepal. It provides trainings in various sectors such as Carpentry, Welding, Secretarial, Turner, Electrical, Electronics, and Motor Mechanics; however, training on Motor Mechanics is not running currently. The center also offers driving course to the interested candidates (target and non-target group) but Tibetan Refugees are not eligible for the driving license. VTC started with two trades and later increased its focus in seven trades based on the demand of the participants. Initially, training in different trades were provided for three years but now it has been reduced to two years, then one year and currently, all the trainings are strict to complete in six months of period. The courses contain both theoretical (20%) and practical classes (80%). A trainer is assigned for a trade and the same teacher covers both theory and practical; hence there are six trainers in the VTC. Youths, who do not opt for academic fields, who feel over-aged to join formal education and school drop-outs join these training courses in the VTC. Application submission rate is 80% in the year 2017, and the number of trainees from both target and non-target group is gradually decreasing during three years of period (2015-98, 2016-83, and 2017- 76) because of lack of information about SOS VTC, affiliation issue, and traditional type of training services, as reported by the stakeholders.

3.3.1.2. Findings Target group beneficiaries-reach and implications Young people from both target (Tibetan Youths, vulnerable youths, Youths under FSP programme, and non-target group (local community) are the beneficiaries of this center though it was initially set up for the Tibetan refugees. Number of trainees from the target group is gradually decreasing because VTC

68 is not properly reaching out the target group with the detail information as expected and young people these days are not very much willing to attend vocational training due to the low job profile in the society. Only 13% of the trainees are from the target group in 2017. Among them 2 participants are from FS and 8 from vulnerable groups.

The decrease in the number (for non-target group) was also attributed to the official recognition of the training by the government of Nepal. The center is not affiliated to the Council of Technical Education and Vocational Training (CTEVT), which is the official body to recognize the technical training in Nepal and most of the formal employment sectors employ the graduates of the technical centers which are officially recognized by the CTEVT. Another reason for the low interest in the training is the lack of the courses to address the emerging market needs of the local area and closure of the training in Motor Mechanics which is affecting the enrollment in Turner and Welding.

Graduates said that they are working in various organizations after the completion of their training in the center. Trainees from the target group (especially Tibetan Refugees) are not eligible to work in governmental organizations (because of citizenship and license issue), so they are working in private sector and the youths from non-target group are engaged in both governmental and non-governmental sectors. It was reported that almost all the trainees, who were trained in the VTC, are being employed in different parts of city, country and in the international market. This shows that VTC in Pokhara has made a contribution to the life of the young people.

Service quality and institutional credibility Trainees and graduates of the center mentioned that they are satisfied with the quality of services of the center. Both theoretical and practical classes were said to be effective and trainees received opportunities to engage in group work, pair work, presentation and briefing work. They found that their knowledge and skills are highly recognized in the market and they feel that they have gained more from the institution.

‘If VTC was not established, we could not get chance to be trained with the quality training in this favorable environment’ (Trainees, VTC Pokhara)

Because of well-equipped lab, qualified instructors, and the peaceful and homely environment of the institution, it is more reliable institution for vocational education, as reported by the participants. Including vocational skills, participants have been getting chance to learn more about morality and humanity during the training, as well as they also get opportunity to be familiar with objectives, vision and mission of SOS International.

Trainers have said that they have been trying their best to make training as good as possible but they are concerned that the productivity might be affective if their hard work does not commensurate with the incentive. They raised issues with their salary scale, lack of refresher training and old course

69 materials. Despite this, they said that they work with the motive to serve helpless people and they value the objectives of SOS International.

Best placed stakeholder- SOS, government or private Vocational training centers are operated by different governmental, non-governmental and international organizations in Pokhara. Most of them are established for business purposes; however, VTC Pokhara is the only center that serves the underserved such as the refugees, poor, school dropouts and youths with maladaptive problems. Regular counselling is done to the needy ones. Quality training in low cost, trilingual environment (Tibetan, English and Nepali) in the institution, free training materials, in depth teaching-learning practices, qualified and experienced trainers, well-equipped infrastructure, duration training, lunch facilities and motivational trainers and environment of the training center were the features that attracted trainees to the center. Maximum fifty students can be enrolled in each session of the training in VTC (i.e. 100 in a year).

There is a government training center in Pokhara called Pokhara Technical School under the CTEVT. It was established in 1996 to produce trained and skilled human resource for the growing tourism market. It is serving the youths from poor, marginalized and disadvantaged group (who could not afford academic education in long run) and lacking interest to move further in academic field. There are two branches of training in CTEVT Pokhara: technical (TSLC/Culinary-20, Ophthalmic Science-40 and Health- 40) and vocational training (Hospitality and related occupation). Maximum capacity of CTEVT is 100 for a session and vocational training sector (short term training) can enroll only 40-60 (each trade 20 trainees) students. Hence, available data shows that maximum operational capacity of CTEVT Pokhara is 167% compared to SOS VTC and the capacity utilization of the organization is 92% in 2017. If the maximum capacity (100) is reached by the technical enrollment then the time of vocational training classes need to be managed in the morning or evening shift because of insufficient classroom availability in the institution. Application trend is increasing in CTEVT Pokhara in the last three years because of public awareness, skill-oriented training, and the high job placement rate after the completion of the training, as reported by the vice-principal.

As a private training center, Panchakanya Training Center, Pokhara was established in 2002 to provide the vocational education/training to the interested candidates. Maximum 130 trainees can be enrolled in each session. Hence, available data shows that maximum operational capacity of Panchakanya Training Center is 217% compared to SOS VTC and the capacity utilization of the organization is 100% in 2017. The number of enrollment is increasing because of increased national poverty rate (trainees want employment oriented training), unemployment and the awareness about the importance of vocational trainings, as reported by the director.

Among SOS, governmental and private VTCs in Pokhara, SOS VTC could be the best place stakeholder for the target group of beneficiaries on the ground that it has a quality training, availability of training materials, brand image of SOS, and the dedication of the trainers. Both private and government VTCs have scholarship schemes to the needy students. However, the scholarship in private VTC does not necessarily go to the SOS target group; similarly, government VTC, despite targeting the target group, does not enroll the Tibetan refugees.

‘We were trained in VTC Pokhara like free of cost (minimum charge), and the training changed our life. We are engaged in various sectors and we have received respect in the work place, because of our skill, attitude, and morality, which we learnt in the VTC It might not have been possible if we had taken training from other institutions.’ (Trainees, VTC Pokhara).

In terms of equipment as well, VTC Pokhara is better than the other VTCs, as reported by the participants. Additionally, the main objective of VTC Pokhara is to train the youths from Tibetan refugee community, as well as the youths from the high Himalayan belts (basically from the Tibetan clan) but the purpose of other institution was different and they are not concerned with youths from Tibetan Refugee camp.

‘It is only one VTC.. established to serve the youths from Tibetan Refugee community. If the VTC was not here, we might not get chance to be trained from other institutions because of language, economic and eligibility issue.’ (Trainees-Tibetan Refugee, VTC Pokhara).

Number of trainees from Tibetan refugees are decreasing because of citizenship and license issues, and they are also not eligible to get formal job in the governmental organizations. However, VTC Pokhara is planning to reach widely to other communities of Nepal to include the candidates from the target group of beneficiaries. Observation of the finding shows that because of the objective, quality of trainings, trilingual environment in the school which is rare among other VTCs, facilities, available resources and the environment, VTC Pokhara is the best placed stakeholder to serve the youths from the target group but it needs to find ways to attract the youths from the Tibetan refugee camp.

Pathways for sustainability The land of VTC Pokhara was given by the Red Cross to run the center. So, there is no possibility to handover the center to the government or private training center, as reported by the director. In case of the closure of the SOS VTC, the land will go to the Red Cross. Even if the vision and mission of the organization is not exactly same, VTC Pokhara and CTEVT Pokhara share some similar objectives such as to provide free training services to the needy people (poor, marginalized and disadvantaged). Therefore, if there is any legal provision of SOS for cooperation, then their cooperation will be beneficial for both the institutions in some respect. VTC Pokhara can apply for affiliation from CTEVT and once

71 affiliated, it will increase the institutional credibility. Similarly, CTEVT will be benefitted by the well- equipped lab available in the VTC Pokhara. Both institutions can exchange their skills, knowledge, expertise and experiences and this will help both institutions to be more credible in the market.

Currently, VTC Pokhara is receiving 88% international subsidy, whereas only 9% of the fund comes from the local level. It shows that it needs some years for self- independency. To be self-sustained, enrollment of the trainees need to be increased.

Some of the suggested options in this regard were:

• Firstly, VTC needs to initiate the process for legal affiliation from CTEVT. This could start by applying for skills testing and certification. This will help build trust among the prospective trainees about the recognition of the training and the enrolment rate will be increased. • On the basis of current market scenario, VTC can introduce service-oriented trainings such as cooking, Barista (coffee making) Training, Banking Training, Beautician Training, Tailoring, Boutique Training, and House-keeping. • Updating the syllabus in regular consultation with employers according to the market needs • Updating the trainers (refresher training) for each trade so that quality training attracts more trainees • SOS 2030 Strategy is also focusing for youths having minimum one employable skill for both FBC and FSP to contribute to quality integration. Therefore, awareness of the importance of vocational education should arrange in FBC and FSP program locations23 • Awareness programme can be organized in the local community to disseminate information about the services, trades, admission procedures, and eligibility to enroll in the training • Contacting the Ex-students and take help from them for fund raising • Reaching out to the target group individually and volunteering to train the prospective trainees. • Boarding facility could be made more effective and could be open for all interested candidates. • Networking with different organizations need to be done and cooperation could be explored • Short term training (i.e. three months) could be initiated for interested candidates having limited time • Electrical and Electronics trades are highly demanded in the market, so these trades could be improved with modern lab facility. This will contribute to increase the enrollment • Training time could be flexible such as interested candidate can get chance to join the training course in their free time (i.e. morning and evening shift).

3.3.2. SOS Ceramic Training Center, Sanothimi 3.3.2.1. Overview SOS Ceramic Training Center was established in 1978 to serve unskilled and unemployed youths of the local community, more specifically the Prajapati family. Later, it included the vulnerable youths, FS and FBC programme, and the interested candidates in Ceramic Arts. It is located in the vicinity of SOS CV Sanothimi. The main objective of the center is to produce skilled manpower in ceramic sector. Since its establishment, it has been conducting skill development training on ceramics, to uplift the living standard of people from Thimi and Bhaktapur, who are traditionally involved in ceramic field.

The participants reported that this training center contributed to the Prajapati families to enhance their business by upgrading their skills in ceramics and it eventually supported their life. In the past three years, the overall application trend is increasing (2015-2, 2016-5, 2017-6) because people from Prajapati community received a text message about the training from the center. The In-charge reported that they reached out to the local community with the training information and disseminated it to the people. There is only one trainer who is responsible to do the entire training.

3.3.2.2. Findings Target group beneficiaries- reach and implications Initially for the youth from Prajapati families, the center now includes the youths who want to develop their career in ceramic field. It’s a free training. There were only 6 participants attending the training in 2017 and all of them were from the target group (vulnerable). There was no participating from the FBC and FS programmes. The graduates of the training center said that the training they received was useful for them to continue the profession with the growing business. The training, however, despite being perceived beneficial to the youths who need basic knowledge and skills in ceramics, was not considered adequate to start a new business in ceramics.

VTC In-charge shared that some efforts such as door to door campaign to motivate the youths to participate in ceramic training, advertisement through posters and pamphlets, formal message to the youths from the community and the community-based campaigns have been organized to reach the target group beneficiaries. However, due to the attraction of young people in formal education the number of trainees is still low.

Service quality and institutional credibility SOS Ceramic center provides six months basic training on Ceramic Art. There is no specific course book for the training, however, trainees are engaged in both theoretical and practical classes. The students learn the skill and knowledge through learning by doing. Additionally, teaching methodology is used on the basis of the interest of the students such as demonstration, discussion, and excursion (such as zoo,

73 historical places, temples and monuments to grab the idea about subject materials). According to the former trainees, training is effective because of well-equipped lab, quality training with qualified trainer and the supportive behavior of the trainer. However, most of the ex-trainees reported that the training was not sufficient to become professionals in different aspects of ceramics. For example, rubber mould and glaze ceramics is not possible in include in the six months basic course but it is required to run the ceramics business.

Even with the basic training on Ceramic Arts participants said that they have been well-utilizing their skills in Ceramic market and some of them said that they have initiated their own business on Ceramic Art. It was also reported that because of the brand image of SOS, trainees are getting better recognition than others in the Ceramic field.

Best placed stakeholder- SOS, government or private Government, non-government and private organizations are running some vocational training centers in Bhaktapur district; however, the objectives of their establishment are different. The maximum operational capacity of the SOS ceramic center is 15 in a session (30 per year), but only 6 trainees attended the training in 2017 (capacity utilization: 20%, increased than previous year). The in-charge of the center shared that today’s youth are a bit reluctant to involve in clay work and this could be one of the reasons for the low enrollment in the training. Though the training quality was reported to be good at the center, the low enrollment of the trainees shows the lack of motivation among the local youths to join the center.

There is also government training center on ceramics in the area which was established in 1982 to serve people who are traditionally engaged in ceramic field. In this facility, maximum 15 trainees can be enrolled in each session (30 per year). It was reported by the in-charge of the center, that the number of trainees in this ceramic center was increasing. It provides stationary and other required materials to the trainees. There is enough space for the training but the building is old like the ruins and needs renovation. Otherwise, it might pose a safety threat. The equipment and technology used there are out of fashion.

There was a private training center on ceramics in Bhaktapur which was established in 1987 as a training center to serve the people who are interested in Ceramic Art but later it was converted into a production house. This does not provide any training at the moment. The production house is well-equipped with well-maintained infrastructure, and it only enrolls the professional Ceramic Artists.

In terms of the facilities, infrastructure, equipment and quality of training, SOS Ceramic center is better than the government and private ceramics center. However, the capacity utilization, is only 20%. The government ceramic center, on the other hand, aims to cover large number beneficiaries from different areas but the existing scenario in terms of infrastructure and facilities show that it is difficult achieve its

74 objectives. Thus, in the given circumstances, SOS Ceramic center is the only choice for the target groups to receive quality training for free.

Pathways for sustainability In the existing circumstances where the overall expenditure of the Ceramic Center is covered by International subsidy (104%) with the small portion of the local fund (3%), financial sustainability in the immediate future seems to be difficult. Collaboration with the government ceramics center might be viable option to jointly run the course under mutually agreed terms and conditions. For long term sustainability, efforts can be made. The respondents suggested the following measures that the center can adopt in this direction:

• Awareness campaign could be run in large scale, which will be helpful to both target and non- target group of beneficiaries to be familiar with Ceramic Art, quality training facility in the SOS ceramic center and then join the center • Training could be expanded to the youth from the non-target group on fee paying basis • Advanced level training could be added in the ceramics so that the graduates could become competent professionals in ceramics. This might attract more young people in the training • Arrangement for job placement after training and youth mobilization in social initiatives in clay work could be practiced. This might attract the attention of the youths to be involved in ceramic art training, and the number of trainees will be increased • Production of ceramic goods could be increased and supply in the national/international market could be initiated • Ceramic Art exhibition could be conducted for advertisement of the training and products. This helps to raise the fund and trainees as well • Sectors of training in Ceramic Arts could be added such as cup raw, glaze, rubber mould to attract the youths to participate in the training • Coordination with the local Government could be made to enhance the clay work culturally, will add the value of the ceramic center • Nepal Government has introduced 100 marks occupation text book for grade Six to grade Eight including clay work (Ceramics). Majority of the schools do not have their own Ceramic workshop & firing kiln, so the training center can cooperate with the institution/schools and can provide the practical class and can charge small amount of money (It is in practice from last year).

3.4. SOS National Training Center, Kavre 3.4.1. Overview National Training Center was established in 2001 to train the SOS mothers. Later, it expanded its services to train the SOS co-workers. Currently, it has been providing training to the youths (employability training: how to write job application, how to face interview, etc.), management team members and external candidates. NTC Plans and implements professional development training to the SOS mothers, teachers and other co-workers working in different projects run by SOS Nepal.

The training center lies on the lap of small hill near Banepa in Kavre (Province 3) about 30 Kilometers east of Kathmandu. NTC does not have its instructors. Training programmes are conducted outsourcing the expertise based on the nature of the training programmes. Record shows that during the last three years, NTC trained 1194 (2015-308, 2016-443, 2017-443) participants. Child safeguarding training is provided to the SOS co-workers during other training sessions. It is said that number of training differs year to year (2015-16, 2016-21, 2017-19) because NTC provides both regular and need based trainings. Additionally, due to the devasting earthquake some part of office was badly damaged causing the reduction of the number of training in 2017, as reported by the director.

3.4.2. Findings Target group beneficiaries- reach and implications NTC is chiefly responsible to provide training to the SOS mothers and SOS co-workers. It also offers need-based trainings to the SOS youths, external organizations and community people. Among the total participants, more than 80% fall under the target group beneficiaries of NTC. During period of 2015- 17, NTC trained 130 SOS mothers, 553 co-workers, 428 management team members, and 83 external candidates (out from SOS MA).

Currently, NTC is running SOS youth employability training and livelihood training (cow farming, sheep farming, tailoring) to the social mobilizers who are working for earthquake victims. Similarly, it also organizes emergency training to the students and teachers of the child care homes in Banepa area. Some other training includes Livelihood, Childcare and Montessori training to the non-SOS group and training to the community-based mobilizers of SOS (SOS is planning to develop community-based SOS village in near future).

Service quality and institutional credibility NTC’s training is focused on continuous professional development of the SOS professionals and other need-based training. NTC invites psycho-social counsellor, communication skill experts, nurses, professors from nursing collage, lecturers, professors and others professionals (as required) from external agencies to train its people. Additionally, members from SOS Nepal and SOS International are also invited as

76 trainers. Well-maintained infrastructure, quality training, and peaceful environment are the key features of NTC. According to the director, past NTC trainees have reported that the training is based on the needs of the trainees and training could be implemented at the work place.

Some participants have mentioned that in the recent years, some important professional development training such as teacher’s professional development training and child safeguarding training are not organized regularly. Best placed stakeholder-SOS, government or private There are some government, non-government and private training centers around the SOS NTC but these centers have a different focus. SOS NTC basically serves the training needs of the SOS network but other training centers have different audience. NTC can handle a maximum of 20 participants for each training session at time.

There is a training center under Nepal Red Cross Society (NRCS) in Banepa and it was established to serve the training needs of its clients. According to the director, there are three training halls which can accommodate around 72 participants at a time. 12 training were organized with 240 participants in 2017. Number of participants is almost constant every year because it is run by NRCS and the types of training and the number of participants is determined on the basis of the regular plans and policies of NRCS.

Another training center called Dhulikhel training center is a private training center, established to offer the venue for various kinds of training events. It offers halls and other facilities in different prices. It has three halls with the total capacity of 200 participants per training session. In this context, NTC is the only best place for the target group of beneficiaries for their training.

On the basis of the objectives, types of training services, infrastructure and environment of the training center NTC could be the best placed for target group beneficiaries, according to the stakeholders.

Pathways for sustainability NTC is operating with the assistance of SOS National Office, which allocates money to train the SOS mothers and co-workers. However, there are some of other possible ways to generate fund. NTC is not charging any types of fee to the individual member since its inception; however, it can be possible to charge certain amount with them to raise the fund to be self-sustained, as reported by the director. Similarly, training hall can be rented out to other agencies to organize short-term training and the rent from these events would be helpful to raise the local fund. Additionally, it is reported that NTC can organize some income generating training and employability training to interested candidates and the money collected from such training could go to the sustainability fund.

Chapter 4: Conclusions & Recommendations Conclusions

Education and Health of people are central to the development process. Government of Nepal has also put these two areas in their priority agenda and policies and programmes have been made to make education and health accessible to the people. However, despite significant achievements over the years, a lot still needs to be achieved in health and education sector in Nepal. The Education for All (2000- 2015) movement focused mostly on access to education. The major push, was therefore, in bringing children to school. In the more recent School Sectoral Development Programme (SSDP) (2016- 2023), however, quality is the key agenda. Children’s access to education has significantly improved in Nepal over years but their retention in schools and bringing quality in education are still the huge challenges for Nepal. Additionally, quality education has several dimensions and it will take time to create quality learning environment in the public schools of Nepal not only due to the resource constraints but also due to the lack of quality human resources in education.

At the national level, Nepal is gradually evolving as a federal democratic country from a long political transition. Local governments have just been formed and the elected representatives are in the process of giving operational shape of the local, provincial and federal governments. Though, the constitution has broadly outlined the roles of the three tier governance system, the specific details will have to be worked out by the legislative bodies of these governments in the days to come. The provincial practice, being novel to Nepal’s political system, is likely to function on an ad hoc basis until the constitutional roles are clearly spelled out by the laws and bylaws of these governments. This means the formation of a full- fledged and independently functioning Federal, Provincial and Local governments will be an evolving process at least for some years.

In this context, presence and operation of SOS Hermann Gmeiner Schools is even more relevant and their continuation is extremely important at least until all these three levels of governing bodies are fully developed and exercise their expected roles. These new governments have made commitments to provide quality education and health services to the public in their election manifesto and now they are looking for the appropriate models and best practices. As the H&E assessment has shown that the Hermann Gmeiner Schools are recognized for their quality education and stand as symbols of quality education in Nepal, the SOS schools could serve as role models for the local governments to replicate the best practices of the SOS schools in the government schools. SOS schools can also be placed as the learning schools for teachers, head-teachers, school management committee members and parents.

The government has committed free education through public schools but the achievements (output) of most of these schools remains below the satisfactory level. Public schools are constantly criticized for not being able to provide quality education to its pupils. Private schools on the other hand, mostly serve the

78 children whose parents can pay for education. Although, there is a mandatory provision of scholarships for a very few children in private schools, these scholarships are not enough to cover the needy children of the areas where SOS is working. Thus, support of the SOS in the current form is still vital until the public schools improve their quality education for all the children. The contribution of SOS in the society and in the lives of the vulnerable children, most particularly in providing homes and quality education to the children without parents or those at risk of losing parents was highly regarded. Similarly, SOS schools are the integral parts of the Nepali communities and stakeholders do want them to continue their services. Since Nepal is going through a big transition phase and still struggling to manage the political transition, continuity of the SOS at least for some years is crucial. At the same time, a systematic sustainability should be worked out involving the key stakeholders on the ground.

Recommendations

1. The new constitution of Nepal provisions that the operation and management of schools run by the state and non-state sector in Nepal is the responsibility of the local governments but the local governments have just been formed and they are still working on the regulations. Governance, management, financial modality, community engagement, quality dimensions are still in the discussion and it will take some times to crystalize these things in their policy and develop programmes accordingly. Thus, the SOS schools should continue as they are at least for some years until the local governments are ready to collaborate with them and share the liability. 2. Despite basic education being recognized as a human right by the government of Nepal, increased government financing for quality education does not seem to be feasible at the moment looking at the ground realities. For the next few years, it seems that the financial flow of the government will be towards institutionalizing the federalism by developing the required infrastructure for the three level governments, preparation of human resources for the governance and development of the public infrastructure. In this backdrop, the need and significance of the Hermann Gmeiner Schools in Nepal can only be emphasized. The recommendation is, therefore, to continue running all seven schools without any resource constraints and gradually explore the ways of sustaining them. 3. The local governments in Nepal have put education and health as their key development agenda but they are looking for the models that they can adapt or adopt. In this context, SOS could collaborate with the local governments and create the SOS as the learning organization for mentoring head-teachers, teacher training and creating quality learning environment in the schools. Representatives of the local governments in all SOS school locations have shown interest to collaborate with the SOS but no clear plan has been spelled out. SOS should, therefore, take this as an opportunity to collaborate with the local governments and jointly work with them to chart out the details of the mode of collaboration both in the short and long term.

4. The assessment has revealed the lesser number of target group population than mandated by SOS policy in six Hermann Gmeiner Schools. This does not mean that there are no children of the SOS target group in Nepal. The SSRP document informs about 10 percent of deprived children in Nepal are still unable to attend schools due to the geographic, economic, social reasons. Thus, SOS needs to find ways of attracting the target group children and strategies need to be developed to retain them in schools. Providing transportation service to the children living in a distance, providing boarding facilities for the target group children could be some of the ways to bring more target group children to school. 5. One of the issues raised by teachers during the assessment was the lack of raise in their salary and other benefits. Since the inflation rate is going up every year in leaps and bounds, teachers’ expectation for the rise is natural. It is, therefore, suggested that teachers’ concerns are addressed to keep their motivation going in their work at school. 6. Another issue that was related to the quality of education as pointed out by teachers was the inadequacy of the professional development trainings. Teachers have indicated that frequent refresher training and other professional development programmes are necessary, typically, to ensure that Hermann Gmeiner Schools’ quality is sustained (or, even increased) and its teachers are updated with the undercurrents. SOS should, thus, continue its professional development programme that it was doing in the earlier days on a regular basis. 7. The study indicated that stakeholders have raised their doubts over to the maintenance of “quality” in education and overall school performance in the recent years. In order to make sure that the SOS programmes do have the expected quality rigor, an external ‘quality audit’ is suggested in all of the SOS programmes. Based on the results of the ‘quality audit’, appropriate measures need to be adopted to address the quality issues in all the programmes. 8. Sustainability was one of the key focuses of the study and everyone agrees that SOS programmes must sustain in the long run. The study has indicated all the schools except one have already been moving towards the direction of financial sustainability with the decreasing international funding over the years, indicating that in the long run self-sufficiency is possible. However, in order to make it a smooth operation, a phase-wise plan of sustainability is suggested at both ends. The schools in Nepal should be engaged in developing a sustainability plan along with concrete strategies. SOS International should also develop an exit strategy looking at each programme on a case-by-case basis. Each school is in unique position with specific features grounded in the local context. Hermann Gmeiner School Pokhara, for example, is targeting Tibetan refugee children and currently enrolling about 50% from the SOS target group and withdrawal of SOS support to this school would immediately jeopardize the future of these children. Thus, a generalized conclusion for their sustainability cannot be worked out at this level. SOS Nepal and SOS International need to work together in designing sustainability strategies involving all the stakeholders of all the locations so

80 that these plans are owned by every stakeholder and they can work to implement them in their true spirit. The starting point for this exercise could be to develop the capacity of the leadership working in different programmes and engage them in leading the whole planning process. Some of the broad areas for the sustainability of the SOS programme might include: a) Collaboration with the local governments to support the local schools around the SOS in areas of teacher training, mentorship and collaborative activities among teachers. By doing this, SOS schools could generate fund and at the same time they can support the public schools to improve their quality.

b) Working with the local I/NGOs to enhance the quality of education in the public schools will also create collaborative atmosphere at the local level. Here the SOS schools can provide consultancy services to the I/NGOs for creating quality learning environment in the public schools.

c) Negotiation with the provincial governments to establish SOS schools as the model schools under the provincial government on cost-sharing basis could be the next option that SOS can initiate. This will be a win-win approach both for the SOS and for the provincial governments. Budhanilkantha school in Kathmandu and Gandaki Boarding School in Pokhara are the examples of such partnership between the government and international partners. Since the SOS schools are established quality schools in different provinces of Nepal, the provincial government can partner with the SOS to gradually take over the management of the schools with the funding provision by the provincial government.

d) Collaboration with the corporate sector to use the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) budget to support the children from poor and disadvantaged. If such collaboration can be established, the target group support of the SOS will continue on a long term basis. The schools will select the children from the target group communities and the corporate sector will cover the cost of those children’s education and health.

e) SOS graduates have shown interest to support the schools to be self-sustained and they are expecting a plan of action from the schools. As the study has shown that SOS graduates are working in different fields and many of them are in high profile positions. Creating alumni network and engaging them in fund raising activities could be another strategy to ensure sustainability of the schools in the long run.

f) School stakeholders particularly the Principals of the SOS schools and teachers have demanded flexibility in the SOS policy to make decisions at the local level in areas of leasing or renting out the physical facilities, expanding the programmes to include new stream in 10 plus 2 programmes, revising fee for the fee paying students and developing partnership at

the local level. SOS could give some kind of autonomy to the school Principals to make decisions in those areas so that the Principals become empowered at the local level and schools could work out their plan for long term sustainability.

1) The contexts of the MC, VTCs and NTC were also similar. The assessment indicated that SOS MC functioned in close collaboration with the government health post and complemented each other. By providing laboratory services and services from qualified health professionals (doctors) SOS MC was filling a huge void in the healthcare services in the region. Large catchment area, larger number of poor and vulnerable population in the community and lesser number of private and government health centers/ hospitals, further emphasized the need and significance of the center until the public sector services are well-placed. The recommendation therefore, is to continue to run SOS MC, strengthen the existing collaboration with the government, whilst also exploring ways for extending services and collaboration with private healthcare centers/ hospitals and/or NGOs/INGOs for assessing ways for long-term sustainability. 2) SOS VTCs have been providing skill development training to the members of community coming from both target and non-target groups. The equipment available in these training centers were reported to be essential. Such equipment and tools are not present in other training centers of the vicinity. Similar to schools, these centers have stood as examples and have been providing opportunities to a large number of people, who would, otherwise, have difficulty to pursue their vocations. Recommendation, similar to other facilities, is to continue to run the VTCs, whilst exploring options for sustainability. Training provisions for newer trades can be explored as per the current needs of the society, for example, Ceramic Center in Bhaktapur could opt for other trainings in other forms of ceramic arts and fine arts. 3) Trainers in the VTC are motivated and they are proud of being a part of the SOS. However, they have indicated that they need continuous professional development training and exposure to maintain the quality of the training. Thus, in order to incorporate the undercurrents in the relevant vocational fields, training and professional development support for the trainers of the VTC would motivate them to contribute to quality training. 4) In case of SOS Ceramic Center located in Sanothimi, a well thought out program is required to continue its operation. Rather than being autonomous institution, the center could adopt multiple strategies, such as, a) using it as a fun center for young students from various schools during vacation, b) integrate ceramic art as a part of the local curriculum in collaboration with the local government and use the center to offer classes for SOS children and beyond, c) integrate it with the fine arts activities and develop it both as an activity as an exhibition center so that students from other schools and community could visit and learn the local arts.

5) NTC with its primary engagement in providing training to SOS mothers and co-workers, did not have major issue with sustainability as the member associations of SOS allocated money for their Human Resource Development (to train their members), and was involved mostly in training of its target group. The recommendation is therefore to continue to run the NTC. Further, fund generating mechanisms can nonetheless be explored, for example, organizing training for external organizations. NTC can sell its training to the principals and teachers of the private schools, NGOs and other relevant stakeholders. Also, the training venue and facilities could be rented for external organizations while they are not used for SOS activities.

Strategic Actions

Based on the findings and recommendations of the study, SOS might want to take certain steps to address key questions raised in this study. Below are some of the suggestions in this regard.

Areas Suggestion Actions

Serving sufficient number of a) Make community visits (places where the target groups live) to find target group children in the out why exactly children from those communities have not come to SOS facility the SOS schools and hold discussion with the parents and community leaders. b) Provide transport facility if distance is a problem. Transport facility could also be provided to the fee-paying students from the non- target communities so that the cost of transportation could be covered. Collaboration with the a) Form a team at the national level (on behalf of SOS Nepal) to initiate governments dialogue with the government at the federal level and brainstorm the possible strategies of collaboration at federal, provincial and local level. b) Propose the options of collaboration models and share them with the provincial and local governments. c) Engage the Principals of the SOS schools in these discussions and empower them to follow-up with the provincial and local governments for concrete results. d) In order to build rapport with the local governments, initiate dialogue with the Education Officers of the respective municipalities and offer them the support that SOS can offer to contribute to quality education of the government schools. Training government school

teachers in areas of interactive pedagogy, inviting head teachers to the SOS and hold interaction on leadership skills could be some of the strategies to break ice in this regard. Enhancing quality in the SOS a) Form a team of experts to assess the quality of SOS programmes programmes and identify the areas that needs to be addressed to ensure the quality in all the SOS programmes. b) Develop strategies to address the issues identified by the team. c) Resume professional development training for teachers so that they can update themselves in the emerging pedagogical trends. Sustaining teachers’ motivation a) Review the salary scale of teachers considering the raise in the overall salary structure at the national level. b) Involve teachers or their representative(s) in the overall planning and decision making process so that they could own the programmes and contribute to their realization through actions.

Sustainability of the schools a) Develop a strategic plan at the national level to decide the course of action of the SOS for the next 5 to 10 years. This plan should be developed involving all the key stakeholders of the SOS. b) Ask the school principals to develop their own strategic plans in the alignment of the national strategic plan. The plan should indicate the strategies and actions for the school’s sustainability. c) Form alumni network and engage the alumni in the discussion to generate fund for sustainability. Organizing the alumni conference with the specific agenda for the overall development of school could be the first step in this regard. d) Engage the alumni to involve NRNs in the sponsorship programmes so that more children from the target group can be educated. e) Identify the key corporate organizations (industries, hotels, financial institutes, business houses) in the local areas hold dialogue with them to allocate part of the CSR money to sponsor the children from the target group in the SOS schools. f) Form a parents group involving the ones who have shown interest to support the schools. Facilitate the discussion to develop strategies through which funds can be generated to sustain the school activities.

Granting autonomy to the a) Develop guidelines to give some autonomy to the schools so that schools in certain decision certain decisions can be made at the local level. making areas b) Empower the school principals and other leaders from the school level so that they can rightly exercise their autonomy. Sustaining SOS MC a) Continue partnership with the government healthcare service providers and work towards further strengthening this collaboration. b) Empower the in-charge of the MC to explore new avenues for collaboration with the private healthcare providers and other non- government agencies at the local level. c) Initiate dialogue with the provincial and local governments to develop strategies for a sustained collaboration. d) Develop a plan of action with the specific roles and responsibilities of each party so that the plan could be implemented effectively. e) Consider adding and expanding the existing healthcare services.

f) Build the professional capacity of the existing staff in the SOS MC, or consider hiring qualified healthcare professional, to provide services such as the VCT.

Sustaining VTCs g) Continue partnership with the government and non-government agencies at the local level to maintain the working relationship with them. h) Initiate dialogue with the provincial and local governments to develop strategies for a sustained collaboration. i) Develop a plan of action with the specific roles and responsibilities of each party so that the plan could be implemented effectively.

Sustaining the NTC a) Prepare a roster of the expertise available in the SOS network. b) Develop training programmes for various groups and disseminate them to the potential clients. c) Conduct training programmes for those clients to generate fund for sustainability.

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Appendices

APPENDIX I

List of activities conducted during the H&E Assessment, participants and their gender SOS Centers Assessment activity Participants No. of participants (Gender) IDI Acting DEO, District Health Office, Surkhet 1 (M) IDI Ward Chair Person, Ward-4, Birendranagar 1 (M) Municipality, Surkhet KII (SOS) Principal, Hermann Gmeiner School Surkhet 1 (M) Hermann Gmeiner KII – Government facility Principal, Shree Tripureshwor Madhyamik Bidhyalaya, 1 (M) School Surkhet Surkhet KII – Private facility Principal, JP (Janapriya) Secondary School, 1 (M) Birendranagar- 3 Surkhet FGD Teachers, Hermann Gmeiner School Surkhet 8(1F, 7M) FGD Parents of Students studying Hermann Gmeiner School 10(8M, 2F) Surkhet FGD Ex-students /Graduates of Hermann Gmeiner School, 17(6F, 11M) Surkhet Interaction Students (grade 8-10)/ Hermann Gmeiner School 19(9F, 10M) Surkhet

IDI Member, Ward Office, Ward no. 2, Sanothimi, 1 (M) Bhaktapur IDI Mayor, Bhaktapur Municipality Office 1 (M) IDI DEO/ District Education Office, Sanothimi 1 (M) Hermann Gmeiner KII (SOS) Principal, Hermann Gmeiner School Sanothimi 1 (F) School Sanothimi KII- Government facility DMPS, Adarsha Secondary School, Sanothimi 1 (M) KII- Private facility Principal, Bhaktapur English School, Bhakatpur 1 (M) FGD Teachers- Hermann Gmeiner School Sanothimi 11 (9M, 2F) FGD Parents of Students studying in Hermann Gmeiner 12 (8M, 3F) School Sanothimi FGD Ex-students (Graduates) of Hermann Gmeiner School 12 (8M, 4F) Sanothimi Interaction Students (grade 9-12)/ Hermann Gmeiner School 12 (5M, 7F) Sanothimi

IDI DEO, District Education Office, Chitwan 1 (M) IDI Mayor, Municipality Office 1 (F) KII Principal, Hermann Gmeiner School Bharatpur 1 (M) Hermann Gmeiner KII- Government facility Principal, Saradapur Secondary School, Chitwan 1 (M) School Bharatpur KII- Private facility Principal, Polar Star English Boarding School, Chitwan 1 (M) FGD Parents of Students studying in Hermann Gmeiner 10 (All Males) School Bharatpur FGD Ex-students (Graduates) of Hermann Gmeiner School 9 (4F, 5M) Bharatpur FGD Teachers- Hermann Gmeiner School Bharatpur 14 (11M, 3F) Interaction Students (grade 8-10), Hermann Gmeiner School 12 (6M, 6F) Bharatpur

IDI Deputy DEO, District Education Office, Itahari 1 (M)

IDI Deputy Mayor, Municipality Office 1 (F) KII (SOS) Principal, Hermann Gmeiner School Itahari 1 (M) Hermann Gmeiner KII- Government facility Principal, Jana Jyoti Secondary School, Itahari 1 (M) School Itahari KII- Private facility Principal, Secret Heart Boarding School, Itahari 1 (M) FGD Teachers- Hermann Gmeiner School Itahari 10 (7M, 3F) FGD Parents of students studying in Hermann Gmeiner 9 (7M, 3F) School Itahari FGD Ex-students (Graduates) of Hermann Gmeiner School 9 (6M, 3F) Itahari Interaction Students (grade 8-10), Hermann Gmeiner School 8 Itahari

IDI Mayor, Panauti Municipality/ Municipality Office 1 (M) IDI DEO/ District Education Office, Kavre 1 (M) KII (SOS) Principal, Hermann Gmeiner School Kavre 1 (M) Hermann Gmeiner KII-Government facility Principal, Shreekhandapur Secondary School, Kavre 1 (M) School Kavre KII-Private facility Principal, Bidhya Sagar Secondary School, Kavre 1 (M) FGD Teachers/ Hermann Gmeiner School Kavre 10 (3F, 7M) FGD Parents of students studying in Hermann Gmeiner 9 (6F, 3M) School Kavre FGD Ex-students (Graduates) of Hermann Gmeiner School 9 (1F, 8M) Kavre Interaction Students (8-12) of Hermann Gmeiner School Kavre 13 (3F, 7M)

IDI District Education Officer (DEO)/Pokhara 1 (M) IDI Mayor, Pokhara-Lekhnath Metropolitan City, Pokhara 1 (M) KII (SOS) Principal/ Hermann Gmeiner School Pokhara 1 (M) Hermann Gmeiner KII-Private facility Principal, Balodaya English School, Pokhara 1 (M) School Pokhara KII-Government facility Vice-Principal, Chorepatan Secondary School, 1 (M) Pokhara FGD Teachers, Hermann Gmeiner School Pokhara 12 (4F, 8M) FGD Parents of students studying in Hermann Gmeiner 7 (4F, 3M) School Pokhara FGD Ex-students (graduates) of Hermann Gmeiner School 11 (4F, 7M) Pokhara Interaction Students (grade 8-12)/ Hermann Gmeiner School 10 (6F, 4M) Pokhara

KII (SOS) Principal, Hermann Gmeiner School Gandaki 1 (M) KII-Government facility Principal, Kalika Secondary School, Gandaki 1 (M) KII- Private facility Principal, Gyotikunj Secondary School, Gandaki 1 (M) Hermann Gmeiner FGD Ex-students (graduates)- Hermann Gmeiner School 10 (1F, 9M) School Gandaki Gandaki FGD Parents of students studying in Hermann Gmeiner 8 (1F, 7M) School Gandaki FGD Teachers- Hermann Gmeiner School Gandaki 14 (13M) Interaction Students (grade 8-12), Hermann Gmeiner School 18 (7F, 11M) Gandaki

IDI Public Health Inspector (Information Officer), District 1 (M) Health Office, Gulariya IDI Mayor, Bansghadi Municipality, Municipality Office 1 (M) KII (SOS) In-charge, SOS Medical Center, Bardiya 1 (M) SOS MC, Bardiya KII- Government. facility Health Coordinator, Motipur Health Post, Bansghadi, 1 (M) Bardiya KII- Private facility Assistant Director, Kohalpur Hospital, Kohalpur 1 (M) Client Satisfaction Interviews Clients, SOS Medical Center, Bardiya 11 (6M, 5F) FGD Staff, SOS Medical Center, Bardiya 5 (1F, 4M)

KII Director, VTC Pokhara 1 (M) KII- Government facility Vice-Principal, CTEVT, Pokhara 1 (M) VTC Pokhara KII- Private facility Director, Panchakanya Training Center P. Ltd., 1 (M) Pokhara FGD Teachers-VTC Pokhara 8 (All Males) FGD Ex-students (graduates) of VTC Pokhara 9(2F, 7M)

KII Director, VTC (Ceramic Center) Bhaktapur 1 (M) KII-Government facility Director, Home and Small Industries Training Center 1 (M) (Ceramic Center), Bhaktapur VTC (Ceramic KII- Private facility Director, Thimi Ceremic Center (Production House) 1 (M) Center) Bhaktapur Bhaktapur IDI (an intended FGD) Teachers, Ceramic Center, Bhaktapur 1 (M) FGD Ex-students (graduates) of Ceramic Center, Bhaktapur 14 (All Males)

KII Director, NTC Kavre 1 (M) NTC Kavre KII-Public facility Red Cross Training Center, Kavre 1 (M) KII- Private facilities Dhulikhel Training Center, Kavre 1 (M)

Overall scenario IDI Joint Secretary, Ministry of Education 1 (M) Note: 32 KIIs, 25 FGDs, 17 IDIs and 7 Interactions were conducted.

PHOTO GALLERY