Despite huge criticism the government is borrowing Rs 13.73 billion from the World Bank to finance politically motivated employment programme.
The government and the World Bank today signed two separate agreements today to improve employment services and labour market outcomes for Nepali youth and continue support for the government’s flagship School Sector Development Programme (SSDP). According to a press note issued by the World Bank (WB), finance secretary Dr Rajan Khanal and the World Bank country manager for Nepal Faris H Hadad-Zervos signed the agreements today at the Finance Ministry.
“Human capital development and creation of jobs within the country for young people, especially women, is a top priority of the government,” Khanal said, adding that the support for promoting social security and quality education is an important contributor for achieving effective service delivery under Nepal’s new federal structure and our goal of a Prosperous Nepal and Happy Nepali.
The Youth Employment Transformation Initiative (YETI) is a new project of $ 120 million (approximately Rs 13.73 billion) that aims to strengthen the systems and services for employability including programmes like the Prime Minister Employment Programme (PMEP). The project is expected to benefit 100,000 young people, especially women, and will be implemented by the Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Security over a period of five years.
Though, experts have been criticising the government for borrowing money to be spent on a politically potivated programme – that became controvercial in the last fiscal year too – the YETI will support the 753 Employment Service Centers (ESCs) at the local level to increase access to employment opportunities by providing employment promotion and employment support services for registered job seekers. “It will also support a holistic National Employment Management Information System (NEMIS) for effective and efficient management and monitoring of the services provided by the project and PMEP, management of data on job seekers and job-related opportunities, and evidence-based employment policy formulation,” reads the press note.
Last year also, the government was criticised for misusing the public purse – in the name of Prime Minister Employment Programme (PMEP) – for temporary jobs that neither created wealth nor helped capital formation. But the government is implementing the PMEM this year with the borrowed money from World Bank.
Amid worries that the money could end up on handouts as has been widely reported last year about instances of doling out funds for works like gardening and cleaning, Hadad-Zervos said that there are enough safeguard measures to make sure that the project meet its purposes. “The system and processes designed not only at the center, but also at the local level, ensure that proper people will be identified that need this type of job opportunities, transparency in payment and sustainability of jobs,” he said, claiming that the funding will ultimately help development projects at the local level.
The World Bank also claimed that the project is expected to create temporary employment opportunities in the maintenance of public assets and provision of services to engage up to 35,000 vulnerable individuals and yield about 3.5 million work-days annually. “The temporary employment opportunities will be complemented by on-the-job and life skills trainings of up to 50 days per individual to improve the employability of young people in the long run and ensure sustainability, following the updated PMEP guideline,” the press note reads, adding that the project is also expected to also support capacity building initiatives to facilitate effective service delivery and coordination in the new federal structure while creating synergies with the private sector and existing projects to promote employment and employment-related services.
Likewise, Additional Financing (AF)of $23.958 million (approximately Rs 2.74 billion) was made available through the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) Grant to support Nepal’s School Sector Development Programme (SSDP). The SSDP annually benefits over 7 million students and over 180,000 teachers and early childhood education development (ECED) facilitators in more than 30,000 community schools and ECED centers across the country.
The additional financing will maintain support for the government’s SSDP to improve quality, equity and efficiency within the school education sector. It will also safeguard and maximize SSDP’s development impact during the ongoing federal transition. The additional financing will explicitly focus on education service delivery, especially for the most disadvantaged and setting strong foundations for the decentralised education systems. “It will help mitigate risks to education quality and access given heterogeneity in capacity and quality of governance at the local level,” the press note reads.
The GPE AF follows the results-based financing used in the parent IDA School Sector Development Programme to build on the existing momentum and results-focus by directly incentivising the government’s ownership and implementation of critical reforms and policies. It also offers more flexibility to tailor interventions to local contexts, which aligns well with the federal transition.
“Once children and young people are given the opportunity to access quality education, skills and meaningful employment, the potential for Nepal’s development can be truly unlocked,” World Bank country manager for Nepal Faris H Hadad-Zervos said, adding that the World Bank is committed to invest in people to contribute to Nepal’s growth trajectory as a trusted partner of Nepal.
The government and the World Bank today signed two separate agreements today to improve employment services and labour market outcomes for Nepali youth and continue support for the government’s flagship School Sector Development Programme (SSDP). According to a press note issued by the World Bank (WB), finance secretary Dr Rajan Khanal and the World Bank country manager for Nepal Faris H Hadad-Zervos signed the agreements today at the Finance Ministry.
“Human capital development and creation of jobs within the country for young people, especially women, is a top priority of the government,” Khanal said, adding that the support for promoting social security and quality education is an important contributor for achieving effective service delivery under Nepal’s new federal structure and our goal of a Prosperous Nepal and Happy Nepali.
The Youth Employment Transformation Initiative (YETI) is a new project of $ 120 million (approximately Rs 13.73 billion) that aims to strengthen the systems and services for employability including programmes like the Prime Minister Employment Programme (PMEP). The project is expected to benefit 100,000 young people, especially women, and will be implemented by the Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Security over a period of five years.
Though, experts have been criticising the government for borrowing money to be spent on a politically potivated programme – that became controvercial in the last fiscal year too – the YETI will support the 753 Employment Service Centers (ESCs) at the local level to increase access to employment opportunities by providing employment promotion and employment support services for registered job seekers. “It will also support a holistic National Employment Management Information System (NEMIS) for effective and efficient management and monitoring of the services provided by the project and PMEP, management of data on job seekers and job-related opportunities, and evidence-based employment policy formulation,” reads the press note.
Last year also, the government was criticised for misusing the public purse – in the name of Prime Minister Employment Programme (PMEP) – for temporary jobs that neither created wealth nor helped capital formation. But the government is implementing the PMEM this year with the borrowed money from World Bank.
Amid worries that the money could end up on handouts as has been widely reported last year about instances of doling out funds for works like gardening and cleaning, Hadad-Zervos said that there are enough safeguard measures to make sure that the project meet its purposes. “The system and processes designed not only at the center, but also at the local level, ensure that proper people will be identified that need this type of job opportunities, transparency in payment and sustainability of jobs,” he said, claiming that the funding will ultimately help development projects at the local level.
The World Bank also claimed that the project is expected to create temporary employment opportunities in the maintenance of public assets and provision of services to engage up to 35,000 vulnerable individuals and yield about 3.5 million work-days annually. “The temporary employment opportunities will be complemented by on-the-job and life skills trainings of up to 50 days per individual to improve the employability of young people in the long run and ensure sustainability, following the updated PMEP guideline,” the press note reads, adding that the project is also expected to also support capacity building initiatives to facilitate effective service delivery and coordination in the new federal structure while creating synergies with the private sector and existing projects to promote employment and employment-related services.
Likewise, Additional Financing (AF)of $23.958 million (approximately Rs 2.74 billion) was made available through the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) Grant to support Nepal’s School Sector Development Programme (SSDP). The SSDP annually benefits over 7 million students and over 180,000 teachers and early childhood education development (ECED) facilitators in more than 30,000 community schools and ECED centers across the country.
The additional financing will maintain support for the government’s SSDP to improve quality, equity and efficiency within the school education sector. It will also safeguard and maximize SSDP’s development impact during the ongoing federal transition. The additional financing will explicitly focus on education service delivery, especially for the most disadvantaged and setting strong foundations for the decentralised education systems. “It will help mitigate risks to education quality and access given heterogeneity in capacity and quality of governance at the local level,” the press note reads.
The GPE AF follows the results-based financing used in the parent IDA School Sector Development Programme to build on the existing momentum and results-focus by directly incentivising the government’s ownership and implementation of critical reforms and policies. It also offers more flexibility to tailor interventions to local contexts, which aligns well with the federal transition.
“Once children and young people are given the opportunity to access quality education, skills and meaningful employment, the potential for Nepal’s development can be truly unlocked,” World Bank country manager for Nepal Faris H Hadad-Zervos said, adding that the World Bank is committed to invest in people to contribute to Nepal’s growth trajectory as a trusted partner of Nepal.
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