Government and development partners take stock of SSDP amid Covid-19 impacts

The Budget Review Mission (BRM) of the government’s flagship School Sector Development Programme (SSDP) was completed yesterday under the leadership of the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (MoEST) with joint financing and non-joint financing partners including World Bank, USAID, ADB, Finland, Norway, European Union, JICA, Global Partnership for Education, REACH MDTF and UNICEF, and other stakeholders.
The review assessed progress and achievements of the plan’s fourth year of implementation, annual work plan and budget and allocation of resources for the final year, together with an assessment of the impact of Covid-19 on the SSDP, according to a press note issued by the World Bank (WB).
Prior to the budget review, virtual consultation and information sharing sessions were organised with the provincial and local government leaders, Teachers Union, Association of INGOs, Consortium of Civil Society Organisations and other stakeholders.
“We are looking at new modalities and approaches that ensure children continue to learn and at the same time ensure their wellbeing,” said secretary at the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology Dr Sanjay Sharma. “We expect that education will be a priority sector in the upcoming budget given the Covid-19 pandemic and will look at means to expedite programmes and coordinate amongst all levels of government and stakeholders on a national framework that guides safe reopening of schools.”
The review appreciated MoEST’s continued effort to pursue and achieve education objectives under the SSDP, implementing reforms to improve access and the quality of education, and some of the immediate responses to the impact of Covid-19 on the education sector including a scenario based contingency plan to respond to immediate impacts and the initiation of remote teaching-learning programs to ensure that children can continue learning while the schools remain closed.
At the same time, it is expected that the shocks to education from the Covid-19 pandemic could lead to increased dropout rates, learning loss and heighten the inequality with the most vulnerable students disproportionately bearing the impact of the shock.
“The Covid-19 pandemic threatens to reverse the progress made to date on Nepal’s education outcomes impacting children and young people, especially the poor and vulnerable,” said World Bank country manager for Nepal Faris Hadad-Zervos. “It is critical to counter these impacts through appropriate policy responses and turn this crisis into an opportunity to build back better.”
“Given the latest development on Covid-19 in Nepal, we will likely see impacts in the education sector for a long time,” USAID acting mission director Adriana Hayes, on the occasion, said, adding that schools will reopen in phases over time. “Similar to many countries globally, it is likely that we will see the need to periodically close schools to protect the health of the population.”
She also urged the ministry to ensure that the fiscal year's education budget and work plan incorporate the activities identified in the Education Cluster Contingency plan so that local governments can receive funds and continue to provide access to education during this unprecedented crisis.
The BRM recommended a set of agreed actions to expedite SSDP implementation in the final year under the broader purview of the immediate, medium and long term impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic on the education sector in Nepal.

Government plans to mobilise foreign aid through budget

The government is planning to mobilise foreign assistance either through budgetary system or a separate basket fund to ensure effective utilisation.
Speaking at a meeting of the Economic Committee – under the House of Representatives – today finance secretary Rajan Khanal said that the government has now realised the need to change modality of the foreign aid and grants mobilisation system.
Currently, donors are allowed to mobilise funds through NGOs and I/NGOs after signing an agreement with the government agencies. "If the foreign assistance is brought under the budgetary system, the government would have a management control on it so that the income and spending would be more transparent," he said, adding that the fund would be utilised in a more productive way. "It was discovered that many foreign donors typically pledge to provide a large amount of funds initially but later don’t fulfill their commitments."
“In many cases, donors also impose a number of conditions when they provide aid,” he added. "The development partners are even found approving money to projects that haven’t made proper preparation in advance.
The country has been able to utilise only half of the committed amount in foreign assistance in the last four years, according to the foreign aid report prepared by the Finance Ministry. "Apart from underperforming, a large chunk of foreign grants and loans that Nepal has been receiving are invested in areas where there are already projects and programmes set up causing duplication," Khanal added.
Also in some cases, received assistance has also remained unspent due to various issues including the land compensation.
"As the government does not have the reserve fund of the past year, we have to rely on foreign aid to run development projects," he said. "So it’s time to revise the policy on foreign aid disbursement to get maximum benefit."
The development partners have also committed to increase foreign aid for smooth operation of the country’s federal system. During finance minister Dr Yubaraj Khatiwada’s recent visit to the World Bank Group headquarters in Washington DC, they have pledged to double support to Nepal from 2019.

Planning commission ready with short-term reconstruction plan

National Planning Commission (NPC) will submit plan for resettlement – for the earthquake-displaced people – and reconstruction of collapsed structures within this week.
NPC vice chair Dr Govinda Raj Pokhrel today said that the plan will be forwarded to the government by Friday. "The plan proposes to build temporary shelters to all displaced population before the monsoon season," he added.
"We are planning to construct temporary shelters – using local resources – that will cost between Rs 10,000 and Rs 12,000," he said, adding that it will take only a couple of days to construct the temporary shelters. "The commission has also consulted foreign experts in preparing the short-term plan."
The devastating earthquake of April 25 has damaged some 600,000 house – completely and partially – forcing people to take shelter outside in the open under the tent. However, the nearing rainy season is going to make the lives difficult for them. The temporary shelter is a must before rainy season that is due within a month.
"The short-term plan will include health, education, agriculture and shelter," he added.
However, the planning commission will prepare a more detailed plan for long-term reconstruction by the Dashain festival, Pokhrel shared.
A primary blueprint for the long-term plan will be prepared within a month, he said, adding that the plan will be presented to the international community – asking for their support. The government is holding a local donors' meeting in a week and international donors' meet within a month to get the support from them for resettlement and reconstruction of the displaced people. The long-term plan includes planned resettlement with all the government services, he added.
The international community has, though, pledged billions for relief and rescue operations after the April 25 devastating earthquake, they have been mobilising funds through their INGOs and NGOs. The government has been asking them to contribute to the Prime Minister Disaster Relief Fund to make rescue, relief, resettlement and reconstruction through one-door.
Meanwhile, the planning commission vice chair also said that the devastating tremor has caused a loss of Rs 700 billion, around 30 per cent of the gross domestic product (GDP). "It will also hit the economic growth for the current fiscal year, he said, adding that the revenue mobilisation, especially VAT, and agriculture production will be hit pulling the economic growth down from mid-term budgetary review of five per cent. However, the government has projected six per cent economic growth – in the fiscal policy for the current fiscal year – in July.

Transparency key to development

Transparency and accountability will help strengthen democracy and boost the performance of development activities coupled with better utilisation of internal and external resources, according to senior economic adviser to the finance ministry Dr Chiranjivi Nepal.

Addressing a launching ceremony of Open Nepal Initiative, which is a collective effort of various organisations including Freedom Forum, NGO Federation, Young Innovations and aidinfo programme at Development Initiative, in collaboration with the World Bank Institute, here today, he also said that aid transparency is not yet sufficient in Nepal.

"Along with the government, international non-governmental organisations should also be transparent and accountable to the public," said Nepal, adding that openness is the only tool that can increase the wealth and uplift the status of countries, people, and lifestyle of the poor.

Some 26 per cent of the foreign aid is off budget, which has to be brought to the red book for effective resource mobilisation, he said, urging development partners and international non-governmental organisations to open up.

The Open Nepal platform has been launched to make all people aware where the money — internal and external — that has to be spent on them for their betterment has gone.

It is not only the recipient country's population that needs to know where the money has been spent but people from the donor countries also need to know where the taxes being paid by them has been spent and has it been utilised or misutilised, said chairman of Freedom Forum Taranath Dahal, on the occasion.

"The initiative for open Nepal and open data was taken with the motto that every citizen should be provided data and information in an understandable form and format," he said, adding that the availability of information and data has not been adequate to ensure people's access to information.

"Usable and consumable data is the need of the hour to transform society through good governance which is the result of transparency and accountability where open data is fundamental," he emphasised.

The Open Nepal Week, which began on Monday, has brought together various national and international experts on data and information, development, information technology, journalists and civil society representatives for building an 'Open Nepal' with open data.

Social audit key to output based development

Government officials expressed their commitment to implement social auditing system in local bodies as well as INGOs from next fiscal year.
The working procedure of social audit system has been prepared," said joint secretary at Ministry of Local Development Dinesh Kumar Thapaliya speaking at an interaction on social auditing system jointly organised by Action Aid Nepal and Society of economic Journalists-Nepal in the Valley.
"Existing laws and mandatory provisions for public accounting and social auditing will help people get information of the projects and their expenditures apart from the output," he said, adding that the ministry is preparing to apply the tool at local bodies like VDCs and DDDCs.
"We are committed to implementing it at least in DDCs from the next fiscal year" he said.
Similarly, member-secretary at the Social Welfare Council Dr Chhewang N Lama (Sherpa) said that they are monitoring whether INGOs and NGOs were implementing the procedure or not.
Under the provision, organisations will have to allocate 80 per cent of their total expenses for programmes and remaining 20 per cent for administrative costs. "From the next fiscal year, we will monitor social auditing during the evaluation process," he said, adding that the council has also made it mandatory for INGOs to apply the social auditing system.