German vice minister visiting Nepal

German vice minister for Economic Cooperation and Development Norbert Barthle is arriving in Kathmandu tomorrow on a three-day visit to Nepal.
The visit underlines Germany’s wish to continue its long-standing partnership with Nepal by adding a new dimension to it, according to a press note issued by German Embassy in Kathmandu.
During his stay in Nepal, the vice minister will call on Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and discuss political and economic matters. He is also scheduled to hold meeting with other government officials and attend Germany National Day celebration as a guest of honour tomorrow, the press note reads, adding that he will attend the inauguration of the German Technical School in Dhunebesi Municipality in Dhading district on Friday. “He is also scheduled to inaugurate the National Load Dispatch Center (NLDC), which is financially supported through the German Development Cooperation with a grant of 7 million euros.”
The NLDC is technically-improved and will be the heart of the Nepali power grid. “Strong development cooperation will continue as in the past six decades,” the press note further reads, adding that it will be showcased by the inauguration of the Load Dispatch Center. “Energy, especially renewal energy, is one of the three pillars of German-Nepali cooperation, the other two being health and sustainable economic development.”
According to the press note, Germany will also continue to make significant contributions through the European Union (EU) as well as multilateral institutions, namely the development banks and the UN System. “However, as Nepal is opening a new political and economic chapter of its life as a nation, its partnership with Germany will also change,” German envoy to Nepal Roland Schäfer is quoted in the press note. “Private industries from Germany are starting to explore opportunities in Nepal.”
Ambassador Schäfer said – according to the press note – that vice minister Barthle will also meet with the participants of the first business-to-business forum. “The visiting minister’s support to the German Technical School in Dhading shows that professional training will be key to developing future industrial relationship with Germany and the whole of Europe.”

Smart Chhori to promote digital, financial literacy among girls and young women

Khalti, a digital payment platform in Nepal is launching a special ‘Smart Chhori’ programme tomorrow. The programme is aimed at empowering girls and young women in Nepal through financial knowledge and skills. As part of this initiative, 10,000 adolescent girls and women from across the nation will be trained on financial and digital literacy expecting that they will later emerge as influencers in their communities.
Nepal has a high female unemployment rate and lacking digital skills has become one of the barriers for women and girls in enhancing their career. Still today, a lot of financial decisions are taken by the male members of the family and lots of women still struggle to use smartphones and handle basic finances. Smart Chhori programme – with an aim to encourage women and girls into digital finance – will help them to be ready for what's there to come in this rapidly advancing digital world.
Smart Chhori – a free e-learning platform inside Khalti Digital Wallet app – will help girls learn about the basics of digital payments, online security and personal finance. Girls and young women from age group 15-35 years having a smartphone and access to internet can enroll in the programme.
Through this programme, Khati aims to equip young Nepali girls with the knowledge, skills, and attitude which can change their lives by helping them become independent, establish good financial habits, discuss saving, budgeting, and expenses with family members and improve their future prospect for decent work opportunities, according to director of Khalti and coordinator of Smart Chhori programme Amit Agrawal.
"'Digital Nepal’ and ‘Smart City’ have become buzzwords recently," he said, adding that the physical infrastructures alone are not sufficient to turn this dream into reality. "Digitally literate population and public participation is very essential."
Females comprise 51 per cent of Nepal’s population. "Female Community Health Volunteers (FCHVs) have been playing a significant role to promote health care in villages across Nepal. "We can mobilise our daughters in a similar way as the agents of change to promote digital literacy and simplify lives of people with the use of internet technology," he said, adding that Smart Chhori programme is launched with an aim to prepare female workforce to change Nepal into a Digital and Smart Nepal. "We request all interested girls to enroll in Smart Chhori programme and be Smart Role Models in their communities."
By enrolling in this programme, adolescent girls and young women can grow their digital and financial skills and leverage smartphones and internet to make an impact in the lives of people in their communities. Interested girls and young women aged 15-35 years can join the training programme by clicking on Smart Chhori banner on the home screen of Khalti app, available both in iOS and Android platforms. "This e-learning platform is available for female users only," he added.

TVET Career Fair shows growing enthusiasm among career seekers

A two-day TVET Career Fair 2018 was organised by the Council of Technical Education and Vocational Training (CTEVT) and its Research and Information Division with the support from the European Union (EU), the Swiss Development Cooperation and the Pokhara Technical School on Friday and Saturday followed by a panel discussion on Sunday. The fair is the first of its kind in the TVET sector organised in Pokhara.
The fair had a total of 22 stalls consisting of CTEVT affiliated private institutes in Pokhara, Dhaulagiri and Chitwan among others. Around 6,500 people comprising of parents, relevant stakeholders and students, mainly fresh SEE graduates visited the event.
The Career fair provided a unique opportunity and a common platform for students, parents, trainers and employers where they exchanged ideas and information about technical and vocational education and career opportunities.
The career fair played a crucial role to highlight the importance of TVET among the general public. It helped them identify their career choices and to network with prospective employers.
A career path in the technical field is becoming increasingly attractive for many Nepali students and has also drawn attention and support of the government, because it can offer promising professional opportunities and is crucial for the development of the country.
"We have not been able to effectively utilise raw materials and resources in Nepal," minister for Social Development of Province 4, Nardevi Pun, who was the chief guest of the programme, said.
"We need to focus more on production and for that, we need skilled human resources," she said, adding, "For Nepal to generate qualified human resources, the government needs to help, and I assure to bring in efforts from my side as the minister for the development of skilled human resources."
Likewise, member secretary at the CTEVT Pushpa Raman Wagle said that it is necessary to focus on developing skilled human resources according to the needs of the country and to increase the productivity by using the maximum amount of natural resources available. "Vocational training can be a very smart investment," she said, adding that a committed and qualified self-employed plumber or electrician, for instance, can earn a better livelihood than many university students would even dream of.
"The EU feels privileged to partner with CTEVT,” said the head of Cooperation at the European Union (EU) in Nepal, Andreas Roettger. "This fair provided a wealth of inspiration to show how crucial vocational training is for Nepal," he added.