Technical Assistance to Support the Nepal School Education Sector Wide Approach Functions Under the School Education Sector Plan

The Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (MoEST) initiated the 10-year School Education Sector Plan (SESP) in 2022 to convene diverse local governments under a shared vision, supported by a Common Framework for Technical Assistance to guide the deployment of technical assistance and capacitate the Technical Support Unit (TSU). This TA Framework aligns with the Government of Nepal’s International Development Cooperation Policy, 2019, providing governance, management, and coordination for all TAs supporting SESP implementation. The technical assistance requested under this contract strengthens the Government of Nepal’s capacity to implement the SESP and achieve SDG goal 4 on quality education, while also supporting SDG goal 5 on gender equality through partnerships with the European Union, UNICEF, and Finland. This includes enhancing institutional capacity across various government tiers, ensuring LGs of the capability to execute key functions, and mobilizing the System Capacity Grant (SCG) from the Global Partnership for Education to support the MoEST’s Technical Support Unit.

The National Institute for Research and Training (NIRT) acknowledging the importance of technical assistance (TA) in successfully implementing SESP interventions, especially during the ongoing transition of school governance to the local level; was mobilized as the Technical Support Unit (TSU) to support MoEST and other stakeholders in implementing the SESP, with a focus on building capacity and readiness at the local level. The assignment aims to support the MoEST in strengthening institutional capacity across the school education sector to implement the SESP under a Common Framework for Technical Assistance, with objectives focused on developing standards and frameworks for good governance in education, institutionalizing mechanisms for coordination among government levels, building capacity of human resources and institutions, and strengthening school management for accountability in student learning.