USAID EGRP II successful in improving reading skills of Nepali children (audio report)

April 27, Kathmandu: The Ministry of Education, Science, and Technology USAID’s Early Grade Reading Program (USAID EGRP II), and other development partners on Tuesday marked the closing of USAID EGRP II and celebrated seven years of collaboration and achievements of the National Early Grade Reading Program (NEGRP).

In 2015, USAID and the Government of Nepal had started a joint project to support the Ministry of Education with interventions to improve the reading skills of Nepali primary school children.

During the program held at Singha Durbar on Tuesday, the Joint Secretary at the Ministry of Education, Dr. Hari Lamsal, said that in the last seven years, the National Early Grade Reading Program had supported the implementation of revised curriculum, developed municipal education plans, and ensured access to quality teaching and learning in half of Nepal’s schools.

Also speaking during the program, the Director of USAID Nepal Mission ,Sepideh Keyvanshad, said that over the past seven years, the partnership between the Government of Nepal and USAID through the National Early Grade Reading Program, had led to tangible improvements in learning for Nepal’s children in the foundational early grades of primary school—even in the face of substantial adversity during the pandemic.

She said that as the US and Nepal celebrated 75 years of partnership USAID looked forward to continuing in the spirit of strong collaboration.

The United States first started partnering with the Government of Nepal on education in the late 1950s with the founding of the College of Education. The U.S. government has since continued to collaborate closely and support the Government of Nepal to improve the quality of education across the country.