NEPAL 1. CHALLENGES THAT THE NQF WOULD NEED TO ADDRESS 2. M AIN POLICY OBJECTIVES

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1 NEPAL The Nepalese Natinal Vcatinal Qualificatins Framewrk (NVQF) is in the prcess f being develped by the Cuncil fr Technical and Vcatinal Educatin and Training (CTVET) n the basis f the existing Natinal Skills Testing Bard (NSTB) certificatin system. 1. CHALLENGES THAT THE NQF WOULD NEED TO ADDRESS Nepal s Technical and Vcatinal Educatin and Training (TVET) system is in urgent need f refrm in rder t tackle the many challenges the cuntry currently faces. There is a severe lack f emplyment pprtunities fr yung peple, the majrity f whm leave schl befre Grade Ten. Opprtunities fr hrizntal mbility between general educatin and TVET are limited. Despite rapid grwth since 1951, there are still nt enugh institutins fr technical higher educatin (Tulhadar, 2011). This is reflected in the fact that nly 3 per cent f yung Nepalis are currently receiving frmal technical educatin. At present, 50 per cent f Nepalese children d nt cmplete primary schl. Nepal s 10 th Five-Year Plan prjected that, by 2007, the net enrlment rates in primary, lwer secndary and secndary schls shuld reach 90 per cent, 65 per cent and 45 per cent respectively. Even tday, hwever, this gal remains remte: nly abut 25 per cent f pupils cmplete lwer secndary educatin and apprximately 8 per cent cmplete secndary educatin with a Schl Leaving Certificate (SLC). Emplyment riented skills training in Nepal is equally in need f verhaul. At present there is n verarching system t gvern and fund such training, meaning that w hat curses there are tend t be shrt-term and dnr-driven with little return n investment. Mrever, there is n functining system fr the recgnitin f skills gained in infrmal and nn-frmal settings. A further challenge cncerns the recgnitin f freign qualificatins, which is nt currently gverned by any legal framewrk. Nepalis wh have studied abrad ften encunter difficulties when they return t Nepal and find that the qualificatins they have gained are nt recgnized in their hme cuntry. Overseas migratin fr emplyment has becme a prminent feature f Nepal s ecnmy and sciety ver the past tw decades. Apprximately, 1.9 millin Nepalese wrk verseas, excluding India. Abut 5 per cent f them are wmen. At least anther 800,000 (undcumented) Nepalese wrkers wrk in the private sectr in India and abut 250,000 in India s public sectr in The highest remittances was frm India 21 per cent fllwed by Malaysia 19 per cent, Saudi Arabia 15 per cent, Qatar 14 per cent and U.K. 2 per cent and ther cuntries 29 per cent. 2. M AIN POLICY OBJECTIVES In alignment with the TVET refrm agenda, the NVQF aims t: create a skilled wrkfrce that is recgnized bth in Nepal and verseas;

2 prvide a structured system f vcatinal qualificatins that pens up pathways and pssibilities fr the individual learner. 3. INVOLVEM ENT OF STAKEHOLDERS AND LEGAL ARRANGEMENTS The Natinal Skills Testing Bard (NSTB) certificatin system was initiated in Nepal in 1983 by an autnmus bdy called the Skills Testing Authrity (STA). The STA intrduced systems fr the classificatin f ccupatins and the testing and certificatin f skills in accrdance with the guidelines f the Asia Pacific Skill Develpment Prject/ Internatinal Labur Organizatin (APSDEP/ILO). When the CTVET was frmed in 1989, the STA was replaced by the NSTB. The NSTB w as placed under the jurisdictin f the CTEVT, which is the apex bdy fr TVET in Nepal. The NSTB w as given respnsibility fr develping Natinal Occupatinal Skills Standards/Prfiles in 237 different ccupatins. The NSTB has s far tested 108,000 craftspeple and certified 72,730. Skills Tests are perfrmance-based and require candidates t demnstrate mastery f Occupatinal Skills Standards fr their chsen trade in rder t btain a Natinal Skills Certificate. An Occupatinal Skills Standard is a written specificatin f the practical skills, knwledge and experience demnstrated by an individual in a particular ccupatin. In 2013 the NSTB and CTEVT signed a Memrandum f Understanding (MU) in which they pledged t wrk jintly t facilitate the develpment f Sectr Skill Cmmittees as well as the NVQF. An SSC is an infrmal bdy cmprising representatives frm gvernment, emplyers, training institutins and federatins in the industrial sectr cncerned. T date, ne SSC has been frmed in the cnstructin sectr. 4. LEVELS AND DESCRIPTORS AND USE OF LEARNING OUTCOMES Skills Tests are designed with three target grups in mind: graduates frm pre-emplyment vcatinal training prgrammes wh need help in making the transitin frm training t wrk; experienced wrkers (emplyed r unemplyed) wh lack an fficial certificatin; wrkers wh have cmpleted an in-service training prgramme and are seeking an upgrade r additinal certificate. Skills Tests are based n a 5-level certificatin system, frm elementary level t levels ne t fur: Skill Level Elementary Successful cmpletin f 140 hurs vcatinal training in relevant Skills Test Level-1 Literate with knwledge and skills in the relevant ccupatin and a minimum f ne year s wrk experience in a related Successful cmpletin f ne mnth (160 hurs) f vcatinal training in a relevant Vcatinal training with six mnths wrk experience in the relevant Skills Test Level 2 Literate with knwledge and skills in the relevant ccupatin and a minimum f three years wrk experience in a relevant One year s training (minimum 600 hurs thery and 800 hurs practical) in a relevant One year s wrk experience after cmpletin f the Level 1 Skills Test in a relevant

3 Skills Test Level 3 Literate with knwledge and skills in the relevant ccupatin and a minimum f five years wrk experience in a relevant Tw years wrk experience and ne year s training in a relevant One year s wrk experience after cmpletin f the Level 2 Skills Test in a relevant Skills Test Level 4 (specifically fr Ophthalmic Assistants) Three years experience and ne year s training after cmpletin f the Level 3 Ophthalmic Assistant Skills Test. Or Certificate in Health Science (Ophthalmlgy) r equivalent with three years experience and ne year s training. Figure 1 belw illustrates the skills testing prcess. Figure 1. Skills testing prcedures Surce: CTEVT, 2013

4 5. PROGRESSION PATHWAYS AND RECOGNITION AND VALIDATION OF NON-FORM AL AND INFORM AL LEARNING One f the NVQF s majr gals is t prvide educatinal pprtunities fr yung peple wh lack access t institutin-based TVET prvisin. At present, TVET leading t diplmas and certificates is available nly in institutins (which include technical schls and training centres, affiliated technical clleges and institutes and the s-called annex schls ). Hwever, plans are underway t make the TVET pathway mre attractive t yung peple by embracing all frms f training: frmal, nn-frmal and infrmal. There are many gd reasns fr attempting t attract mre yung peple t TVET. Numerus studies have shwn that TVET graduates are mre likely than graduates f academic prgrammes t find emplyment. Mrever, TVET is an effective pathway t jbs in the internatinal market. Freign Emplyment Surveys have shwn that skilled wrkers such as plumbers, carpenters, civil engineers and mechanics earn higher wages than unskilled wrkers. A plumber in a Middle Eastern cuntry is likely t earn a mnthly salary f abut Rupees. 40,000, whereas the same wrker wuld earn nly abut Rupees 10,000 per mnth in Nepal. Cuntries such as the USA, Canada, Australia, the UK and ther Eurpean natins ffer attractive incentives such as residence and wrk permits fr freign wrkers with technical and vcatinal skills. Prmting internatinal wrker mbility is therefre an imprtant pririty fr the NVQF. Particular emphasis is placed n facilitating the schl-t-w rk transitin fr schl leavers and the pathw ay frm general educatin t TVET fr early schl leavers. The NSTB certificatin system is intended t help these transitins run smthly. Figure 2 shws the entry and exit pints frm the general educatin system t the TVET system. The tw mst critical pints are after cmpletin f primary educatin and after cmpletin f lwer secndary educatin. Figure 2. Entry and exit pints frm general educatin system t TVET Educatinal Level Schl cmpletin rate f the enrlled Natinal Skills Testing Bard (NSTB) Certificate System Skills training; livelihd training Tertiary 4 Skills training; Livelihd training Higher Secndary 3 Skills training Secndary 45 per cent 2 Skills training Lwer Secndary 65 per cent 1 Skills training Primary 90 per cent Basic Level Nn-frmal educatin, Adult Literacy Surce: SDC, 2013 This structure allws qualificatins at each level t be acquired in either a linear r a mdular fashin. 1 Training may be delivered in a variety f ways, including lng-term residential curses, mdular shrt curses, flexible mrning, evening r weekend classes, etc. Prviders may ffer any pssible cmbinatin f centre-based and wrk-based learning, including n-the-jb training, internships and apprenticeships in public and private enterprises, utreach prgrammes, real-life prjects, etc. The refrms t the TVET system under the NVQF will als cver nn-frmal educatin and adult literacy prgrammes, which play an imprtant rle in imprving individuals wrk perfrmance and emplyability and prmting lifelng learning. 6. REFERENCING TO REGIONAL FRAM EWORKS 1 Candidates may chse either t sit ne all-encmpassing test r t accumulate credit pints by the successful cmpletin f individual mdules.

5 As a member f the Wrld Trade Organizatin (WTO), Nepal strives t create a cmpetent and qualified wrkfrce cmparable with thse f ther cuntries in the regin and acrss the wrld. 7. LESSONS LEARNED AND FUTURE PLANS The CTEVT is cnfident that the NSTB certificates will becme increasingly ppular and widely recgnized in bth dmestic and freign labur markets. In the lng run, the CTVET plans t link the NVQF t a mre cmprehensive verarching NQF which will encmpass all sectrs f educatin rather than just TVET. This brader NQF will create greater cherence between TVET and general educatin, making Nepalese qualificatins further adapted t the changing needs f tday s glbal ecnmy. MAIN SOURCES OF INFORMATION CTVET A Glimpse f Technical Educatin and Vcatinal Training in Nepal. Bhaktapur, Cuncil fr Technical Educatin and Vcatinal Training CTEVT. CTEVT Natinal Skills Testing Bard. Bhaktapur, Cuncil f r Technical Educatin and Vcatinal Training (( Internatinal Labur Office Labur and Scial Trends in Nepal Geneva, Universal Cpyright Cnventin. Nepalese Natinal Planning Cmmissin The Tenth Plan Kathmandu, Gvernment f Nepal Tulhadar, G. 2011, Status f Educatin in Nepal and Develpment Plan. (Accessed 11 February 2013). Usage, T. & Phyla, K TVET and Secndary Schl Educatin in Nepal A case study f Heated, M akw anpur w w 2.ipcku.kansaiu.ac.jp/~tkusag/pdf/japdf/reseach/final_nepal_tivet_reprt_fInal.pdf (Accessed 11 February 2013). Swiss Agency fr Develpment and Cperatin (SDC) Vcatinal Pathways. Cnceptual framewrk fr Educatin. Vcatinal Training and Learning fr Nepal. Berne, Swiss Agency fr Develpment and Cperatin.