Advocacy Interaction with Stakeholders of Bhaktapur District on Issues and Way Forward for Enhancing Access to Education for Girls and Young Women with Disabilities

Suryabinayak, Bhaktapur.

27 December, 2022

Access Planet Organization in the support of Disability Rights Fund organized half day advocacy program with the stakeholders of Bhaktapur district on “Issues and Way Forward for Enhancing Access to Education for Girls and Young Women with Disabilities" aiming of handing over advocacy manifesto to the local stakeholders which was prepared by the organization compiling issues of the girls and young women with disabilities in education and the solution proposed. Along with that it also aimed at sensitizing the stakeholders on the issues that girls and young women with disabilities faced in achieving quality education and access to technology.

The meeting attendees included 40 participants from across different sectors including municipal education chiefs, parents, teachers, principles, female students with disabilities and representatives of organizations of persons with disabilities (OPDs) of Bhaktapur district.

In this interaction program, Anisha Ghimire, Kathmandu valley advocacy committee member presented the advocacy manifesto which was prepared by the organization on the basis of the issue identification workshop conducted in June and the subsequent school visit and advocacy works carried out. The advocacy manifesto included the current problems and issues that girls and young women with disabilities in Bhaktapur district are facing in terms of accessing quality education and access to assistive technology and was forwarded with the proposed solution at the local level. Then the issues were raised by the disability rights experts, teachers, parents and students which was hindering in enhancing access to education for girls and young women with disabilities.

Likewise, there were presence of local level representatives specially Municipal Education Chief from 3 municipalities: Surya Binayak, Madhyapur Thimi and Changunarayan, who expressed their commitments to schedule the different grades examination in different timings so that the problem of scribe will be solved. The municipal representatives too gave suggestions for more impactful steps to enhance access to education for girls and young women with disabilities.

Output:

• Advocacy manifesto on issues and way forward for enhancing inclusive education and access to technology for girls and young women with disabilities has been handed over to the local stakeholders
• Commitments has been gathered from the local stakeholders specially Chief Education Officers on way forward for promoting inclusive education for girls and young women with disabilities in different municipalities of Bhaktapur districts
• Access Planet’s relationship with educational stakeholders, schools and OPDs has been enhanced which will be fruitful for conducting further advocacy activities.