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

Nepalgunj, Banke.

8 January, 2023

Access Planet Organization in support of Disability Rights Fund organized half day advocacy program with the education related stakeholders of Banke district: Nepalgunj Sub metropolitan City and Khajura Rural Municipality on “Issues and Way Forward for Enhancing Access to Education for Girls and Young Women with Disabilities.” This interaction program was organized in Swasthik Cottage, Dhamboji Nepalgunj with the presence of 40 participants from across different sectors including Mayor, municipal education chiefs, parents, teachers, principals, female students with disabilities and representatives of organizations of persons with disabilities (OPDs). The program aimed at 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. The manifesto was prepared on the basis of issue identification workshop conducted in May 2022 and the subsequent school visits and advocacy activities that were carried out during 2022. The interaction program 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.

In this interaction program, Nirmala Devkota, Banke advocacy committee member presented the advocacy manifesto which was prepared by the organization on the basis of the issue identification workshop conducted in May and the subsequent school visit and advocacy works carried out during 2022. The advocacy manifesto included the current problems and issues that girls and young women with disabilities in Banke district specifically at Nepalgunj sub-metropolitan city and Khajura Rural Municipality are facing in terms of acquiring 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.

Furthermore, the commitments were gathered from Mayor of Nepalgunj, educational chiefs of the municipalities and other government stakeholders from the education sector. The government representatives highlighted the need of more investment in disability sector from all three tires of government. The representatives expressed their commitments to take the issues stated in manifesto seriously by the education department and ensured for the educational rights of girls and young women with disabilities through effective policy and its implementation. Additionally, they even committed to make the physical infrastructure of Nepalgunj to be disability friendly and also to increase the involvement of persons with disabilities in the decision making.

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 including Mayors and Chief Education Officers on way forward for promoting inclusive education for girls and young women with disabilities in Nepalgunj and Khajura municipalities of Banke districts
• Access Planet’s relationship with educational stakeholders, schools and OPDs has been enhanced which will be fruitful for conducting further advocacy activities.