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According to a report, in the span of seven years, the rate of girl dropouts increased by 6%. The dropout rate in 2001 was 6.5%, but by 2007 it had risen to 12.5%
Surveys on water and sanitation, carried out by the Nepalese government and the UN HABITAT’s Water for Asian Cities Programme in Nepal reveal that lack of clean and safe toilets in schools in Nepal is the primary reason for girl students dropping out before reaching the secondary level of education. According to a report released by the government, 59% of public and community schools across the country do not have proper toilets, contributing to a rising number of girl dropouts every year. The report says that in the span of seven years, the rate of girl dropouts has increased by 6%. The dropout rate in 2001 was 6.5%, but by 2007 it had risen to 12.5%. Around 148,000 toilets are constructed annually in the country, but only 10% of poor people have access to toilets, the report adds. Fifty-four per cent of people still defecate out in open spaces leading to contamination of water sources. As a result, 13,000 children under the age of 5 die every year from waterborne diseases like diarrhoea and cholera. According to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), by the year 2015 Nepal has to reduce the proportion of people without sustainable access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation by half. The MDG goal to provide safe water and sanitation facilities should have reached 90% by the end of 2015. Rajesh Manandhar, water and sanitation coordinator of the Water for Asian Cities Programme Nepal, said that 46.3% of urban households were still without safe drinking water supply, and 45.6% had no sanitation facilities. Source: The Rising Nepal, February 16, 2009
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