June 3, 2005
 Japan Supports Dalit Scholarship Project
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The Government of Japan has, upon the request of the Department of Education of the Ministry of Education and Sports of His Majesty's Government of Nepal, recently approved the utilization of a Counterpart Fund of fifty million Nepalese Rupees (NRs.50,000,000) under the Non-Project Grant Aid of the Government in Japan's FY 2002.
As agreed between the Government of Japan and the Ministry of Education and Sports, the latter will use the counterpart fund for scholarships for about two hundred thousand (200,000) dalit children of primary school level in 38 districts of the Kingdom. The support is targeted to cover about 36 percent of the total dalit children of districts identified by the poverty index as the poorest and most disadvantaged. The benefiting districts include Taplejung, Panchthar, Shankhuwasabha, Terhathum, Bhojpur, Solukhumbu, Khotang, Udayapur and Okhadhunga in the Eastern Development Region; Sindhuli, Ramechhap, Sindhupalchowk, Rasuwa and Dhading in the Central Development Region; Argakhanchi, Gulmi, Gorkha, Manaang, Lamjung, Myagdi and Mustang in the Western Development Region; Mugu, Dolpa, Humla, Jumla, Kalikot, Rukum, Rolpa, Pyuthan, Jajarkot and Dailekh in the Mid-Western Development Region; and Doti, Achham, Bajura, Bajhang, Darchula, Baitadi and Dadeldhura in the Far-Western Development Region.
Considering the serious financial constraints of Nepal, the Government of Japan, for the first time, extended 1.3 billion Yen under the Non-Project Grant Assistance in November 8, 2002 in Japan's FY 2002 to His Majesty's Government of Nepal as foreign currency support. His Majesty's Government of Nepal has to utilize the non-project grant within a year whereas the counterpart fund generated by the grant has to be deposited within two years. Basically, Non-Project Grant Aid and its counterpart fund are to be utilized for the development of the infrastructure, education and health sectors of the Kingdom in consultation with the Government of Japan.
The counterpart fund to be utilized will help access primary education, improve the completion of primary education and enhance the achievement of primary education by children of the dalit community of the target districts, to some extent, contributing towards achieving the goals of Education for All. The Government of Japan further expects that the support will ultimately help reduce poverty and address the social inequalities in the targeted districts.
Considering the aspirations of the people of Nepal, the Government of Japan has been responding to Nepal's requests to achieve sustainable socio-economic development for poverty alleviation, which will ultimately facilitate peace building and human security. The Government of Japan hopes that Nepal will recover its peace and stability as soon as possible on the basis of democracy and constitutional monarchy.
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