Education Minister, Swiss Ambassador Discuss Expanding Cooperation in Education

Swiss Ambassador to Nepal Dr Danielle Meuwly called on Minister for Education and Sports Sasmit Pokharel on Monday and discussed ongoing cooperation between Nepal and Switzerland in the education sector.

During the meeting held at the Ministry of Education in Singha Durbar, the two sides discussed bilateral relations, areas of mutual interest and the use of development assistance, with a focus on technical and vocational education. Switzerland has long supported Nepal's education sector through the Council for Technical Education and Vocational Training (CTEVT) and three major projects funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Co-operation (SDC).

Minister Pokharel thanked Switzerland for its continued support and shared that the government is preparing a new CTEVT Act aimed at modernizing technical education in the country. He also stressed the need for continued Swiss assistance and suggested future cooperation in areas such as digitization and inclusive education.

The Minister said the government is working to establish autism schools in all seven provinces and highlighted the success of the 'Book Free Friday' programme, which promotes employment-oriented education from an early stage.

Ambassador Meuwly reaffirmed Switzerland's commitment to supporting Nepal's education sector and said efforts would be made to further improve the effectiveness of the ongoing projects. She also expressed readiness to continue providing support in line with the Nepal government's education policies and priorities.