Despite some progress in the fields of education and child protection in Nepal, a significant number of children remain out of secondary education.
According to the Nepal Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey 2024–25 (2081–82 BS), released by the National Statistics Office on Monday, 13.2% of children in the secondary school age group (grades 9–12) are currently out of school.
At the basic level, this rate is somewhat lower, with 4.5% of children in grades 1-5 and 3.6% in grades 6-8 remaining out of reach of education.
The survey also clarifies the family situation of Nepali children and the impact of foreign employment on family lives in the country. Approximately 33.2% of children under the age of 17 have one or both parents living abroad. The impact of foreign employment is highest in Gandaki Province, where 40.8% of children have their parents abroad, while the lowest rate is 21% in Bagmati Province. Similarly, 3.4% of children have lost one or both of their biological parents, the data shows.
