engineers and pilots. Others expect the allure of being a ramro manche (good person) to do the trick. And some parents and teachers who over think

the importance of education even resort to vaguer explanations like building character, integrity and being free. Persuading children to attend schools in rural areas is even more difficult as role models are few and the returns of education not immediately visible.  

An ongoing research under the Unicef’s global initiative on out-of-school children in four districts of Far-Western Nepal—Bajhang, Bajura, Doti and Baitadi—has come up with similar findings. Perceived

low returns of education, it has found, is one the main reasons for driving children away from school. A 12-year old boy in Baitadi receives Rs 300 a year from the state to attend school. If he chooses to haul goods on the back of donkey instead, he earns Rs 9000 a month. In case he leaves for Mumbai in India, his earning goes even higher. Experts agree that there is a sharp disconnect between the livelihood realities in rural areas and the things children are taught in schools. And unless courses are more relevant to the local context, both children and parents will have lesser reasons to value education.

Already, about 70 percent of the students enrolled in grade one do not make it to grade eight according to a 2012-2013 flash report published by the Ministry of Education. One reason for this could be the excessive focus on only addressing the supply side constrains to education, ie, building schools, providing free uniforms, stationery and introducing scholarship schemes. Clearing such hurdles are undoubtedly important but they alone cannot be successful until other socio-cultural realities are also taken into account. For instance, as in the case of Baitadi, migration to India is common practice and young boys grow up seeing their elders eventually migrate for work. Society also views expanding moneymaking prospects as the ultimate goal of education. So

when earning money is understood as an opportunity cost of educating oneself, it becomes very difficult to convince children to stay in school. One way to bust the myth of moneymaking migrants in India would be to invite migrants to talk to schoolchildren about the realities of working abroad as a semi-literate worker. Teachers should also take into account the requirements and specific circumstances of marginalised and poor students who are more likely to dropout and help them. In the long run, tailoring education to local needs is a must.