University of Helsinki’s HY+ to Lead Technical Assistance Project Supporting School Education Sector in Nepal
University of Helsinki Centre for Continuing Education HY+, together with its consortium partner University of Helsinki Faculty of Educational Sciences and subcontractors Häme University of Applied Sciences (HAMK) and Finn Church Aid (FCA) has won the tender for the implementation of “TECSES – Technical Support Cooperation to School Education Sector in Nepal in 2023-2027” project.
TECSES is funded by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland (MFA) and the European Union (EU), each with 5 million Euros. The project will be launched in June 2024 and its total duration is 5 years.
The TECSES project supports Nepal’s School Education Sector Plan (SESP), which is funded jointly by the Nepali government and development partners and covers the entire school sector education in Nepal.
TECSES will be implemented at the level of both policy and practice. At federal level, the project will support the development and consolidation of teacher training of pre-service and in-service teacher training in cooperation with MoEST and universities. The implementation in provinces, local governments and schools will support quality, equity and inclusion of teaching and learning in three provinces of Nepal, where for many years the learning results have been beyond the country’s average: Karnali, Sudurpashchim, and Madhesh.
The Technical Assistance (TA) comprises support to the development of pre-service and in-service teacher training, including improvement of teacher training curricula and materials and teachers’ professional development. Special attention is paid to equity and inclusive practices in education.
The education sector cooperation between Finland and Nepal aims to support the improvement of teacher education, including pre- and in-service teacher training, at the three levels of the governance in Nepal. Finland and Nepal have maintained close relations for decades, with emphasis on developmental cooperation. Since the 1980s, Finland has supported Nepal in such areas as forestry, water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), and education. Together with the donor community, Finland supports Nepal to reach the Sustainable Development Goals of the UN, and to graduate from the Least Developed Country category in the next few years.
“We are very pleased to participate in this wonderful project,” says Arto Kallioniemi, Vice Dean at the Faculty of Educational Sciences at the University of Helsinki. “The extensive collaboration with Nepal provides us with an excellent opportunity to develop the country’s teacher education and to foster faith in the future and the importance of education.”
“The upcoming technical support project is the largest project ever funded by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs in the education sector. Nepal has a tremendous need for trained teachers, making the TECSES project perfectly aligned with the country’s needs. The Ministry of Education in Nepal is also eagerly anticipating the launch of the project, and all parties involved are ready to collaborate,” states Counsellor of Education, Gender Equality and Social Inclusion Tuovi Leppänen from Embassy of Finland in Kathmandu.
“We are honored to contribute to the TECSES project, enhancing school sector and educational quality in Nepal. The collaboration with our consortium partners and the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Finland and European Union underscores our commitment to promoting equity and inclusion in education,” says Kimmo Kärpijoki, CEO of HY+.
The Project will be implemented in close cooperation with the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology of Nepal and with the key stakeholders of MoEST Agencies, universities, provincial education training centres, and local governments, and in consultation with the civil society, municipalities and funding agencies.