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Uplifting the quality and relevance of TVET institutions across Nepal 

Nepal
Initial vocational education and training
Sunjuli Singh Kunwar16.07.2025
Nepal’s Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) system plays a crucial role in equipping youth with practical skills for future employment. Despite its importance, the TVET sector has long faced challenges such as limited quality assurance, weak institutional capacity, insufficient industry linkage, and a lack of systematic planning. These challenges have hampered the effectiveness of TVET schools and restricted their ability to produce skilled graduates who can contribute meaningfully to the economy. In this context, School Improvement Plans (SIPs) are emerging as a powerful tool to uplift the quality and relevance of TVET institutions across Nepal. 

What is SIP?

A SIP is a five-year strategic roadmap developed by each school based on its self-assessment. Introduced to technical schools for the first time under the QualiTY project, in collaboration with the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (MoEST), Ministry of Social Development (MoSD), and Council for Technical Education and Vocational Training (CTEVT), SIPs mark a shift toward structured planning, accountability, and quality assurance in the TVET sector. The process of carrying out SIP is a participatory process, that involves school leaders, teachers, management committees. SIP is shared with local governments and the Ministry of Social Development (MoSD) at the provincial level. Initially schools analyse their status through self-assessment and develop an improvement plan.   

Orientation on QualiTY assurance, SIP development and Accreditation in Bagmati Province
"The self-assessment process in school is invaluable in understanding the present status and areas for improvement. It helps to create a good plan to move forward. This process is meaningful for TVET schools and needs to be continuously done."
Dr. Mukti Ram Shrestha, Chairperson of BP Memorial Health Institute and Research Centre, Kathmandu

Many of these schools are developing SIP for the first time after orientations, training, and continuous mentoring. This process has thus built the internal capacity of school leaders and teachers and instilled a culture of evidence-based planning. It empowers schools to take ownership of their development and advocate for the resources they need. Importantly, SIPs are also becoming a foundation for quality improvements leading to school accreditation, which is being rolled out nationally as a quality assurance process that categorises schools based on performance. This will not only improve national recognition of technical schools but also boost international credibility, making it easier for graduates to compete in global markets.  

"In our SIP, we have focused on improving school quality and set goals that are realistic and achievable. The process helped us realise that not everything requires budget, and even small actions can lead to big improvements, and they should be included in the SIP to enhance the quality of education we offer."
Laxman Datta Bhatta, Principal of Dhangadhi Model Polytechnic Institute, Kailali 

Current status and Way forward

The SIP process is more than a planning exercise; it is a catalyst for change. At the policy levels, SIPs are proving valuable for planning and resource allocation.  

To date, 225 TVET schools across Nepal are implementing SIPs while 247 TVET schools across Nepal have completed self-assessment. The SIP process is now being linked to school accreditation, which will serve as a national quality assurance mechanism. 

Nepal’s experience shows that SIPs are influencing planning and resource allocation where local governments have started co-funding SIP activities based on identified needs and priorities at the policy levels, establishing them as tools for systemic reform. 

QualiTY project is a bilateral initiative between the Government of Nepal and the Government of Switzerland, implemented with technical assistance from Swisscontact on behalf of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation SDC. 

Nepal
Initial vocational education and training
Quality Technical and Vocational Education and Training for youth (QualiTY)
Quality Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) for Youth (QualiTY) Project aims to help Nepali youth, including those from disadvantaged groups, benefit from quality education and better employment prospects.
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