There is only a week left for the election to the House of Representatives. Parties and their candidates are busy holding election rallies, publishing manifestos and commitment letters, and going door-to-door across the country. At the same time, a sobering statistic related to education has been released from Madhesh - seven of the ten districts at the bottom of the literacy list are from Madhesh Province.

This naturally raises the question, how serious are the parties about the problem of Madhesh, which is still lagging behind in basic education despite big slogans and promises of development? When will they address it at the policy level? All the parties contesting this election and at least those running for that region should take this problem seriously. Policy clarity should be taken for the educational upliftment there.

The literacy rate of Madhesh is currently around 63 percent, which is much lower than the national average. The ‘Madhesh Profile-2082’ prepared by the Policy and Planning Commission of the Madhesh Provincial Government clearly states that the education indicators are weaker than the national level. This is not only an example that the citizens there are lagging behind educationally. It is also evidence of the extent to which inequality is prevalent in the entire province.

The lack of birth registration is a major reason for the disruption of children’s education in Madhesh. According to the National Census, 2078, about a quarter of children in Madhesh do not have birth registration. This shows that the problems related to education in Madhesh are not limited to school buildings, lack of teachers or similar administrative issues, but are related to the enjoyment of basic rights of citizens. 

Extreme poverty and illiteracy in Madhesh are even more prevalent among the Dalit and Muslim communities. One in every five of the population of the province is Dalit and one in every eight is a Muslim. The overall social index of the province cannot become strong unless policies and programs targeting these communities are created and implemented on a priority basis. Poverty, unemployment, illiteracy and access to health services must be ensured to progress in the overall human development index. 

Similarly, another major problem seen in education in Madhesh is the huge gap between women and men. The literacy rate of women there is much lower than that of men. While 72 percent of the literate are men, only 55 percent are women. In addition, Madhesh women have been marginalized for a long time, and urgent policy intervention is needed to end this inequality in access to education. 

In the elections to be held in a week, the Madhesi people are directly electing their representatives in 32 constituencies in eight districts. Education, health, agriculture and irrigation have been included in the manifestos of almost all candidates. But in practice, issues like education, health and employment have not been included in the priorities of all three levels of government. They mostly seem to be focused on building physical infrastructure. School buildings are needed, but the expected progress in education cannot be achieved unless students are enrolled and remain in school.

Candidates representing Madhesh have become Prime Ministers and Ministers of Education. Madhav Kumar Nepal, who won repeatedly from Rautahat, became Prime Minister in 2066. Pushpa Kamal Dahal, who won from Siraha in 2070, became Prime Minister in 2065, 2073 and 2079. The current and first Vice President of Nepal was elected from Madhesh. Girirajmani Pokharel, who was elected from Mahottari, is a person who has been the Minister of Education many times. However, Rautahat (literacy rate 58.8 percent) and Mahottari (literacy rate 59.8 percent), represented by Nepal and Pokharel, are at the bottom of the country.

Elections are a celebration of democracy. They should determine the country's priorities. Even after this election, if the parties do not come up with a clear agenda to improve the poor state of education in Madhesh and do not prioritize its implementation, the situation will remain the same until the next election.

Ensuring 100 percent birth registration, implementing scholarships and school continuity programs for Dalit and Muslim communities, increasing teacher positions and improving quality, and coordinating with the local levels responsible for school management by the provinces and the union should be implemented with priority.

Literacy is not just a matter of making people able to read. When it is weak, the opportunity to meaningfully participate in democratic processes like elections is also limited. Access to information and critical thinking are required to make decisions on what basis to vote and who is the right candidate to represent your area. For that, education is the main condition. Political representation of a community trapped in the cycle of illiteracy and poverty cannot be effective either. Therefore, this problem should not be limited to the local level or the Ministry of Education. This issue is a joint political responsibility of the federal, provincial and local governments.