Persistent Educational Inequalities among Madhesi Dalit Children in Saptari District, Nepal

Abstract

This study examines educational inequalities among Madhesi Dalit children in the Lokharam community of Chhinnamasta Rural Municipality, Saptari District, Nepal. Guided by the frameworks of social exclusion and intersectionality, the study explores how deeply rooted caste-based social practices in Nepalese society limit the educational opportunities of Madhesi Dalit children. Using qualitative methods: semi-structured interviews with Dalit parents, teachers, education administrators, and representatives of Dalit-focused NGOs; focus group discussions with Dalit and non-Dalit students; and document review, the study reveals that the educational deprivation of the Madhesi Dalits is the accumulation of multiple culturally embedded factors, that have their roots in the ancient caste system, include poverty, child labour, early marriage, traditional gender norms, caste-based discrimination itself, and passivity of parents to their children's education. The Dalit scholarship programme, a financial incentive, intended to cover educational expenses of Dalits, is only partially supportive in the case of Madhesi Dalits, who suffer from substantial poverty. Its ineffectiveness is twofold: it is underfunded and not equity-based. Promoting educational opportunities for Madhesi Dalits requires an integrated, multidimensional approach, combining scholarship, material support to children and social-economic empowerment programmes to parents.