A Study of Socio-Economic Status of Out of School Youth and Adolescents of Kailali District, Nepal (Joshipur, Thapapur, Kotatulsipur, Geta VDCs & Dhangadhi Municipality)

Out-of-school youth are a vulnerable population with complex needs. Many face dim employment prospects and uncertain futures. Out-of-school youth are broadly defined as youth aged 16 to 24 who are not in school and who are unemployed, underemployed, or lacking basic skills. While there is no single system that provides services to out-of-school youth, many systems can play a role in better addressing their needs, including the public education, workforce, human services, juvenile justice, and community- and faith-based sectors. Multiple funding sources can support initiatives to serve out-of-school youth. This study was completed in July 2007 starting from January 2007. The overall objective of the study was to find out the present educational status, economic status, saving behavior and future plan of out-of-school youths and adolescents. The study employed quantitative research design without proposing any hypothesis for testing. Both primary and secondary data were used, but primary data were mainly used to analyze the present status of educational knowledge, economical status, saving behavior and future plan of out-of-school youths and adolescents. Whereas, secondary data were used at the time of literature review of the study reviewing the various publications and previous research studies pertained to the field of study. Interview was the major technique applied in order to collect primary data. A form of questionnaire was used to collect primary data. Structured with close and open ended questions were used in the questionnaire. The study comprised 197 samples of PLA class attendant out-of-school youths and adolescents for the study. Lot Quantity Assurance Survey (LQAS) method was used to determine the sample size of the study. The study comprised male and female PLA class attendants for the interview. Out of 197 respondents, there were 175 female respondents and only 22 male respondents. The operation of interview was held in PLA Class conducted area of Backward Society Education (BASE), Kailali in different VDCs and municipality. The questionnaire was pre-tested to the 25 participants of PLA class attendants in the selected 4 VDCs & 1 municipality. There were no changes needed in the questionnaire for the study.
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Findings • Majority of the respondents are female which is found better reflection of the PLA class conducted by Backward Society Education (BASE). • Major portion of the respondents haven’t got school education. Most of the respondents had left their school education due to the household work, poor economic condition & need to labor works to financially support to their family. • Major portion of school not attended respondents had attended in non-formal education classes. • Very few respondents are involved in Child Club & Adolescent Reproductive Sexual Health (ARSH) program. • Majority of the respondents replied that only they have one family member employed who give financially support to the family. • Very few (20%) respondents are employed but out of them only 20% have earning capacity. Most of the respondents who are employed are in labor works either in service business or in farming or in household labor. • Out of employed respondents, 48% have saving practices in different way such as in co-operative, in groups, in-house, saving-pot (Khutruke), in box, women development fund, youth club, etc. • It is found that out of those respondents who haven’t saving practice have some how skills for income generation such as cycle repairing, hair cutting, Dhakki Bunai, labor works in hotel, household works, service business, sewing-cutting & mason works. Recommendations • Sustainable livelihood program is necessary for empowering and enhancing the life skill of the Out of School youths and adolescents. • NGO working in these areas should focus for involving/ enrolling/ continuation of school education to minimize the drop-out. • Youth friendly initiative programs should be covered all out-of-school youth youths and adolescents.