“Running the Marathon or the Hundred-Meter Race?” – A Comparative Study on Humanitarian versus Development Aid to Education in Post-Earthquake Nepal.

Abstract

“Children often pay the highest price in situations of war, conflict and natural disasters. Half of the children not attending school today live in areas affected by crises” (Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 2014). This thesis has been written as part of the Master of Philosophy Program in Comparative and International Education, at the University of Oslo. The overall purpose of the thesis was to explore two Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad) funded education projects in Nepal after the 2015 earthquakes; one humanitarian aid project, and one development aid project. The method used for the study was qualitative; through a field study in Nepal, and semi-structured interviews. The framework used in the thesis was complexity theory, heightening the system theory within the complexity theory. Drawing on the perspectives of the stakeholders who were interviewed, the main conclusion of the study was that although both projects aimed for a quality approach in the projects, access to education was the main outcome. Moreover, the two projects both emphasized the success factors of local capacity and the bottom-up approach. The findings indicated a gap between the outcomes of the projects and Norwegian aid polices, especially on access versus quality, trust and accountability, and system approach to educational change.