In a bid to raise awareness about the entire migration process, the government has unveiled a plan to provide orientation training to as many students and teachers as possible at community schools in various districts.

The authorities reckon that such training will help youths develop a clear vision about foreign employment and ultimately minimize the risks of migration abroad. They said that most people who went abroad for work are now facing problems because of lack of adequate knowledge about jobs abroad before departing from Nepal. 

“We will provide orientation training at various community schools to help both teachers and students understand the basics of foreign employment,” said Tika Bhandari, director of the Foreign Employment Promotion Board (FEPB), adding, “Once the teachers are trained, they will share their knowledge with the students who in turn will pass it on to elders at home.” 

Director Bhandari stated that once people prepare themselves better before departing for foreign work destinations, it will result in greater incomes for them. Stating that youths in the villages start opting for foreign employment even before they turn 17, he said, “After the orientation people can first make a decision whether they want to go for foreign employment or not and also decide what kind of jobs they can fit into.”

Under the FEPB plan, experts will conduct the orientation sessions in districts which have recorded the highest number of people going abroad for employment. Jhapa, Dhanusa, Sunsari, Kaski and Syangja are some of the districts which have recorded the maximum number of people leaving for overseas destinations in search of work. 

FEPB has allocated a budget of Rs. 500,000 to conduct the orientation in 15 districts throughout the year. The government also plans to compile an assessment report at the end of the training for this fiscal year.

Likewise, the government plans to organize various programs on ´safer foreign employment´ focusing on the village development committee and municipality level in 25 districts. 
The total budget for this program is Rs. 1 million. 

As per latest data at the Department of Foreign Employment, around 3.3 million Nepalis are working overseas. Every day around 1,500 to 2,000 people leave for foreign employment.

Published on: 26 July 2014 | Republica