Educational Status of Female Youth in Nepal: A Foundation for Health and Well-being. Where Should Programmes Focus?

Abstract Youth are important change agents for social, political and economic issues. However, research evidence suggests that many youth, especially females, face many challenges in Nepal in reaching their social potential due to serious problems with educational access and attainment. This study examines the influence of educational attainment on achieving the social potential of Nepalese female youth through a secondary analysis of data from the Nepal Demographic and Health Survey 2016. Results from this analysis show that one out of 10 female youth are illiterate and do not receive a formal education. Socio-demographic variables, such as marital status, caste, place of residence and wealth status were found to be major predictors for literacy status and educational attainment of female youth in Nepal. The findings from this study suggest that special attention should be paid to these critical variables for guiding educational and interventional planning by concerned authorities including stakeholders for improving the social potential, as well as the health and well-being of female youth in Nepal.