Kindergartens receive no government support. If they exist it is through private initiatives.
From the age of 6 children can go to a primary school, which includes five school years.
The public primary school is free, but often of low quality. It is therefore not surprising that in the larger towns there are private schools, often boarding schools, of higher quality. Because they have to be paid for, these are generally schools for children of parents who can afford that.
At the private schools all lessons are usually in English and children get lots of homework.

Many children can not go to a kindergarten and will start at the primary school before they are ready for it. They must learn to read and write before their intellectual capacities have been adequately developed.
In addition, these children often suffer the disadvantage of obsolete teaching methods. This usually involves learning by rote, whereby they are forced to absorb large amounts of information they do not understand.

Primary school education is often the sole education offered in rural areas.

The following education levels are available:

A. Kindergarten
1. Nursery for children 3 years old, able to talk well.
2. LKG for the 4 to 5 year olds (LKG = Lower Kindergarten).
3. UKG, for the 5 to 6 year olds (UKG = Upper Kindergarten).

B. Primary education
This starts for 6 to 7 year olds in grade 1 and continues up to grade 5. After finishing class 5 the children should be able to read and write well.

C. Extended Primary education
This includes the classes 6, 7 and 8. On completion they should have an adequate knowledge of the Nepalese language and sciences.

D. Secondary education
This includes the classes 9 and 10. This period ends with the examination for the School Leaving Certificate, the SLC. This exam is provided at the national level.

E. A self-respecting school offers the 10+2 system. This means that after obtaining the SLC, 2 more years can be added to provide a good lead-in to an university education.

F. University education for the happy few.

An impressive list, right?
But you will have noticed that no mention is made of vocational education.
It hardly exists. Even in Kathmandu, with a population of millions there is barely vocational education. Vocational education is mainly a private initiative.
Most education therefor prepares people for office jobs. And that in a country where 80% of the population depends on agriculture.

The result is a large number frustrated young people who only find work that, in their eyes, is beneath them. At the same time there is a shortage of professional people which will be met by recruiting in India.
The children who do not pass the SLC exam are in a particularly difficult situation. Representatives from that category can be found in the aircrafts to the Middle East.