Education in Nepal was long based on home schooling and Gurukula. The first formal school was established in 1853, but was intended for the elites. The birth of the Nepalese democracy in 1951 opened the classrooms to a more diverse population.
The education plan in 1971 fastened the development of education in the country: In 1951, Nepal had 10,000 students divided in 300 schools, with an adult literacy rate of 5%. By 2010, the number of schools increased to 49,000 and by 2015, the adult literacy rate had jumped to 63.9%% (female: 53.1%, male: 76.4%) Poverty and social exclusion of women, lower caste, and indigenous people are nowadays the main constraints to an equitable access to education.