Nepal picks education official Gyan Mani Nepal as first Integrity Idol

Nepal has chosen its first Integrity Idol.

Gyan Mani Nepal, an education officer in the eastern district of Panchthar, won the title for his commitment towards educational reforms in the region.

In a country where government officials are often associated with corruption and incompetence, this contest aims to shine a spotlight on honest and industrious civil servants.

Of the 303 nominations from 33 of the 75 districts, the five finalists included a health worker, two teachers, an education officer and two workers devoted to fight maternal and child mortality in remote villages.

Their profiles were aired on national TV and posted on social media for people to vote via text message and over the internet. "We want to introduce these honest civil servants to public," said Narayan Adhikari, South Asia representative of the non-profit Accountability Lab, which organised the contest. "This is an effort to acknowledge their work so others are inspired, too."

Nepal has been instrumental in elevating the education standards in his district.

Public schools in the country suffer from poor supervision and high rates of teacher absenteeism, leaving students in peril. Almost 72 per cent of students from government schools failed last year's School Leaving Certificate examination.