Voting Line opens to select the Integrity Idol 2017 from the Top 5 Finalists
Accountability Lab Nepal announces The Top 5 Finalists of Integrity Idol; the 4th National Campaign to identify and award Nepal’s most honest government officials. […]
I Found a Hero!
We recently completed our first Integrity Idol Fellowship in Nepal. Read below about Radip Tandukar's experience. The Integrity Fellowship 2017 took me to a district of surprises, Diktel of Khotang. I never imagined that in this age a district just 325 kms away from Kathmandu; neighboring prosperous districts would still be devoid of a concrete road access. I never thought that after crossing the mighty Sunkoshi over a suspension bridge, I would have to board another vehicle that would then finally take me to my destination. But the surprises gained from my disappointment subsided after the first sip of Tulsi [...]
Why We Worship Integrity Idols
By Samita Thapa and Suresh Chand What does it mean to have integrity? There is a widespread perception that the Nepali civil service is deeply corrupt. The solution to this problem is not in “naming and shaming” the rule breakers but in “naming and faming” those officials doing the right things. The Integrity Idols we have had the honor to “name and fame” are incredible- from Pradip Kanel who changed CDO office to people’s office-a place of ‘people-work’ instead of an exercise in paper-work; to Gyan Mani Nepal and Dor Bikram Shrees who transformed education in Panchthar and Gulmi respectively; [...]
Integrity Summit 2017: What Can We Learn from Integrity Idols in Nepal?
Background In January 2017, the Accountability Lab brought together the three winners of the Integrity Idol Nepal competition since 2014 (Gyan Mani Nepal, Pradip Raj Kanel and Dor Bikram Shrees), along with other Integrity Idol finalists (including Bindu Kunwar, Tara Subedi, Bhishma Kumar Bhusal, Krishna Prasad Danchha, Bhuwan Kumari Rai, and Ram Narayan Shah), experts in anti-corruption and governance (including Suryanath Upadhyay the former head of the CIAA, Dr. Tarak Bahadur KC the Deputy Executive Director of Nepal Administrative Staff College, Bharat Bahadur Thapa the Head of Transparency International and Jiwan Prabha Lama the former Secretary of the Nepali Government, [...]
Dor Bikram Shrees Becomes Integrity Idol of the Year
This article was written and originally published by Glocal Khabar. Dor Bikram Shrees, a school teacher from Gulmi, has been declared the Integrity Idol of the year 2016. Shrees was felicitated with the award amidst a special award gala organized in the capital on Thursday. Integrity Idol is a national honor to recognize the most sincere and responsible government officer. The Principal of Siddhababa Higher Secondary School in Gulmi, Shrees is a favorite among teachers, students, and guardians alike, and a trusted member of the community. To implement practical and timely learning in the school, he initiated compulsory computer classes, [...]
Integrity Idol: Celebrating Heroes in Nepali Public Service via a Reality TV Contest
Three years ago, Accountability Lab Nepal developed a TV show through which honest government officials were filmed, with citizens watching the episodes and voting for their favorites. It was a surprise hit, taking the country by storm- with tens of thousands of votes being cast for the finalists. This season’s grand finale is yet to come, but the Nepalese people have embraced the competition again, voting in record numbers through SMS and online for their favorite civil servants. The campaign brings Nepalis from across the country into a conversation about what it means to be a person of integrity. It [...]
Integrity Gets Great Ratings
Integrity Gets Great Ratings How Nepalis harnessed the power of reality TV to strike a blow against corruption. BY BLAIR GLENCORSE, SUMAN PARAJULI. Originally published in Foreign Policy. To Gyan Mani Nepal, the newly appointed head of education in Panchthar, a small and beautiful corner of far eastern Nepal, the situation in his school district was a depressing reminder of his own youth. Teacher absenteeism was as high as 90 percent; those who did come to work often showed up drunk. Others shook principals down for bribes just to come to their jobs. Schools were regularly shut down by political [...]
How to Reward an Honest Official
This article was originally published by Share America. By Stephen Kaufman Gyan Mani Nepal isn’t your normal reality TV star. He doesn’t sing like American Idol winner Caleb Johnson or dance like Ricky Ubeda, a winner of So You Think You Can Dance. Yet the district education officer from rural Nepal beat more than 300 competitors on January 11 to become his country’s “Integrity Idol,” a celebrity created by a talent show spotlighting “honest government officials.” The contest was launched by the Nepalese chapter of Accountability Lab, a nonprofit that works to promote government accountability. Anne Sophie Ranjbar, a director of [...]
Nepal picks education official Gyan Mani Nepal as first Integrity Idol
This article was originally published by South China Morning Post. By Bibek Bhandari 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 [...]