KATHMANDU: Educationists have stressed the need to safeguard university autonomy, curb political interference and introduce policy reforms to improve the quality and accessibility of higher education in Nepal.
They expressed these views at a national workshop titled ‘University Grants Commission and Nepal’s Higher Education’, organised by Pragyik Vidyarthi Parishad (PVP) Nepal.
The participants highlighted the need for legal reforms, increased investment in research and institutional autonomy to address longstanding challenges in the higher education sector. They also emphasised the importance of expanding access to university education, making it more affordable and improving academic standards.
Former Purbanchal University Vice-Chancellor Prof. Dr Biju Kumar Thapaliya stressed the need to end political interference in higher education.
He identified weak institutional autonomy, inadequate research funding and a lack of policy continuity as major challenges facing universities. He also called for universities to strengthen transparency, maintain academic quality and ensure accountability for their performance while safeguarding their autonomy.
Similarly, Tribhuvan University Faculty of Education Dean Prof. Dr Bedraj Acharya said Nepal should aim to enrol at least 30 percent of the population in the relevant higher-education age group in universities within the next 10 years.
He emphasised that expanding access must go hand in hand with making higher education affordable.
“Reducing teachers’ and staff members’ salaries, as well as cutting expenditure on educational activities in the name of making education more affordable, is not the solution,” Acharya said.
Educationist and former National Planning Commission member Prof. Dr Pushkar Man Bajracharya called for the establishment of a separate national council to develop human resource plans.
He also stressed the need for long-term scholarship programmes for students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. Bajracharya said the University Grants Commission should play a more effective role in setting quality standards, monitoring universities, facilitating educational reforms and providing research grants.
The discussion also featured former Mid-West University Vice-Chancellor Prof. Dr Upendra Koirala; educationist and former University Grants Commission member Prof. Dr Govinda Nepal; Commission Member Secretary Prof. Dr Roji Shrestha; former University Grants Commission of India Secretary Prof. Dr Manish Joshi; and Prof. Dr Krishna Bista, an educationist at Morgan State University in Maryland, the United States, among others. The programme was chaired by former Tribhuvan University Vice-Chancellor Prof. Dr Tirtha Khaniya.
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