By Deepak Joshi Pokhrel
This is about the news published in local vernacular in the Rupandehi district of Lumbini Province. According to the report, our higher education system has not been par excellence compelling students to seek admission to foreign universities to pursue their higher studies. The report attributed several factors to the dismal performance of our universities and higher education system.
Almost a dozen universities are opened and exist in Nepal but almost all universities have been plagued by one or the other malaises. No doubt, they are instituted with a noble intention to contribute to upgrading the education system in the country. But experts have identified and blamed political meddling and interference has been the fundamental reason responsible for the sharp deterioration and mess in the quality and standard of higher education.
Across the globe, education is given high consideration and it is viewed as a major agent of bringing tangible results in the overall development of the country. Every country invests billions in ensuring to delivery of quality education. If media reports are any guide, India- our immediate neighbor, allocated ($ 13.66 billion) in the Union Budget 23-24 to the education sector. This is the reason why Indian education is par standard prompting our students to pursue their higher education in India.
Conversely in Nepal, the education system has not been par standard. The dismal performance can be attributed to several reasons. Our universities are managed and controlled by politicians. The professors, dean, rector and other administrative officers of the affluent position of the university are appointed based on their access to the power echelon bypassing the complete selection process. What generally matters is their connection with political bigwigs in the country. This is the reason why our youth do not have faith in our universities and seek admission in universities in foreign countries.
The education system is judged by the curricula and method of learning. Practical-based learning rather than parroting is believed to be the best way of learning across the globe. But sadly, we have not been able to update our curricula as per the changed context and are guided by an outdated and orthodox way of learning. This is where we have failed and failed miserably.
There are reports that the government is also reported to be going for enacting an umbrella law to administer and govern universities. It is a welcome move on the part of the government given the fact that the education system is the bedrock of the overall development of the nation. But it has been a customary practice in Nepal to formulate the laws without consultation of the concerned stakeholders and as a result, it fails to deliver the result. We hope that the government has not resorted to this practice but rather sought the collaboration and views and insights of educationists and experts from across the country.
The Prime Minister, by virtue of his position, is the chancellor of the universities. In recent times, strong voices have been raised against the provision for making the Prime Minister the chancellor of the universities. It is said that the PM could use a discretionary authority in the process of appointment of professors, rectors and deans and other office bearers. Given our past experiences where our former PMs courted controversy in manipulating and peddling influence in the operation and management of the universities, the demands seem justifiable.
Over the years, the number of universities has rapidly increased in the country. At present, there are 9 universities accredited by the government. Among them, Tribhuvan University and Nepal Sanskrit University are state-run universities and the rest are founded as per the multi-university concept adopted by the government in 1983 and receive partial support from the government. This is not to say that the University should not be established and opened. They should. But care should be given in the process of their formation. It is often reported in the media that universities have been established without satisfying international norms and practices. The failure of the government to take action against the malpractices has only plagued our education system.
With the advent of the 21 Century, digital learning has become an integral part of the education system. It is learning facilitated by technology that gives the student some element of control over time, place, path and or pace. In digital learning. In digital education, students can easily access recorded lectures and use them as a reference. This helps them understand the subject better and speeds up the entire learning process. It is also very convenient to access additional reading materials and other learning. Despite its immense significance, we have not been able to embrace it wholeheartedly. In plain words, there is a detachment from digital learning.
Many public intellectuals and educationists who have intimate knowledge of university education articulate the need to separate academics and politics and protect the sanctity and integrity of academic institutions. It has been reported time and again that the academic integrity and capacity of the universities have witnessed a downward spiral, especially during the multiparty democracy era as trade unionism made inroads into the realm of both teachers and students. Unless academic institutions are not allowed to work sans political meddling and interference, neither will the present-day anarchy seen in granting affiliation will be contained nor the decline in academic standards will be checked. We need to move with the changing times to reform our education system. This is the only panacea.
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