Prithvi Narayan Campus, Pokhara, Nepal

Prof. Dr. Devraj Adhikari: Higher education needs greater autonomy for excellence

TU-PNC, 15 Dec. 2017 – Prithvi Narayan Campus in collaboration with the TU Higher Education Reform Project, Kirtipur organized a one-day interaction program on 15 December 2017.

The theme of the program was “Autonomy of Higher Education in the Changed Context: Opportunities and Challenges for Prithvi Narayan Campus” which was organized with a view to discussing whether or not Prithvi Narayan Campus can get into its autonomous status under the protection of Tribhuvan University.

The interaction program was chaired by Prof. Dr. Chandra Bahadur Thapa, Campus Chief of Prithvi Narayan Campus, Pokhara and attended by dignitaries from Pokhara and Kathmandu.

There were six speakers to discuss various issues of the theme of the program: two from Prithvi Narayan Campus and the rest from Kathmandu, representing the TU Higher Education Reform Project (TU-HERP), University Grants Commission (UGC), and the World Bank. 

Speaking on the topic “QAA Process and the Role of University Grants Commission,” Prof. Dr. Devraj Adhikari who is serving as Member Secretary of the UGC said that higher education institutions in Nepal should systematically take into account trends in the changed context as the nation is in the process of implementing the federal system of government. He further said, “Higher education needs greater autonomy for excellence,” adding that we need to understand latest trends in the world of academic institutions such as autonomy of higher education.

Similarly, Bhola Pokharel, Former Member Secretary of University Grants Commission emphasized the importance of autonomy of higher education, saying that Prithvi Narayan Campus should not be reluctant to keep up with the changing scenario and get benefit of autonomy.

Discussing about the topic “World Bank and Higher Education Reform Project in Nepal: Planning and Progress Evaluation,” Team Leader of Higher Education Reform Project in Nepal, World Bank Prof. Dr. Mohan Prasad Aryal said that public financing of higher education has been a priority for a developing country like Nepal. “Prithvi Narayan Campus can get benefit from the world bank financing if the campus is ready to start working on its higher education reform activities,” he added.

At the same program, Senior Education Expert of World Bank Dr. Rajendra Dhoj Joshi spoke on the importance of higher education in the developmental works of the nation. Economic indicators across the world have shown that higher economic growth rate has been achieved through the channel of higher education, he said. He was assigned to speak on the topic “Higher Education in Today’s Context”.

Speaking on “TU Higher Education Reform Project and the Context for Autonomy of Higher Education,” Prof. Shankar Bhandari, Coordinator of Higher Education Reform Project – TU Program, discussed about the TU autonomy rules and regulations and said that TU constituent campuses cannot bring their institutions back on track without academic freedom. “The project is to provide financial supports to maintain the quality of higher education and improve financial sustainability of its institutions”.

Similarly, Former Campus Chief Gehendreshwor Koirala of Prithvi Narayan Campus spoke on the academic development of Prithvi Narayan Campus and Dr. Min Pun gave a short presentation on the academic strengths of the campus.             

The presentations were followed by the question-answer hour. Among the participants who raised questions were Mahendra P. Sharma, Dr. Bir Bahadur Karki, Durga Sharma, Cholakant Ojha, Dr. Umanath Baral and Khim Raj Subedi.

The program was hosted by Dr. Min Pun who is Associate Professor at the Department of English and Coordinator of QAA/Reform Unit, Prithvi Narayan Campus.

Published by: Administration
Published on 2017-12-19

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