Hope that KU is saving

Then applied sciences like environmental science and pharmacy and engineering programs like mechanical, electronics and computer started.

It is said that the medical science program was not included in KU's initial plan, but it was started at the request of the then Congress leader Girija Prasad Koirala. When Koirala went on a visit to India, medical education in KU started with the offer of higher level studies in medical education in Nepal with the investment of Indians. In particular, it can be called the first foreign investment in Nepali education sector. Manipal Medical College was established under this and he made a leap in medical education. Based on the experience of one of the founders of KU, Sureshraj Sharma, who led Budhanilkanth School for a long time, and also opened some technical institutes in the higher education system of the government, the Faculty of Education was started to produce good leadership in schools and technical institutes as well. Similarly, Faculty of Social Sciences (School of Arts) and Faculty of Law with music and arts are the latest programs of this university.

Coming to the second stage of the 29th convocation ceremony, KU has contributed about 50 percent of the total manpower providing services in the medical sector of Nepal. Because KU has started studying the latest topics in South Asia, this institution has prepared good human resources in Nepal and abroad. Hikas and Nepal Contemporary Studies Center have been opened within the university in order to promote the discovery, research and preservation of the historical aspects of Nepali culture, tradition and heritage.

Is it expensive?

This university, which is run by using its own resources, is not able to get adequate representation and resources from the regulatory bodies of the state. It is also found that some people say that KU education is expensive because of the fees paid by the students. Due to the obligation to rely 60% on student fees, the fees may be higher than those of universities that receive relatively more grants. One is that the university receives less than 10 percent of the amount of tax paid by the people, i.e. government subsidy.

On the other hand, universities that are fully funded by the government educate students at a lower cost than what they spend on producing a student. While the school level education charges tens of thousands per month, the most in this university is a 5-year bachelor's degree in law and management. That is, 17,400 per month. There is also an opportunity to study for subjects such as social science art, music, craft and design, Yogic science and well-being related to health and society, for a total of 5 lakhs 5 thousand, i.e. monthly salary of 10 thousand 500 for 4 years. Besides, more than 20 percent of students are provided with scholarships including fee waivers, giving opportunities to those who are financially weak.

Because it has succeeded in getting the status of the only English-medium university in the country, many of its students have been able to get admission in good universities abroad with scholarships for the next level degree while completing their studies. Dozens of young people are returning with the experience of education there under Erasmus exchange with European universities. From here, all the expenses of going abroad as a student are provided by the cooperating institution. Therefore, sending the Nepali youth to experience higher education abroad saves money for going abroad through them. KU has signed cooperation agreements with more than 275 universities in 43 countries. Teaching is also being conducted in collaboration with Tirupati in India, Sydney in Australia, Hong Kong etc. to run the program here. India's IIT Madras and IIT Hyderabad, Australia's Western Sydney University, China's Hawei University of Economics and Business and other educational institutions have been jointly taught by both universities to give degrees.

To attract foreign students, to increase the presence of foreign professors, there is also an opportunity for foreign or Nepalese professors working in foreign universities. Under this arrangement, KU will give 50 percent more to the salary received by the regular professors here for the professors coming to Nepal and facilitate the necessary process as much as possible.

Strong manpower production

If the government of Nepal and other relevant government agencies are ready to cooperate with KU, it will bring foreign students to Nepal to fill those seats. KU has also prepared its level for that. This university has supported more than 12 foreign students for every one hundred students by teaching full courses and giving them degrees and producing manpower to work in different fields and professions in 57 countries.

In its short history of 29 years, 18/20 students from countries like South Africa, Zambia, including 4,643 from neighboring India, have been initiated by teaching a complete program. Thus, there are 5 thousand 467 people from 57 countries who have taken the convocation certificate of KU. In addition, the number of people who have studied here for a semester, a few months or a week and returned after learning about Nepaliness has reached thousands. The number of people who want to study Nepali subject from America, Canada, Brazil, China and Australia has started to increase slowly. Looking at it this way, it can be said that now Nepalis are not obliged to send their children and siblings abroad for higher education.

Learning from three decades of experience, in the last three years, this institution has set a target of at least 10 percent foreign students in every program. 76 students from America and 32 students from Germany, who are said to be excellent in education, have been initiated so far, only 11 Chinese have studied here.

Recently, KU has taken initiatives to attract the youth of the northern neighborhood to Nepal and has also launched a Nepali-speaking Indian-targeted campaign. As a result, last year 18 people returned after completing 15 credits of Nepalese studies in Nepali language, while this year suddenly more than 3 dozen Chinese students have enrolled here. Dozens are inquiring. Likewise, half a dozen citizens of new African countries such as Bahrain, Congo, Nigeria, Kenya have sent applications for admission to higher education. If they can be given a good environment, this number will increase rapidly in the recent days and it seems that KU can become a strong hub of foreign students for higher education.

KU is not private

There are various misconceptions about KU in Nepali society. Many even today try to portray it as a private university. No private university has been granted permission in Nepal so far and KU is not an educational institution made for the benefit of any particular individual. The difference between Tribhuvan University and it lies in the grants and some structural arrangements that the university gets from the government. In economic modality i.e. resource management, KU is perceived as a private organization that has taken the permission to take initiatives on its own instead of being the mouthpiece of the government. Even today, government employees and sometimes political leadership seem to have an understanding that this is a private organization. As a result, the necessary cooperation that this university does and can do is interrupted from time to time.

Since it was formed in accordance with a separate law, even though the provisions determined by the law are valid, it is also mandated to work in cooperation and coordination with government agencies such as the Ministry of Education, University Grants Commission. Being a major institution working in fields such as medical education, engineering, and law, it is its obligation to work in coordination with regulatory bodies in these fields. The Prime Minister of the Government of Nepal will be the Chancellor, the Minister of Education will be the Vice-Chancellor, and like in other universities, the KU Assembly will be chaired by the Chancellor and the assembly will be the highest level decision-making body of the institution.

Student-teacher collaboration

Student-teacher relationship is different in KU. In this institution, which has been running on a full semester system for a long time, the role of the regulatory body in teaching is insignificant, while the classroom, i.e. the teachers who teach and the students who study there, is very much. Although the role of the head of the department, the subject committee, the dean, and the academic council are also seen in clarifying the main purpose of the teaching subject, the teacher is personally independent in what to teach within that subject. Here, like elsewhere, the entire syllabus is not printed and given to the teacher.

Teachers are able to use updated reference materials to adequately bring the changed context into classroom discussion. There is a provision to inform the students in the first class after determining the basis of student evaluation and accordingly the final evaluation will be done by the class teacher. In some cases, the question papers with up to 50% marks are being issued in the name of examination control, but the work from deciding the basis of evaluation to giving the number or grade is usually completed in the classroom through student-teacher cooperation.

While addressing the senate of the university on July 30, the Prime Minister, as the chancellor, pointed out some of the weak points of KU. Among them, he said that he could not complete the admission in the number of seats that he had determined and that it had an impact on the resources. This issue is a big lesson for the university and an attempt has been made to learn from it and move forward. Post-covid admission situation was appalling even for this university. While some people were talking about KU for charging expensive fees and some for private level, its good programs were not publicized at the public level. Another reason is the fact that many of the degree holders who are KU's ambassadors are staying abroad and are working in Kathmandu-centric jobs even though they are in the country.

Till date, 45 thousand 437 students passed out of which 5 thousand 467 were foreign students. Even because one person or one family studied two/three degrees here, this institution was not able to increase its publicity to the masses. This is correct in the days of yesteryear when not many programs were started, because in some programs only 10 students were taken, in some programs 20, 25, 30 and most of them up to 120 students in programs like BBA. This situation has come about due to the good improvement in last year's admissions, from the professors to the students, realizing that it is not possible to spread the information at the public level. The data says that in the academic session 2021/22, only 70 percent of the seats were filled with students, which increased to 72 percent in 2021/22 and 87 percent in 2023/24.

KU's experience of working with Nepal government is not very good. Although the result data given by KU has been successfully made part of the statements and speeches of the Prime Minister, Ministers and high-level officials, the government's support in the initiative of attracting foreign students is zero. The file of the government decision made on the recommendation of various universities to make the so-called foreign nationals feel a little more respected has been circling the ministries and branches of Singh Darbar since the 22nd of Baisakh. Dozens of foreigners who are working here as visiting professors or researchers have been visa-free for almost 5 months as the government has been locked in indecision for a long time. Since the renewal application has already arrived, the immigration has not been unhelpful, but the foreigner complains of not being able to open their bank accounts, not even being able to travel to their own country or elsewhere.

The state has not yet been able to give student visas to those who want to study in Nepal. The government does not even want to think about the scholarship fund needed initially to promote the good educational institutions of Nepal. The prime minister should not spare 2/3 billion for the promotion and development of the country's reputation and institutions while coming to the assembly and saying that the government has no resources. Instead of opening new embassies in non-essential locations, that budget could be spent on soft power diplomacy.

Overall, the importance of such programs is not less to contribute to the soft power diplomacy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to increase foreign tourists and finally to contribute to the economic, social and educational level of the country. While saying this, today's attitude of some officials of ministries, University Grants Commission working in higher education, Ministry of Education seems to be a hindrance. The government of Nepal did not accept the proposal of Vice-Chancellor Bhola Thapa to give at least one free quota from six non-medical schools. Experience says that the attitude of the government and Nepalese society towards KU is not so positive. The main reason for this is the rampant rumor that it is a for-profit private company.

– Paykurel is an Associate Professor at Kathmandu University.