Trend of padlocking universities not at all acceptable: Education Minister

Kathmandu / July 21: Minister for Education, Science and Technology, Devendra Paudel, has said the move to padlocking the universities would not be acceptable.

At a programme organised by the Kathmandu University, Management Faculty and Khabar Education.Com here today, Minister Paudel urged the students and bodies concerned not to padlock the university hampering the regular teaching-learning activities and to resolve the problems by holding talks with the leadership of the university if any problem surfaces.

He clarified that the Ministry was ready to facilitate addressing the problems if additional problems surface in course of resolving problems.

The Education Minister however said that the Ministry does not approve of the practice of carrying out lockout at the university as the last resort.

He stressed the need of minimizing the trend of youths going abroad for higher studies and in search of employment by expanding the accessible, quality and research-oriented education in the country’s universities.

He shared on the occasion that a work plan would be brought for linking the university and the school level and it would have a provision according to which the Master level students will have to do an internship in school for 90 days in a year. An Act on Higher Education would be brought for regulating the universities.

Educationist Dr Bidyanath Koirala said that only 10 per cent of the students going abroad on a student visa are found enrolled and actually studying in universities there and it was a challenge to retain them within the country.

Educationist Dr Bal Chandra Luitel suggested operating the universities as competitive and autonomous entities.

Higher Institutions and Secondary Schools’ Association Nepal (HISSAN) president Ramesh Silwal said that they were effortful towards providing the best education within the country itself. He said the State and the political leadership should also implement policies contributing to that purpose.

Vice Chancellors of various universities on the occasion complained that they did not have autonomy and a sense of security due to several pressures as political, economic and social, among others.

Among those expressing this concern was Vice Chancellor of Nepal Sanskrit University Dr Yadav Prakash Lamichhane, Vice Chancellor of Mid-western University Dr Nanda Bahadur Singh, Agriculture and Forestry University’s vice chancellor Dr Punya Prasad Regmi and Gandaki University’s Board of Trustee member-secretary Dr Ganesh Man Gurung. (RSS)