Kathmandu: Prime Minister Sushila Karki has insisted that all parties should strive to make the university a forum for academic debate. Addressing the Tribhuvan University’s 51st convocation ceremony at Dasharath Stadium here today, Prime Minister Karki, who is also the University Chancellor, emphasised the need to increase investment in education for the country’s development.
According to National News Agency Nepal, Prime Minister Karki highlighted the natural aspiration for change in the country’s higher education sector and the necessity to liberate it from partisan politics. She acknowledged the ongoing need to amend the provision of the Prime Minister serving as the Chancellor of universities, noting that partisan interference in educational administration has continuously impacted Nepal’s higher education sector. Serious consultations and groundwork are reportedly underway on this matter.
Chancellor Karki remarked on the significance of university education as a crucial point in an individual’s life. She addressed the graduates, acknowledging that the completion of their academic journey marks the beginning of a new phase where they can apply the knowledge gained in classrooms or laboratories for human development.
PM Karki further elaborated on the challenges graduates may face, such as rapid technological change, competition for jobs, climate change, social inequality, moral dilemmas, and global uncertainty. She expressed confidence that Tribhuvan University graduates are equipped to contribute meaningfully towards human development and global fraternity by overcoming these challenges.
She also stressed that having a large structure and size does not guarantee quality and international-level education. Maintaining an appropriate ratio of professors to students is crucial, she said, while urging professors, students, and management to be more active in providing quality education and publishing high-quality research materials.
Finally, PM Karki called upon the concerned authorities to focus on adding new and practical educational programmes in a timely manner and maintaining excellence in educational quality. She pointed out that a significant number of Nepali students are seeking higher education abroad, a trend that needs to be addressed.