Action Plan Sought to Increase Students’ Interest in Engineering Education
Minister for Education and Sports Sasmit Pokharel has held discussions with officials of Tribhuvan University and other stakeholders to promote engineering education in Nepal and increase students’ interest in the field.
The discussion, held at the ministry in Singha Durbar, was attended by the Vice-Chancellor of Tribhuvan University, the Dean of the Institute of Engineering, and officials from the TU chapter of AECON, the umbrella organisation of engineering colleges.
During the discussion, Minister Pokharel urged the stakeholders to move forward with a concrete action plan to increase students’ interest in engineering education and create employment and other opportunities for them within Nepal after graduation.
He clarified that the ministry would give full attention to matters ranging from reforming the examination system to making the necessary policy arrangements to promote engineering education and improve its quality.
Tribhuvan University Vice-Chancellor Prof. Dr. Bhola Thapa urged colleges to improve the university’s academic quality and attract students by making engineering education more organised and effective.
Education Minister’s Adviser Shailendra Jha emphasised the need to implement effective academic programmes to increase students’ interest in engineering education.
Shree Prasad Bhattarai, Joint Secretary and Head of the Higher Education Division at the Ministry of Education, said the number of students at colleges under the institute should be increased while maintaining academic quality in accordance with the standards of the University Grants Commission. He said the government was working to improve the quality of engineering education and expand access to it.
Dhan Prasad Paudel, Coordinator of the AECON TU Chapter, suggested that the Institute of Engineering itself should take concrete initiatives to increase students’ interest in engineering education and improve the entrance examination pass rate.
The discussion was also attended by Institute of Engineering Dean Prof. Dr. Sushil Bahadur Bajracharya; Engineer Hirendra Man Pradhan, operator of Kathmandu Engineering College and former AECON President; Engineer Dakshina Shrestha, Principal of Sagarmatha Engineering College; Dr. Kesar Prasai, Principal of Kantipur Engineering College; Lalan Tiwari, Director of Lalitpur Engineering College; and Dhan Prasad Paudel, Chief Executive Officer of the National College of Engineering, among others.
