EU Ambassadors Meet Minister Sasmit Pokharel
Ambassadors of various countries affiliated with the European Union (EU) paid a courtesy call on Education and Sports Minister Sasmit Pokharel on Monday at the Ministry of Education, and Sports in Singha Durbar.
The joint meeting was attended by Thomas Miller, Deputy Head of Mission at the EU Office in Nepal, along with the non-resident ambassadors of Lithuania, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Luxembourg, Romania, Denmark, and the Netherlands. During the meeting, discussions were held on various aspects of bilateral relations between Nepal and European countries and mutual cooperation in the education sector.
During the meeting, representatives of European countries expressed interest in the priority areas of the current government in Nepal’s changed context and showed deep interest in cooperation and partnership in education, especially higher education. Stating that the entire European Union was willing to support the development priorities of Nepal’s new government, they expressed their commitment to continuing the support being provided to Nepal’s education sector.
Minister Pokharel, who is also the spokesperson of the Government of Nepal, thanked the European Union and its member countries for their support in Nepal’s educational development. He made it clear that the Ministry is ready to further expand its partnership with those countries in the coming days.
Highlighting the government’s policies and priorities, Minister Pokharel said that further cooperation could be pursued in the areas of inclusiveness in education, infrastructure development, and the professional capacity development of teachers. He emphasized the need to further strengthen coordination among friendly countries to expand access to technology in education and support the qualitative development of higher education.
Minister Pokharel said, “The Ministry has given special attention to the digital transformation of education and to operating academic exchange programs in higher education, not only for students but also for university professors and faculty members.”
In the context of Nepal preparing to restructure higher education, Minister Pokharel requested European countries to share their expertise and innovative ideas. He also mentioned that new areas of cooperation could be identified through open discussions.
On the occasion, the ambassadors of Cyprus, Romania, and the Netherlands said they were ready to increase partnership in Nepal’s education sector, especially in higher education. In view of the growing number of Nepali students going from Nepal to countries including Cyprus and Romania for higher education, they emphasized the need to move ahead by further expanding bilateral relations at the people-to-people level.
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