TU 51st Convocation: 89,191 Graduates, Low Attendance

Tribhuvan University’s 51st Convocation: Many Graduates, Fewer Attendees

Tribhuvan University concluded its 51st convocation two days ago. A total of 89,191 students who completed their studies between Asar 1, 2081 and Jestha 31, 2082 were graduated.

However, only 16,380 students formally submitted applications to attend the ceremony. Even among the applicants, not all students were present at the venue.

Key Statistics

• Total graduates declared at the 51st convocation: 89,191

• Study-completion window for 51st convocation: Asar 1, 2081 to Jestha 31, 2082

• Applications submitted to attend the 51st convocation: 16,380

• Eligible candidates in the 50th convocation: 74,149

• Forms submitted to attend the 50th convocation: 14,308

• Eligible candidates in the 49th convocation: 73,749

• Forms submitted to attend the 49th convocation: 12,419

• Nobel Prize year referenced for chief guest (Physics): 2015

Attendance Trend Seen in Past Convocations

A similar scene had been seen in previous convocations as well.

• In last year’s 50th convocation, 74,149 candidates were eligible, but only 14,308 filled the form to participate.

• In the 49th convocation held two years ago, 73,749 were eligible, but only 12,419 filled the form.

Even if students do not fill the form to attend the convocation, the University Assembly has a practice of having the Prime Minister and Chancellor declare—through the ceremony—that all students who passed in the grace list have been graduated.

This time as well, through the same process, Prime Minister Sushila Karki, in the capacity of Chancellor, declared all 89,191 students as graduated at once.

Ceremony Highlights and Overall Atmosphere

Medals and prizes were awarded to students declared overall best from various disciplines and faculties.

As the number of graduates keeps increasing, but the tendency of not filling the form to attend the ceremony grows, there has also been analysis from the angle that students’ disinterest in convocation is increasing.

There are also accusations that this problem has arisen because TU has been unable to attract its own students, but it may also be due to its large educational and administrative structure.

Even though barely 20 percent of those eligible to graduate participated, the atmosphere of the convocation ceremony appeared highly festive.

Not only was this the first time in TU’s history that so many students were graduated at once, it is possible that even among universities around the world, ceremonies where nearly 90,000 students are graduated at a single sitting are rare.

Chief Guest: Nobel Laureate Takaki Kajita

This time, world-renowned Nobel laureate Professor Takaki Kajita of the University of Tokyo, Japan, attended as the chief guest. This also made the convocation ceremony more special than in the past.

For many who attended, Kajita became a major point of attraction—because of the ideas he expressed in the assembly and the advice he gave to students.

Kajita’s Message to Graduates

Urging students not to feel complacent merely because they had graduated, Kajita said, “Always follow only the difficult path. Engage in the search for new things. Make hypotheses and work to build.”

Another statement by Kajita, who is also the Nobel Prize winner in Physics in 2015, was highly inspiring. Addressing the graduating students, he said, “Ask yourself: what is my role? What new thing can I do in society?”

Kajita’s guest remarks became an inspiration for students, emphasizing that no matter what they become in the future—teacher, scientist, engineer, policymaker, or politician—they should focus on what they can contribute to society.

His forceful suggestion—that no one’s future is guaranteed only by family legacy or the power seen in the present, but that the one who makes continuous effort is the one who wins the future—also attracted students further.

Contrasting Scenes at Dasharath Stadium

Graduating students present at the ceremony were expressing support for Kajita’s message.

At the same time, at the convocation venue, Dasharath Stadium, there was also a visible group of students making TikTok videos and clips, joking about whether they should immediately run off with a foreign visa.

To the extent that, when it was announced from the stage that Sujan Lamichhane—who won the gold medal by achieving the highest marks in the Master’s level (MA) subject of International Relations and Diplomacy—had come from Geneva to Nepal just to receive the medal, a video made by some students also drew wide attention.

Nepal at the Threshold of Change After the Gen ZMovement

After the Gen Z movement that took place in Bhadau, Nepal stands at the threshold of change politically, administratively, and socially.

For a long time, society had been distressed by political instability, unemployment, lack of good governance, lack of transparency, sluggish administrative mechanisms, and the delays seen in almost every government office—along with a situation where even for ordinary work, bribes and financial transactions had become necessary.

The combined outcome of these problems had manifested through the movement led by the Gen Z group.

In the packed Dasharath Stadium, where graduating students were present along with their guardians, the faces of the graduates also reflected a feeling that the stability and change the country seeks must be institutionalized.

Hope and trust in the country were clearly visible in them. Along with that, they also had a clear voice that, for national development, changes are needed in traditional thinking, working style, and the style of the state structure.

Voices From Graduates: Staying, Building, and Bridging

Rajkumar Silwal, who has completed an MPhil in Political Science, said that he remains constantly ready to build a beautiful balance between the knowledge he has gained, science, modern innovation, and the economy—but the state must do the work of building a bridge.

Like Silwal, other graduates also expressed a commitment that Nepal’s future must be built by Nepalis themselves, and that they would not hold back from contributing to the country in any way.

These graduates—who belong to the same Gen Z group that led the Bhadau movement, including students who have received “gold medals” across various disciplines and faculties—also believe that the government must play a guardian’s role, the state should recognize youths with creative capacity and treat them with dignity, and citizens’ social security must be ensured.

Saurabh Koirala on Research and Staying in Nepal

Saurabh Koirala, who received the Suman Rijal medal awarded by TU after becoming overall best in MA Sociology, says the state should facilitate students who carry a strong desire to do something within the country.

Koirala, who plans to stay in Nepal and work in research and academic fields, says, “It could be because of youth, but at this time there seems to be a kind of confusion. The state must now do the work of building a bridge in the market. There is no plan to migrate abroad.”

Bhawana Adhikari on Opportunities Within the Country

Bhawana Adhikari, who excelled in BA LLB (gold medal winner), also says that if one works hard, there are plenty of possibilities within the country.

Saying that the thought of going abroad for higher studies never came to her, Adhikari states, “Recently, among the younger generation, a tendency has grown to see far more possibilities only abroad than in the country, but for those who work, there are more opportunities in Nepal than abroad.”

Adhikari is currently working in the Gazetted Third Class (Officer) post in the Judicial Administration Service.

Working as a Law Officer in the Department of Livestock Services, she not only received the LLB gold medal from Tribhuvan University, but also secured second position while entering government service.

She says the younger generation should not only complain about the country, but search for possibilities and make the country itself their workplace.

Degree, Skills, and Today’s Expectations

Certainly, the degree earned by graduating students is an identity of victory achieved through hard work and by confronting failures.

However, there is no basis for students to feel assured that they have already reached the peak of success simply by receiving a degree.

The world of the 21st century has begun to ask not which degree a student has, but whether that degree can do something.

Rabindra Pandit, who was declared overall best (gold medalist) in Master’s level Microbiology from TU, says that in the current era of globalization, for those who work, it makes little difference whether it is abroad or within the country.

However, Pandit says political stability is necessary in the country, and the rules and laws that have been made must be fully followed by all sides.

“Hami sanga sambhavana nabhayeko hoina, tyasko utkhannan garna nasakeko matrai ho. Aba yasaka lagi sarkar ra yuva sangsangai lagnu parchha,” Pandit says.

Higher Education, Interference, and the Need for Youth-Friendly Policies

Unnecessary partisan interference in academic administration has continuously affected the country’s higher education sector. This is also one of the reasons why a large share of Nepali students go abroad for higher studies.

Another point is that, globally, unimaginable changes are taking place in education as in other fields.

In a situation where technological development and migration rates are increasing at levels that could not even be imagined a few years ago, it is natural for Nepali students’ desire for change to grow.

In such a situation, it has become necessary for the state to carry a guardian’s role, make youth-friendly policies and programs in line with the changing environment, and implement them.

If students are to be retained within the country, and if the country is to be freed from the burden of a dependent (inactive) population, understanding their sentiments is essential.

Using Qualifications for Society and Nation-Building

Graduating students must also use the qualification they have received not only as a personal achievement, but as a tool for social responsibility, morality, honesty, and nation-building.

They should not limit their qualification to merely a certificate; they must use it as an instrument to identify and apply their capability.

As the Minister for Education, Science and Technology said at the convocation ceremony, students must always think: “The responsibility of sustaining this country is also on my shoulders.”