10% Scholarships Mandatory at All Universities and Campuses, Admissions May Be Cancelled
All universities operating across the country and their constituent and affiliated campuses must transparently distribute a scholarship quota equivalent to 10 percent of their total student enrolment.
Although this provision was already included in university-related laws, students had frequently complained that the scholarship distribution system was not transparent. Under an initiative of the Ministry of Education and Sports, the scholarships will now be distributed solely based on need by conducting entrance examinations following the model used at the school level.
Actions and Directives by Universities
Following instructions from the Ministry of Education and Sports, universities, including Tribhuvan University, have recently published notices and initiated procedures to provide scholarships to at least 10 percent of students.
TU has written to all its constituent and affiliated campuses, directing them to implement the scholarship program and publish the relevant information on their respective websites.
According to TU’s Directorate of Student Welfare and Sports, the TU Executive Council had decided on the distribution of full scholarships on 11 Falgun 2071.
In addition to TU, Purbanchal University, Rajarshi Janak University, Agriculture and Forestry University, Pokhara University, and Far Western University, among others, have issued separate notices and written to their constituent campuses to ensure the provision of scholarships.
Rules and Warning of Action
Under university rules, 10 percent of the total approved seats must be reserved for scholarships for meritorious, economically disadvantaged, and targeted-group students.
Prof. Dr. Balram Jha, Registrar of Rajarshi Janak University, warned that student admissions would be cancelled if all seats were filled without reserving scholarship seats as required by university rules.
Minister’s Statement and Previous Practice
Education and Sports Minister Sasmit Pokharel, who also serves as the co-chancellor of various universities, including TU, said that providing scholarships to at least 10 percent of students at universities and their campuses was another important step toward ensuring access to education, equal opportunity, and social justice.
According to Minister Pokharel, the scholarship system is being institutionalised at the university level based on the experience of its effective implementation in the school system of Kathmandu Metropolitan City.
Earlier, on 30 Chaitra 2082, the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology requested all local levels to coordinate and facilitate necessary legal action against schools that failed to provide scholarships as required by the rules.
Scholarship in Nepal