Tribhuvan University (TU),
Nepal has commenced teaching, research, and other academic activities from July
14, 1959. Master's Degree in
Chemistry was started only from November 28, 1965.
Within 56 years
since the establishment of TU, the
country’s oldest university, there has been little focus on intensive research
into science and technology.
There are nine Universities in Nepal. All these universities
in the country are keener on handing out affiliations to new private
undergraduate schools rather than empowering themselves. TU has 60 constituent
campuses and more than 800 affiliated colleges throughout the country. The
University has central departments in most disciplines at its Kirtipur campus,
which enrolls 90 M.Sc. students each year in Chemistry, 120 in Physics, 48 in
Microbiology, 48 in Environment sciences and 90 in Mathematics.
After the completion of final exam, only 30% meritorious
students get the opportunity for a Master’s Thesis Research in Chemistry.
Moreover, the department has not been able to expand itself beyond the
traditional physical, inorganic and organic chemistry disciplines, probably due
to the lack of funding and expertise. Recently, TU expanded its M.Sc program in
Chemistry to its regional campuses like Tri-Chandra Campus (90 students),
Birendra Campus, Bharatpur (60 students) and Mahendra Morang Campus, Biratnagar
(60 students) but these programmes too are mostly teaching oriented. The
situation is not very different in other universities either.
What is the
problem?
·
Nepal Government
allocates very less amount of money for the research and maintenance of the
department. The prime minister is also chancellor of Nepal’s university
system. Similarly, the Education Minister holds the office of pro-chancellor.
To hire the top brass of the university, a search committee, recommends names
to the associate-chancellor. Then a vice-chancellor is recruited by the prime
minister upon the recommendation of the pro-chancellor. Unfortunately, over the
past 10 years, the top posts of vice-chancellor, rector, and registrar have
been distributed among the major political parties.
·
Faculties within the
department are hiring lecturers with Master’s degrees but with no or little
research experience. Recently, it was seen
that three masters degree holders were hired representing each from three big
parties. Unlike in developed countries, the hiring process is primitive and
takes years to complete.
·
Extreme politicizing
for a minor event.
·
Lack of energetic
staff members in the Central Department of Chemistry (CDC).
·
Professors in CDC are blamed for working for their
political party of their interest rather
than empowering the department.
Key Note
A sensible way to fix this crisis would
be to create an educational system where the vice-chancellor and other top
policymakers are appointed by a non-political committee composed of experienced
and capable scholars with expertise in a variety of fields. If efforts are made
to hire candidates with vision beyond politics, many of the current problems
facing the Nepali education system will be resolved. Only then will Nepal’s Universities
be fast movers in research and innovation. We should set ambitious goals in
science and technology; some great initiatives have been undertaken but more
need to be done to reform chemical science studies in Nepal.
A dawn of hope:
A handful of
energetic and young chemists are working to develop chemical science in Nepal.
Several conferences and symposiums are conducted yearly. The Nepal Chemical Society and TU organized a
big International Chemical Science Conference, called ‘Chemical Congress’, in
2008 in Kathmandu. The conference brought national and international exposure
to many students, chemists, and professionals in the advancement of chemical
science. Since then, other conferences, such as ‘Polychar International
Conference on Advance Materials and Nanotechnology’ and ‘Kathmandu Symposia on
Advanced Materials’ have been organised every year and are led by a prominent
professor of chemistry at the TU Central Department of Chemistry, Rameshwar
Adhikari. These conferences have been successful in bringing many international
scientists, including Noble laureates, to Nepal from more than 20 countries.
A research lab is
now being established at the Department of Chemistry in the Mahendra Morang
Adarsh Multiple Campus of TU at Biratnagar under the initiation of a very
energetic chemist, Ajaya Bhattarai. Inspite of
several problems he appealed for funds with friends and other chemists
who are studying abroad and brought UV-Visible
spectrophotometer. Hats off to Ajaya Bhattarai for his relentless efforts for
the development of Chemical Science in Nepal!
Source: Kosh Neupane Oak Ridge National
Laboratory in Tennessee, the US (koshalnp@hotmail.com)
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