"Nepal can absolutely turn into a hub of teaching and learning"

Prof. Dr. Ram Kanth Makaju Shrestha, Vice-Chancellor of the Kathmandu University (KU), shared his knowledge and experiences with APD just before his first official visit to China in the first week of April. Excerpts:

You have been working as the Vice-Chancellor (VC) of KU for more than a year now. How do you value this job?

When I returned from Europe as a medical doctor, I was given a lot of responsibilities and trust. Today, as the Vice-Chancellor of KU, I am receiving the same level of trust from my team, the community, the government as well as several international institutions. I am working with people, who believe that quality is the only essence, which will guarantee the sustainability of KU. Trust and quality are the elements bonding, energizing and recharging our entire system. This is a very honorable challenge for me, and I happily accept it.

What is your understanding of KU’s motto “Quality Education for Leadership”?

I believe in the creation of knowledge. If it is properly institutionalized, it can be delivered to the youth in the quality didactic form. This way our students can reach out to the community and help the needy. This is the strength of our institution. As a team leader, I envisage to expand it without affecting the quality of education of our institution.

You once said there is no corruption in your institution. But corruption is rife in Nepal. What is your opinion on this?

KU is built on three pillars. The first one is dedication. Our team believes that quality counts. In our university, students feel they are in the best hands. My entire team believes that quality can be achieved even in Nepal, especially in the fields of education. The second pillar is our mission, which is very easy to understand. This message is straightforward. The third pillar is transparency. No matter how strong or weak we are, no matter how much we have or what we lack, we can openly discuss about it. This has been our organizational culture from day one.

Many people, including a former education minister, have said Nepal can be an education hub in South Asia.

This is absolutely correct, not only because Nepal is a beautiful country in terms of climate, landscape and natural resources, but also because people here are very honest, hard-working, dedicated and efficient. Furthermore, we enjoy cordial relationships with both our neighbors, China and India. For instance, there are many foreign students at KU even though our institution is only 23 years old.

What are the weaknesses in Nepal’s education field?

In terms of weakness, Nepal is still a young country and needs more skilled manpower in the sphere of higher education. Infrastructure development is also an issue, but I believe that if we can make the best use of the trust shown towards us by China and India, Nepal can yield favorable outcomes. No matter how big the constraint is, we can overcome it by joining hands. This way, Nepal can turn into a hub for teaching and learning.

How does politics affect the education sector of Nepal?

How political parties are implementing norms and standards is the dilemma here in Nepal. Personally, as a leader of an academic institution, I believe that politics should empower students and upgrade the faculty. Academic institutions and students should not be mobilized for politically-motivated activities like strikes, closures and pen-down programs. This is my recommendation to the government. Despite the strikes, education cannot be stopped. There are ways for the faculties to reach students despite such political hurdles.

The unemployment rate here is above 40% and every day around 1500 young people leave Nepal in search of greener pastures abroad. How to address the brain drain?

Today’s youth lacks the patience to wait for opportunities in their own homeland. So, they leave their country. We, to the best of our capacity, should spread knowledge in such a way that it can be implemented in every aspect of social life. This should be the new trend when designing our country’s education system. I want to see young people implementing their knowledge and skills in Nepal rather than abroad.

Would you like to shed light on your plans to further KU’s relationship with China?

I believe a lot more can be done to foster ties between Nepal and China. My impending visit to China is part of efforts to strengthen our relationship. In terms of concrete plans, we started the Confucius Institute seven years ago. The Confucius Institute is not only about teaching and learning a language; it is also a medium to understand how China is managing its society, environment, economic growth, tourism, and the power of the youth and of natural resources. I am looking forward to sharing the success stories and some other serious concerns with our counterparts in China.

(This interview was published by the 9th edition of APD newspaper in 2014)