Tribhuvan University (TU) has introduced the concept of the Gandaki Chapter to systematize the delivery of higher education services. As part of TU's overall restructuring campaign, the Gandaki Chapter workshop was jointly inaugurated in Pokhara on Saturday by TU Vice-Chancellor Prof. Dr. Professor Dr. Deepak Aryal and University Grants Commission (UGC) Chairman Prof. Dr. Devraj Adhikari.
In line with TU's strategic plan and vision passed by the TU Senate, the workshop was organized with the objective of conducting extensive interaction on the concept of transforming Prithvi Narayan (PN) Campus, a constituent campus of TU located in Gandaki Province, into a degree-awarding institution. The workshop also decided to prepare and implement a necessary action plan for Prithvi Narayan Campus. Addressing the workshop, Prof. Dr. Aryal stated that the plan aims to simplify TU’s service delivery, provide all services and facilities that students should receive from a nearby location, create conditions where all students can attend convocation ceremonies, and systematize service delivery by delegating authority for curriculum standardization and examination-related tasks and amending regulations within the scope of the existing Act.
In the program, UGC Chairman Prof. Dr. Devraj Adhikari expressed happiness that TU had brought forward the concept of the Gandaki Chapter to systematize higher education service delivery and urged officials to have the courage for change and transformation.
"We cannot always remain in the state of the past; let the professors who change society be fearless and confident. I request everyone not to hold back from improving service delivery by getting entangled in issues of positions, examinations, and technical infrastructure," he said.
TU Rector Prof. Dr. Khadga KC stated that the Gandaki Chapter seeks to give meaning to a dream from ten years ago. He informed that the Gandaki Chapter would provide a sense of academic autonomy, organize administrative and educational service delivery to create an environment for students to acquire quality higher education, and manage Prithvi Narayan Campus based on the provisions of the Act to involve all teachers in research activities, including curriculum construction.
TU Registrar Prof. Dr. Kedar Prasad Rijal expressed expectation that the Gandaki Chapter would perform exemplary work for quality education, stating that despite physical, political, and legal complexities, the work was initiated through Prithvi Narayan Campus to show that the constituent campuses of Gandaki Province are capable and can lead.
UGC Member Secretary Dr. Gyan Bahadur Thapa expressed the view that some visionary decisions must be taken for the management of TU. He requested everyone to move forward considering today as a historic day, as more chapters should be created across the country to make it more organized, effective, and compatible with the global context. He also expressed the view that since TU is rich in physical and human resources, its bodies should be organized according to the principles of federalism without compromising on the quality and management of overall higher education.
Former Vice-Chancellor of TU, Prof. Dr. Keshar Jung Baral, stated that through the commencement of the Gandaki Chapter at Prithvi Narayan Campus, many students would receive services and facilities and the entire Gandaki Province would benefit. He also apprised the officials about the challenges that could arise through stakeholders—teachers, staff, and students—who are divided by professional and party loyalties during implementation.
Secretary of the Ministry of Education, Science, and Technology, Chudamani Paudel, requested to make the educational administration simple, effective, and organized through the delegation of authority to systematize service delivery. Prof. Dr. Lalu Prasad Paudel, Coordinator of the Gandaki Chapter Task Force, stated in the workshop that the sustainable goal is to link Nepal's higher education with the federal structure and make it high-quality, accessible, and market-oriented.
He mentioned that it would be a significant start to localizing higher education, developing curricula according to market needs, making study and research effective, simplifying the examination system, making the process-oriented and tedious educational administration effective, building physical infrastructure suitable for higher education, solving obstacles seen in human resource management, reducing discrimination in training and capacity building, and practically decentralizing the entire process of higher education.
Campus Chief of Prithvi Narayan Campus, Hari Prasad Pathak, presented a working paper covering the physical and human resource status of Prithvi Narayan Campus, financial resource management, and other subjects related to the creation of the Gandaki Chapter. He stated that the Gandaki Chapter would be justified as Prithvi Narayan Campus has the highest number of students in Gandaki Province and there are many students in the constituent and affiliated campuses around Pokhara.
The program was attended by the Dean of the Faculty of Management Prof. Dr. Mahananda Chalise, TU Executive Council Member Dr. Jagat Krishna Shrestha, Director of the TU Planning Directorate Dr. Laxmi Kant Sharma, Chief of the TU Senate and Executive Council Office Nabindra Prasad Bhandari, Chief of the Rector's Office Govinda Thapa, Chief of the Registrar's Office Kamal Prasad Ghimire, along with the campus chiefs of all seven constituent campuses of TU in Gandaki Province, and professors, staff, and students working at Prithvi Narayan Campus.
