Nepal can probably become the educational hub of Asia

Nepal is seeking to become an educational hub attracting international students to the country as per the minister of education, science, and technology, Shishir Khanal. 

Nepal’s Minister of Education, science and technology, Shishir Khanal, said that Nepal can become an educational hub for international students. A meeting held on Sunday, between Higher Institutions and Secondary Schools’ Association Nepal (HISSAN) and the Minister of Education suggests that policies should be made to attract international students to Nepal.

Shishir said, “Let us make Nepal a country where we can bring in the same number of students as we send abroad.” To support this statement he mentioned that, the ideal geographical conditions of Nepal make it a desirable study-abroad location. He also mentions that the quality of education in Nepal should be intensified at primary and basic schools.

He further enlightened the country that their geographical setting can be used in their favor to improve the quality of education. He mentioned that educational quality from the primary to the basic level is a major drawback in the system. To create Nepal, an educational hub, it is necessary to improve the quality of the education system at every level.

According to him, our focus should be on bringing foreign students to Nepal instead of sending Nepalese students abroad.  Though, no data is available on the number of international students currently residing in Nepal. But, the number of Nepalese students in Australia accounts for 9% of international students in Nepal between January and November 2022, making Australia a top destination for Nepalese students.

Bigyan Shrestha, the chairperson of SoftEd Group, mentions that the organization is on the way to promoting Nepal as an educational hub in Asia. The UK TNE partnership can be helpful to attract international students. This partnership has benefitted Nepal by making it the center of some top-ranked UK universities. Students from Asia can visit Nepal for one or two years of the bachelor program.

Shrestha, a secretary of the International Education Providers Association of Nepal, is working to achieve the vision of making Nepal an educational hub.