Nepali university education has long been in the doldrums. Victims of constant political meddling, the partisan grip on universities is strengthened by the provision of having the prime minister as the chancellor. Except for two universities, all other universities in Nepal have the prime minister as chancellor and the education minister as pro-chancellor. The vice-chancellor, the university’s executive head, is appointed by the prime minister based on the recommendation of a three-member committee led by the education minister. This means that the vice-chancellors often owe their position to the parties in power. For years now, experts and students alike have been advocating for the removal of the prime minister from the position. This will stop the prime minister from directly meddling in the running of universities, effectively turning them into a recruiting ground for political cadres. Also, the head of government, already busy with a plethora of engagements, hardly finds time to work for the improvement of university education. Plus, as the prime minister is often not an academic, they fail to understand and address the issues affecting the academic institutions and students alike.

The incumbent Prime Minister Sushila Karki-led government has invited multiple controversies, including over the appointments of her secretariat members. People are disheartened to see a government formed in the spirit of anti-corruption and good governance perpetuate the same malpractices. But in a decision that is more in keeping with this government’s expected role, it is currently working on a higher education bill, which will have a provision to replace the prime minister with academics as the university chancellor. Minister for Education, Science and Technology Mahabir Pun has time and again expressed the commitment of the non-political interim government to remove the prime minister as the chancellor of universities, making it one of his missions in what is sure to be a rather short term as education minister for him.

Minister Pun has been advocating for improving the quality of education in universities. He has also called for an end to partisan student politics. This has badly cripped the universities. A kind of hooliganism has taken hold of these institutions as teachers who stand up for academic freedom get beaten up, the departments get padlocked as their heads belong to rival parties, and the quality of education on offer continuously suffers. These two goals outlined by Minister Pun, if met, will allow the universities to blossom as centres of academic excellence and help them produce the kind of workforce that the country needs today.

The interim government does not have the time to bring about every necessary reform the country needs, across all sectors. This is why it must choose its interventions wisely. And it has most certainly done so in the case of university education. The country is now in an election mode, with even the parties that were earlier boycotting the vote registering for the March polls. If the elections are successful, the Karki government will rightly get the plaudits. But if it can put Nepal’s centres of higher education on a path of academic excellence, that in itself will be a monumental gift for the country.