Review of affiliation of private campuses

By Dr Soorya Lal Amatya

Prior to the establishment of Tribhuvan University in 1959, there were 26 colleges including 5 Government Colleges, 17 Private Colleges, 3 Sanskrit Mahabidyalaya and 1 College of Education. With the implementation of the National Education System Plan (NESP) in 1971 all the private colleges, government colleges and other colleges were brought under the direct management of Tribhuvan University. All these colleges were declared constituent colleges of the university. NESP had virtually imposed a restriction on the opening of new colleges. The mid-term evaluation of NESP and the Royal Commission had concluded that Tribhuvan University with its constituent campuses cannot meet the demand of the fast increasing number of students for higher education. Tribhuvan University initiated granting of permission for the establishment of private campuses in 1980 and 133 private campuses were already set up by the year 1992. These were fairly scattered throughout the country and quite a number of them were even established at the district headquarters and provided opportunities for higher education to the rural people.

According to recent statistics, there are at present 78 constituent campuses and 250 affiliated private campuses in the country under the umbrella of the five universities. Tribhuvan University (TU) accounts for 61 constituent campuses and 178 affiliated private campuses; Mahendra Sanskrit University (MSU) has 12 constituent campuses and 4 affiliated campuses; Kathmandu University (KU) has 2 main constituent campuses and 11 affiliated campuses; Purbanchal University (PBU) has 2 constituent campuses and 37 affiliated private campuses; and Pokhara University (POU) has 2 constituent campuses and 20 affiliated private campuses. Currently, about 63 per cent of the total number of students in higher education are enrolled in the constituent campuses and about 37 percent in affiliated private campuses.

All the five universities have invariably adopted a policy and processes of granting affiliation to private campuses. These universities have the process of sending a team of experts to investigate the feasibility of a campus of higher education and local needs. First, a letter of intent for granting affiliation is usually given on the basis of recommendations made by the team of experts. Second, temporary affiliation is given after the campus has come into operation. Third, permanent affiliation is granted to the campus concerned after its successful operation for a number of years. Except Mahendra Sanskrit University. All the other universities have provisions on collecting affiliation charges from the affiliated private campuses. The other four universities collect affiliation charges as well as affiliation service charges which is approximately ten per cent of the total annual tuition fee paid by students. MSU has a provision of charging a nominal amount of registration fee and no affiliation charges from Sanskrit campuses. Moreover, MSU provides a substantial amount of grants to these Sanskrit campuses. But the regulations for non-Sanskrit campuses relating to the teaching of B Ed in education and natural Ayurvedic studies are different and MSU collects substantial affiliation charges from such non-Sanskrit affiliated campuses.

TU has also imposed affiliation charges on new campuses, but it has not been able to collect the affiliation charges from the old affiliated campuses. In fact, the tuition fees at most of the old TU affiliated campuses are relatively much lower and these campuses are facing difficulties in complying with TU regulations in this context. Most of the TU affiliated campuses are scattered throughout the country and quite a number are located in rural areas.

Some of the campuses have affiliation with two different universities for different academic programmes. For example St Xavier’s in Kathmandu has affiliation with TU for science academic programmes and with KU for the Bachelor’s degree in Social Works and Environmental Science. Quite a number of campuses in the eastern development region have affiliation with TU for the certificate level and with PBU for bachelor level.

It seems there is keen competition among the universities in the country in granting affiliation to new campuses particularly in B Ed (education), medical science, engineering, information technology, computer science and management. But the universities have no well designed/planned concept or strategy for granting such affiliation nor for priority in academic disciplines. In a number of cases the universities have granted affiliation in general, professional and technical disciplines even if they do not have their own competent and highly qualified staff or experts. However, TU stands as an exception in this context.

According to a recent study made in relation to the present situation of affiliated campuses, it is quite clear that supervision and monitoring were not carried out regularly at the affiliated campuses.
The chief campus administrators have invariably responded that compared to the constituent campuses, the affiliated campuses are relatively neglected from the point of view of supervision and monitoring. Regular academic supervision and monitoring of affiliated campuses are needed to maintain the quality of education. There is a common practice of using examination results as one of the main determinants of quality education in the country. However, one of the vice-chancellors is of the view that employment percentage within a year among successful graduates needs to be taken as one of the main determinants of quality in education.

In recent years, the number of affiliated campuses in professional and technical disciplines like engineering, medical science, information technology, environmental science, computer application, and management has been increasing remarkably. With the establishment of more affiliated campuses in these fields there has been keen competition and this has led a to better academic environment. Obviously, these campuses have contributed in meeting the demands of professional and technical manpower in the country. However, there is no mechanism for coordinating among the universities in respect of granting affiliation to campuses of higher education. There is an urgent need for an institution that can coordinate and provide broad guidance to all the universities in such matters. The National Planning Commission is responsible for long term as well as short term planning for different sectors in the country including the social sector. Education is one of the main components of the social sector and the NPC should give due consideration the issues of affiliation of campuses and provide HMG broad based advice in framing policies and launching programmes for the development of higher education in the general, professional and technical disciplines. At present, there seems to be no government agency that can coordinate effectively among the five universities in the country. The University Grants Commission can, to a considerable extent, provide the required broad guidance and coordination in such issues.

Terrorism in other ways

By Sugam Nepal

These days we hear of terrorism and terrorist activities everywhere. Whenever we turn on the television set, tune into the radio on read any newspaper there is one or the other stirring our cursorily. Everyday something is happening, something unexpected is taking place and something amazing is about to happen.

America the most powerful country in this world, has already gone to war against terrorism. The incident that occurred on September 11 was undeniably a heart rending one. And it was quite understandable that America would not stand such activities.

It is certain that not only America or any other powerful country has to suffer from such fanatic acts. Poor and economically backward countries like Nepal too are facing terrorism every single day, every single second.

An example could be the parents of a four year old child who are reluctant to visit the doctor even if the child suffers from chronic illness. For them that doctor is a terrorist if he makes them fritter their lifetime earnings in unnecessary tests just to gratify his insatiability.

Another paradigm could be a young student who refuses to go to school because he/she has to endure rough treatment by his teacher in various ways and it always over burdened by unnecessary home tasks and the fear of physical assault. For that student the teacher is a terrorist. The exorbitant increment in school fees and unwonted money for the supplies for students are a threat for the parents of many children who are constrained to consider the education system as a way to perpetuate terrorism.

A government officer wakes up at the crack of dawn, goes to office with the idea of making this country an improved place to live in, becomes duty-bound to receive bucks under the table and with that makes only his house an improved place. Now what are we supposed to call him-isn’t he a terrorist? He is a terrorist for making a mockery out of democracy.

With this it is quite clear that it is not only a country like America that is the target of terrorists. A most fragile country like Nepal is facing terrorist activities every single day and suffering in its own way. At least America can be confident enough to say that it is an external body that is assailing it. But poor Nepal is being hurt by its own people, its own citizens and of course by its own inhabitants. Hence forth one should be clear that terrorism is not only armed attacks but its essence can be present in the most ordinary events which we tend to overlook. It is quite clear that terrorism has engulfed the whole world and is slowly expanding into a "world wide web".

Addressing employee turnover

By Atma Shrestha

"Organisations are like trains and their employees are simply the passengers who can come and go" remarked a chief executive of one of the Nepalese organisations and understandably, he made this interesting remark in the face of the growing number of his employees deserting his organisation. More interestingly, he had to plead with the concerned government body to stop the exodus of his employees. Going one step further, another executive looking after the HR function, commented that he was not perturbed at all by the employee turnover in his organisation as he could easily get better people from the market (at a better price!) . This is a typical attitude and approach of Nepalese organisations towards the growing employee turnover. It shows how poor Nepalese organisations are in dealing with one of the most critical and pressing issues facing them at the moment.

Everybody comes and goes, no doubt. Nothing is permanent except change itself. The first executive mentioned above has rightly understood this natural truth and might have applied it to his organisational context too! I am not sure however whether he has been taking stock of who are getting off the train and who are getting on. In an organisational organisational context, if we take a close look, we normally find that only those ambition-driven people having readily salable skills and knowledge can make job changes. Deadwood and mediocre people cannot. It does not however mean that all those remaining behind are deadwood and second-grade. My only contention here is that it is indeed too costly for a Chief Executive not to think of employee retention. When he is so obsessively conscious of customer retention, why is he so blind to the issue of employee retention? Only discerning people can understand this subtle difference, however!

The logic given by the second executive mentioned above is even more valid in its own right. Nobody can deny the fact that labour supply in Nepal far exceeds demand. In such a favourable situation, it seems foolish on our part to worry about employee turnover! Even if all your employees leave en mass today, you can replace them the next day without facing any hassles! He seems to be very thorough indeed in his understanding of the economic principal of demand and supply which says if you enjoy high demand for your product, you should not hesitate to fleece your consumers by charging high prices. After all consumers do not have any choice other than to buy your product. But, I am a little skeptical as to whether the economic principal of demand and supply fits in neatly with the demand and supply of employees. For me, demand and supply of labour is not an important issue for organisations which carefully recruit people and develop them consciously so as to ensure organisational growth. Any organisational policy to drive away qualified and competent employees, retaining only coteries and cronies on the pretext of a labour glut does not appear to be a befitting one for organisations in the twenty first century!

In the eyes of people-conscious organisations, loosing qualified, competent and industrious employees is like loosing a prime client in business. As I mentioned earlier, while classic CEOs like the one mentioned above are so concerned and conscious about keeping their customers happy by offering them anything no matter whether it is ethical or not, they exhibit a total indifference to this important organisational issue of employee turnover. What is more important for an organisation? People or profit? When asked what was his key motto, Philip Laskawy, former chairman of Ernst & Young, readily replied: people, people and people. However, this is not the case in our context. I know, every business organisation is profit-hungry. Therefore profit comes first for most of Nepalese business organisations. They however, have not understood the basics of business. For sure profit can be earned only through competent, creative and quality people. Sadly speaking, these are outcast and neglected people in most of Nepalese organisations. Whenever they leave their organisations, Nepalese CEOs and so-called HR professionals take an indifferent view, terming them outgoing passengers. What’s a big malady?

As I said above, this is the twenty first century, not the eighteenth, when employees were treated as commodities and machines. People entering the labour force now are highly educated, informed and knowledgable. Most of them are cosmopolitan. These are highly ambitious knowledge-rich people who are real sources of wealth and prosperity for any business organisation and for the country at large. They have completely different mind-sets and expectations from those guarding the present-day Nepalese organisations. Whenever this new breed of youngers makes an entry into an organisation, they are caught in the hierarchies and layers built up in the name of running the organisation effectively. This simply frustrates and prevents people from working creatively, freely and willingly. I am sure the very reason for frequent exit of employees from their organisations is this very close-ended organisational system that has already become dysfunctional in the present world that demands high agility, quick response and quick action in every respect. This is not possible however in this old organisational system.

Employees are not like the passengers of trains, the way of the CEOs described them. They can be retained for long if we have a truly people-centred organisational system that provides them a stimulating and challenging working environment. Again, merely on the pretext of a glut in the present Nepalese labour market, one should not be misguided or underestimate the problem of growing employee turnover facing Nepalese organisations. Number-wise, there is certainly surplus labour at the moment; quality-wise, this is not the case. The Nepalese labour market still lacks the much needed competent and skilled manpower which may be evident from the increasing number of expats imported for running Nepalese organisations. At a time when knowledge is becoming a critical asset
for any kind of organisations, every organisation should make a conscious effort to manage effectively their source of knowledge - human resource. One has to always understand that those having better knowledge, skills and competencies are ambitious persons and therefore tend to be on the lookout for better alternatives. These people are like our VIP customers whom we cannot afford to loose. Every organisation therefore needs to have in place an effective employee retention policy so as to retain the key employees of the organisation.