National 3 (Spotlight Weekly)

Educational Exchange

Chinese institutions of higher education are emerging as an attraction for Nepalese

By A CORRESPONDENT

At a time when educational institutions in Nepal are turning into fierce battlegrounds, many parents are searching for places abroad. With general strikes and other disturbances having discouraged Nepalese parents from sending their children in Bangladesh and India, Chinese is emerging as a lucrative destination.

Arniko Society and the Chinese Embassy in Kathmandu jointly organized a two-day education exposition in Kathmandu aimed at encouraging Nepalese to study at various Chinese universities in the areas of medicine, engineering and other important sectors.

Chinese education fair : Northern lessons

Although China started offering scholarships to Nepalese students after diplomatic relations were established between the two countries in 1955, they were limited to a few students. With the opening up of China in the late 1970s and the liberalization of its education sector, many more Nepalese have received the opportunity to get higher education in China.

According to education experts, higher education provided by Chinese universities in the areas of engineering and medicines are of a high quality. "Nepalese students are benefited by the higher education opportunity available in different universities of mainland China," said Assistant Minister for Education Rabindra Khanal. "We have to take advantage of the situation."

In recent years, many Nepalese students have been studying in various Chinese universities outside the government-to-government arrangement. With the restoration of multiparty democracy in Nepal in 1990, restrictions on visiting China were waived. During the Panchayat days, a special permission had to be granted on the passport to visit China and other communist countries.

Although precise figures are not available, it is estimated that more than 200 Nepalese students are now studying in various universities in China in such vital areas as medicine, engineering and languages.

At the exposition, participated by more than 29 universities of mainland China, Nepalese students and parents got an opportunity to understand the Chinese education system, calendar and costs.

"The exposition will help Nepalese parents and students, who are hoping to go abroad for higher education, to understand the Chinese education system," said Chinese Ambassador to Nepal Wu Congyong. "China has many universities which offer high quality education."

Fed up with regular strikes and deepening uncertainty in education institutions in Nepal and India,† Chinese universities, which are free of such disturbances, offer better and affordable options for parents.

Despite many restrictions imposed on students coming from abroad in medical and engineering sector, the Nepalese quest to go foreign countries to acquire education persists. "After he completed SLC, I sent my son to India for higher education. But in India, too, strikes and violence are frequent in the universities. I now find China a good opportunity for higher education," said one parent.

"Our aim is to show the range of education facilities available in China and to highlight which parts of China are more favorable for Nepalese students. We offer all kinds of teaching-learning facilities other foreign universities do," said an organizer.

Nepal and China have a long history of exchange of scholars and students and the exhibition has paved the way for strengthening those bonds. Like other parts of the world, Chinese universities and education institutions are offering quality education to students from various countries. As China is emerging as a major power in the coming century, students who acquire higher education there would† prove to be an asset to Nepal in many ways.