Connecting Universities With Industries

Most Nepali people are probably aware that the position of Tribhuvan University Vice-Chancellor has remained vacant for a couple of months (not to misunderstand the fact that a provisional arrangement of an Acting Vice Chancellor has been made for a maximum of three months). Nepali scholars and stakeholders are engaged in making discourse about how a university apex executive has to be selected and what type of person should hold that position. Various means of communication including social media are replete with these or those ideas or arguments that are neither exhaustive nor conclusive. This is but natural.

Currently, two consecutive notices have come out on behalf of the Vice Chancellor Recommendation Committee nominated by the Chancellor. The previous notice mentioned several provisions one of which was much criticised by the public. That was about the experience of a university scholar who had worked as an executive official for at least three years at the university (the same or any other was confusing). Only a few people supported this idea arguing that a person who previously had worked as Rector, Registrar, Dean, Director, Campus Chief, and Department Head would be more efficient in performance of the apex position. 

Groundless criticism 

While the first attack is ad hominem criticism targeted at the person but not the concept, the second argument is not completely baseless because seeking an experienced person for a high-level position is the usual trend all over the world although the arguers did not furnish the international instances to substantiate their arguments. Many critics, however, argued that the provision was motive-guided and meant that the Chancellor wanted to appoint a prefixed person (not to mention the name of that intended person the critics mentioned in social media). The justification of critics was that the previously appointed university officials were appointed based on political power sharing. Those critics seemed to be unaware that the high-level officials were not the people picked up from the illiterate community, executive officials of a political party, or the elected political positions of the state mechanism. 

This is true that many officials were staunch supporters of the parties they liked but to put all university officials in the same basket is unjustifiable. Nothing can be more demeaning than this criticism of independent scholars who had been appointed to high positions at some point in history (by mistake!). Affected by the bitter criticism of such critics (it may be presumptuous to think otherwise), the Chancellor of Tribhuvan University issued an order to rectify the notice that contained the controversial provision and issue another notice. The next notice duly came out removing the controversial provision that temporarily calmed the agitating situation. But that may not last long. 

Many are still saying that this notice is simply for a public show with a different intention inside. They are anticipating that the Vice Chancellor will not be appointed based on the selection process administered by the recommending committee. It will be like prophesising that anybody appointed for the position will be an underqualified puppet of the Chancellor, who would serve the interests of the employer rather than the university's academic affairs. Does this prophesy not lead us to conclude that the Chancellor himself is a person who would work in the best interest of his own through the appointment of the University Vice Chancellor? Why not alter the appointment model then? 

First and foremost, we should be engaged in the discourse of what type of education is essential for national development, how the state-funded university should work to achieve that goal, and what type of person can perform well in that direction. Many commissions have been formed in the past and they have suggested good corrective measures to improve the educational quality. But they have gone awry. This is the time to really retrospect the previous situation and pave the path forward. And this is possible if we are serious and sincere. There are at least two things that we urgently need to improve what is often called a worsening situation. One is the internationalisation of university education and another is the connection of universities with industries. Keeping aside the first issue for future writing, I now put some words on the second issue in this write-up. 

Anybody engaged in the educational field who has visited developed countries worldwide must have spared a moment to see how reputed universities are doing. Most of the universities are funded by the government as they serve the interests of the state. Those universities are usually multipurpose universities that focus on knowledge and scholarship necessary for the overall advancement of civilisation and culture of the entire society. Some of them are established by the community where politicians and social workers are involved so those universities may not meet the quality standards. Still others are privately funded so they are affected in some way by their founders. 

Contribution for growth 

The founders of privately funded universities are mostly capitalists who run industries or business houses for profit. Such universities are usually technological universities that focus on innovation, invention, and discovery. Such universities focus on business and management. They establish incubation centres to produce the human power necessary for running industries and business houses. Despite their focus on serving the interests of the industrialists and businesspersons, they nevertheless contribute to the gross national product by producing experts for the economic growth of the country.  

Nepal as a developing nation has yet to establish more industries to provide job opportunities to the youths who are fleeing to foreign countries mostly in search of jobs for their livelihood. One of the reasons why Nepali youths opt for Australian, European, and American universities is that they can be engaged in jobs within industries while continuing their studies. We need to learn from them and run many more industries that can be connected with universities in various ways. In this context, the Tribhuvan University Vice Chancellor recommendation committee has to select a scholar for the position who can initiate the action of connecting this university with industries at home and abroad. 

(The author is the chairman of Molung Foundation. bhupadhamala@gmail.com)