Corporate Ladder Starts From University

Post-COVID-19, colleges in Nepal realised that education could be continued on a virtual platform as a regular teaching method. With the growth of internet service providers in Nepal, the internet is easily accessible to everyone, allowing institutes to conduct classes with ease. Most business colleges affiliated with foreign universities in Kathmandu Valley have fully adopted virtual learning, even after the pandemic ended. Colleges invite professors to join via video conference, and students have taken advantage of the education system within Nepal.

Despite the quality of foreign education that students are receiving and the level of cross-border integration, students have gradually started losing their interaction skills. The reason colleges are increasingly collaborating with foreign universities is that it has become challenging for them to sustain as students are discouraged from residing and continuing their studies within the country. Due to globalisation, there is an exponential flow of resources, including technology, and the education field is no exception. Students find it easier and sometimes even less expensive to get their education abroad. This has led to brain drain and a significant turnover of students, particularly in colleges.

Real-time practice

To address this issue, colleges initiated virtual learning so that students can obtain their degrees in Nepal. Virtual learning fundamentally refers to a designated information space where educational interactions occur effectively by optimally leveraging technology. Virtual learning takes place in a virtual environment that also facilitates distance learning. Students can benefit substantially by obtaining foreign degrees without leaving their country and family. However, every benefit comes with strings attached, and so does virtual learning. For instance, when recruiting employees in the corporate sector, issues such as a lack of communication, presentation, and practical skills are observed among students who underwent complete virtual learning. 

Although they have secured good grades and have a sound knowledge of the subject’s theoretical aspects, they struggle to translate this into practical skills. This is due to a lack of real-time practice and exposure. Students miss out on participation in the real-life professional sector because of virtual learning.

Most business students opt for jobs that are considered rewarding and stable, for example, banking. However, these organisations require a high-level of professional skills. Not being able to build a strong command over the knowledge of finance, economics, strategy, current affairs and the ability to articulate it effectively has an adverse effect. Virtual learning is not effective when it comes to gaining proficiency in such domain as it predominantly requires in-person involvement, trial and error, and rigorous pragmatic approach. While it provides basic knowledge of the course, mastering the art of applications in real-life scenario requires constant execution that is not possible in a virtual medium. 

Whether in the banking, corporate, or government domain, presentation and communication skills have become crucial these days. Demonstration is an essential criterion for getting hired, and the job selection process typically involves a rigorous selection process with multiple phases. A lack of presentation and interaction skills ultimately phases out candidates. This is because the market is highly competitive, and possessing such skills helps candidates stand out. Academic leaders should focus on bringing a professional flavour to the courses, despite the syllabus being designed in an impractical way. Although exam questions are often straightforward and not critical, academicians should ensure that students build analytical skillsets, as this is what they will need in their professional careers. Anxiety, apprehension, and reluctance during presentations, workshops, and group discussions have increased due to sole dependency on virtual learning.

As students are being prepared for the corporate world, which includes client meetings, symposiums, and conferences, the non-participation ratio of students who completed their education via virtual learning is excessive. Additionally, colleges also refrain from addressing this issue. There have been several allegations concerning non-compliance with policies and a lack of monitoring and evaluation from the authorities. The government should not be lenient in granting licenses to institutions that are solely focused on profit.

Hard skills

Business professionals are expected to solve problems effectively, make correct decisions, rectify errors and anomalies, and address contingent events. Moreover, the business world has started recognising the need for crisis management teams that can resolve potential damages in advance. In such conditions, a set of professionals with substantial experience in their domain is required. This ‘experience’ is only acquired through exposure, practice, and experience. Virtual learning gives students a framework and builds a good command of philosophy and critical thinking but cannot polish the hard skills required in a robust market situation. 

Management skills require robust planning, organising, leading, recruitment, curating, financial literacy, problem-solving ability, decision-making, negotiation, communication, and reporting skills. Facilitating students in a virtual environment alone is insufficient and could produce incompetent graduates. It also diminishes students' confidence, as college is where they learn from mistakes, and virtual learning may not enhance performance effectively. 

The inability to apply knowledge can lead to the generation of incompetent professionals, which could also be detrimental to the business community. This issue may seem trivial and take a long time to resolve, but it should be addressed by the government when providing affiliations and by the educational institutes themselves. The concerned authority should set strict guidelines and protocols, and provisions related to affiliation should be included in the acts. This would build legitimacy and bind educational institutions.

(The author is an Alumni from Harvard Kennedy Executive Education in AI and Policy)