NPI concludes eight-month policy leadership training

By TRN Online, Kathmandu, May 7: Nepal Policy Institute (NPI) concluded eight-months Nepal Policy Leadership Program (NPLP) 2024, designed for Nepal officials of the Government of Nepal. It was concluded with a formal closing ceremony in Kathmandu. 

According to a press release of NPI, the program was conducted by the Nepal Policy Institute (NPI) in cooperation with the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers (OPMCM) and Kathmandu University.

The ceremony was chaired by NPI President Dr. Khagendra Raj Dhakal, with Prof. Dr. Achyut Wagle, Vice-Chancellor of Kathmandu University, serving as the Chief Guest, and Chudamani Paudel, Secretary at the OPMCM, attending as the Special Guest.

In his remarks, Dr. Dhakal stated that the program had been highly impactful. He explained that it was designed to foster experiential learning based on real-world case studies, providing participants with essential analytical tools and policy frameworks to support critical decision-making processes. 

Former Secretary and NPI Executive Member Gopinath Mainali said that it was a result of effective tripartite collaboration among NPI, Kathmandu University, and the Government of Nepal. The NPLP was conducted in three phases: pre-residency, residency, and post-residency sessions. In the post-residency phase, participants were given the opportunity to apply the skills they had learned in their respective work settings. 

According to Mainali, nine facilitators were involved in the program, including both national and international experts. The lead facilitator, Dr. Gambhir Bhatta, coordinated the modules, while other facilitators included Dr. Khagendra Dhakal, Dr. Gopi Khanal, Gopi Mainali, Sharu Joshi, Dr. Purna Nepali, Dr. Pramod Joshi, and Samjhana Shrestha, among others. International expert Sally Washington conducted a special session on international perspectives on policy leadership and the core competencies required.

Among the NPLP modules, Dr. Dhakal led two sessions focused on critical thinking capabilities for policy making, while Dr. Bhatta led modules on Political Economy Analysis, Problem Tree Analysis, SWOT Strategy Development, and Risk Analysis Frameworks.

Chief Guest Prof. Dr. Achyut Wagle said that that while civil servants often possess academic knowledge for policy formulation, the implementation is frequently hindered due to political leadership lacking the same level of commitment. He described NPLP as a practical and creative intervention to address this gap and affirmed Kathmandu University’s continued partnership with NPI for future policy research and capacity-building programs.

Special Guest Secretary Chudamani Paudel read out a message of best wishes sent by Chief Secretary Eaknarayan Aryal, expressing confidence that the knowledge gained through this program would significantly contribute to Nepal’s policymaking process.

Khom Raj Koirala, Joint Secretary at the National Planning Commission, praised the NPLP for bringing together academia, government, and think tanks into a common forum for policy discourse. He recalled that NPI had also played a key role during the development of Nepal’s 15th Five-Year Plan by mobilizing diaspora experts from around the world.

Sangita Ojha, Executive Director of the Nepal Academy of Tourism and Hotel Management (NATHM), shared how she had applied the knowledge from the training in her institution. She also raised the issue of managing the outflow of students after completing Grade 12 as a policy concern.

The NPLP graduation event was attended by representatives from civil society, think tanks, academia, media, and various ministries of the Government of Nepal, including Sumanraj Aryal, Member Secretary of the National Planning Commission.