Er. Baburam Upadhyay
Founder Principal/Managing Director
Nepal Polytechnic Institute
Nepal Polytechnic Institute, established 2052 BS with two T-SLC programs-Engineering and Agriculture by a team of 90 people under ultra-modern infrastructure, is the pioneering technical institution in Nepal. The institute has gradually upgraded and extended its program to diverse groups of learners. The institute was affiliated to Purbanchal University in 2066 BS for Bachelor programs in Agriculture/Veterinary, Engineering, and Health & Medical Science and affiliated to CTEVT to undertake Diploma and TSLC level technical and vocational education. It has 300 bedded hospital.
Er. Baburam Upadhyay is the Founder Principal/Managing Director at Nepal Polytechnic Institute (NPI). He is also the Principal at U-TEC. NPI has been producing qualified and skilled full human resources for more than 23 years. So, its contributions in the field of technical and vocational education are found praiseworthy. It has highly qualified and skilled faculty members. There is a system of electing the head of the college every four years who leads the team to escalate the teaching and learning endeavors. This develops the extreme sense of responsibility and duty in a person. This is one of the reasons why Nepal Polytechnic Institute is one of the largest and finest colleges in Nepal. Excerpts:
Could you highlight the distinct features of Nepal Poly Technical Institute?
It is run by the concept of public company which has hundred shareholders. The institute has been running by the experts of various fields. It is a public company and run by a group with business concept. The college is offering a range of programs from TSLC to diploma and bachelor level. It has maintained a good academic environment and is providing all required facilities to students. Practical classes and student exposure have been given a high priority by this college. It has well equipped laboratories, a resourceful library as well as modern buildings with spacious and well-furnished classrooms.
How do you acknowledge your graduates’ performance in the global market?
In fact, technical education is job handy as well as practical-based which creates confidence and skill in each individual learner. It has also created lot of opportunities for students to be entrepreneurs to create many jobs. Our students have shown their outstanding performance in their job landing sector, self-employment sector as well as in higher studies. Many of them are involved in government service, NGOS/INGOs and many corporate houses. Similarly, many of them have become entrepreneurs by establishing the sector of employment by themselves. In fact, all our products are employed and self-employed. There is a high demand of our products in the market since they possess prowess, quality and confidence.
Your institute has been providing technical and vocational education for a long time. What was your major objective of its establishment? To what extent, have you met your objective?
At present, it has become one of the largest technical institutions. The main objective of establishing this institute was to run well-recognized technical and vocational programs and to serve the society by producing qualified and skilled human resources required for nation building. In the incipient days of its inception, there was scarcity of students due to lack of awareness on the importance of technical and vocational education and most students used to study non-technical education, mainly humanities and commerce. Later, the CTEVT provided affiliation to around 100 technical and vocational institutions in 2062/63 BS and such institutions were established in various parts of the country that created awareness on the importance of technical and vocational education among local people. Currently, there are more than 200 institutions run from the private level and the same number of institutions is being operated by the government. Such extension and increase in institutions has pulled the attention of career seekers. Therefore, the number of students is increasing in the course of time.
The government has recently adopted policy of phasing out TSLC programs. What is your view regarding this issue? In your evaluation, how is the demand of TSLC products in the global setting now?
There are more than ten thousand students studying in TSLC programs in two hundred thirty five institutions across the country. Those institutions are producing CMA, ANM and lab assistant technicians. Their contributions to the community level in rural and remote areas are praiseworthy as they are providing invaluable health services to community people. In this regards, eliminating such programs is really appalling for the future of the country and its citizen, especially of rural areas. Instead of increasing the number of such type of junior technical human resources, the government is planning to phase out TSLC programs which will ultimately end up the efforts of organizations to produce basic level human resources. While analyzing the total population and total TSLC products in Nepal, there is the ratio of one health worker is equal to two hundred fifty people. In fact, the ratio should be one health worker should be equal to ten people. Even today there is a large population in Nepal that does not have any ideas to take even paracetamol, which is minor medicine for an immediate relief of fever. So, the government should not phase out TSLC programs without giving its alternatives.
In your opinion, what should government do to solve this growing problem?
The Government has already declared the concept of 70/30 for technical and non-technical education. But, it has done just opposite of the statement of the government. In my view, the government, instead of phasing out TSLC program, it should give affiliation to both government and private-funded institutions and should encourage the private sector to solidify the government’s ambitious concept of 70/30. Private sector provides scholarship to around 3500 students, which is equivalent to more than 13 million Nepalese currency. Moreover, the government should amend the discriminatory and suppressive policy that directly affects the sustainability of private sector, but it should create appropriate environment for growing privately run institutions instead. If the government obstructs the way of receiving education by adopting suppressive policies to private sector, the trend of draining out of a large number of students in search of quality education in foreign lands will be increased in alarming rate. So, the government should give sole authority to 753 local governments as well as private sector to run such institutions unanimously in order to crystallize the concept of 70/30.
What suggestions would you like to give SEE graduates concerning the selection of a right subject in a higher level?
Technical and vocational education is life-enhancing and highly acclaimed across the globe. A qualification of technical and vocational education can give a learner numerous opportunities to be self-dependent and secure future. I therefore suggest that inquisitive SEE graduates should choose a course of technical or vocational education to embrace their promising future.
