Ajay B. Mathema
Principal
SchEMS College
School of Environmental Science and Management (SchEMS) is the pioneering academic institution in Environmental Management education in Nepal. Established in 1999 AD, SchEMS is the first affiliated institution of Pokhara University to offer the environmental science program. It has been running B.Sc. Environmental Management, M.Sc. Environmental Management BBA and BCA.
Ajay B. Mathema is the Principal at SchEMS College. Prof. Dr. Ram Bahadur Khadka was the founder principal and Prof. Dr. Santa Bahadur Gurung was the chairperson. The contributions of these two personalities to the establishment and upliftment of the college are worthy of high veneration. Mr. Mathema gives priority to student-centered teaching method and encourages students for presentation. He shares his view with College Readers. Excerpts:
You have a long experience in environmental science. How is its present status?
Environmental concern is a burning issue worldwide. Environmental protection act and regulation were passed in 1995 AD. Currently, environmental issue is under the ministry of forest and environment. At the inception of drafting environmental protection law, all the issues relating to environment couldn’t be addressed. Currently, Nepal government has been preparing to pass the environment act by covering burning issues of the present days. In the context of environmental education, Scheme College has been producing its graduates since 2001 AD. The college has been producing around 40 to 50 graduates every year. In this calculation, the college has produced 700 to 800 graduates in environmental sector so far.
In your opinion, what should government do for interlinking the issue of environment with education sector?
In the context of Nepal, environmental education has not become the subject of priority in policy making level of the Government. The Government has not consulted any universities while drafting the act, rules and regulations relating to environmental issue. Environmental sector should be maintained by the ministry and its issues should be addressed after consulting the stake holder organizations. In my opinion, the Ministry for Environment should not be merged into the Ministry for Forest. For prioritizing the issues relating to environment, a separate ministry should be established.
How is the performance of your graduates in the global market? What strategy have you developed for job placement privileges to them?
The college has been producing graduates relating to environment sectors since 2001 AD. So, it has produced around 700 to 800 graduates. Similarly, the college has been producing graduates relating to management and IT sectors. All our graduates have shown their phenomenal performance in both job landing sector and higher studies. Some of our products are professors at this college. Some of them have been employed by governmental and non-governmental sectors. Our graduates in environment sector have been working in various projects led by international organizations. Similarly, our BBA graduates are involved in various leading financial institutions and banks in the country. Moreover, the college has extended coordination with many national and international organizations. All our graduates are both entrepreneurs and employees of various organizations worldwide.
Could you tell us about scholarship scheme of your college?
The college provides 10% scholarship, which is the rule of Pokhara University. Besides this, the college has been providing Prof. Dr. Ram Bahadur Khadka memorial scholarship to deserving and needy candidates.
The D+ issue has become the burning issue at present, especially among PU concerned students, parents and stakeholders. What is you view regarding this anomaly?
Myriads students have become victims of this policy. It brought into practice abruptly by the University without any preparation. If the University had given prior information about it, students would have prepared better. Due to this policy of the University, the number of students leaving the country in pursuit of foreign universities/ colleges has increased dramatically.
What suggestions would you like to give to the University for its better performance?
Pokhara University is one of the well-trusted and well-established universities in Nepal. It has earned fame and fortune by means of updated curricula and market-demanded programs. However, the university has not become fully mature in policy making for many issues, including the issue of D+ grade. So, I suggest that the University should consult its stakeholders before implementing the policies.
What suggestions would you like to give to ten-plus-two graduates?
First of all, I suggest that students should not go to foreign lands for bachelor level education. Scheme College has been imparting globally acclaimed education in Nepal in bachelor level. So, I suggest those hopefuls should visit Scheme College to get detailed information about the programs we offer.
