Universal Engineering and Science College, affiliated to Pokhara University, is an independent, coeducational, privately endowed engineering and science college under KMC educational network. The college offers courses of BE Civil and BE Computer.
Er. Besh Raj Thapa is the Principal at Universal Engineering and Science College. The college is thriving to achieve further successes by upgrading its academic quality as well as physical infrastructures. Excerpts:
Universal Engineering and Science College offers engineering education of Pokhara University which is offered by the contemporary institutions of your college. What are your inferences that convince students to pursue engineering qualification in your institution?
Universal Engineering and Science College is a top-level private college affiliated to Pokhara University. It has glorious history of more than two decades for its academic excellence. The college has been promoting engineering education and advancing the careers of students for several years. There are more than 14 educational institutions under the umbrella of KMC Network, and this college has been acclaimed as an engineering college under the KMC Network. ‘We have the provision of internship and job placement’, says Er. Thapa. We have adopted international standards and modern method of pedagogy to deliver the content linking them with professional practice. We focus on research and practical orientation as well as we impart quality education through professional faculty teachers, experts, and guest lecturers. We have managed to establish a resourceful library and well-equipped lab. Amid such amenities, we have maintained a congenial academic environment and have provided physical facilities to enhance quality education. Similarly, the college is situated at a prime location. Since we have gained phenomenal benchmarks in terms of faculty, equipment, pedagogy and infrastructure, the career hopefuls can earn a fame and fortune upon their graduation.
You claim that your college improvises a hundred percent job guarantee to its graduates. How are the prospects of these programs in job landing sectors across the globe? Are your college graduates employable in the market easily?
There are several institutions under our network. Similarly, we have signed an MoU with extensive research centers, consultancy institutions, construction industry, NGOs and INGOs. The provision of internship has made our graduates be more confident and empirical in their job landing sectors. Our college graduates have demonstrated phenomenal performances in both job landing sectors and entrepreneurship. Some of them have held leading positions in various private and governmental organizations within and outside the country. In the same line, many of them have achieved a huge success in entrepreneurship sphere. Apart from these success stories, we have established a linkage with various sectors of job landing area if our college graduates are unemployed and wish to go to any swathes of our nation to grab employment privileges.
Could you tell us about the merits of engineering programs of Pokhara University?
Pokhara University offers internationally standardized curricula that are timely revised and updated as per the demand of the global market incorporating existing national and global necessities and requirements. It is the pioneer in introducing semester-based system and has international evaluation system. Similarly, the University has focused on research and practical orientation of teaching desperate engineers. Since I am part of the subject committee, we prepare a six-moth internship course.
Since you have had a long experience of engineering sphere in Nepal, what should be done to bring about further improvements in the engineering education?
It is essential to establish an education linkage with industry and society. In fact, engineering is a technical subject, but its practical field is society itself. Since it consists of an additional course content of social sciences, it is important to include at least two credit hours in the engineering course content. So, it is pivotal to link engineering education with society to witness appealing results.
It is alleged that there is a high dropout rate in engineering education as most students are likely to quit halfway throughout their course span. In your perspectives, what are the possible gateways to overcome this quandary?
Engineering education is based on practical endeavors. So, in my opinion, the evaluation system should be adopted focusing on practical activities. Similarly, the students should develop self-study habit and devotion to their study. They should generate strong commitment to be engineers without quitting in the middle of their study tenure. Similarly, the college should also be responsible for providing proper environment to study engineering effectively. The most important thing the students should consider is that they should prepare for their study themselves and be determined to embrace engineering education as a field of their interest. Not only this, they should decide to carry on engineering education with their mature mind but not with pressure of their relatives or peers.
The crises and intimidation of the Covid-19 pandemic obliged us to comply with online classes during its first wave, followed by the reinstatement of physical classes. We are now threatened again to revive our online classes, and it is not sure when such threats will be completely swept away. What are your plans to move ahead combating any unprecedented pandemic and epidemic threats and crises in the future?
The pandemic is spreading in a cyclic form which may appear repeatedly in the future too. In my view, it is not possible to conduct practical classes virtually, especially the engineering ones. So, lab and field work are effective only when it is conducted in the physical presence of the learners. However, theory subjects are even effective through virtual ways with the maximum use of power point presentation. Hence, we are fully prepared to conduct practical classes in normal situations and the theory classes during the pandemic. In this regard, both physical and virtual classes should be conducted as per circumstances, and priorities should be given to those courses that can be disseminated effectively, viz. physical or virtual medium. In the case of engineering education, it’s not effective until we involve students in learning activities physically.
What message would you like to convey to the Grade 12 graduates as Principal of Universal Engineering and Science College?
First and foremost, I would like to extend my heartiest congratulations to the ten-plus-two graduates on their grand success and convey my best wishes to them for their further study. Second, I suggest they choose the field of study for their higher education by assessing their own abilities and aptitude and make a wise decision themselves rather than being influenced by their peers, teachers or relatives.
Universal Engineering and Science College has undoubtedly maintained the academic excellence and an amicable environment. In order to ensure a highly technical environment and to cultivate basic technical skills in students, the college facilitates excellent training to them equipping them with life-enhancing skills. We nurture them in such a way that they never feel stranded or abandoned in the college premises.
So, if you have strong determination to be an engineer, you are warmly welcomed to our college. As Principal of Universal Engineering and Science College, I am fully committed to bringing holistic change in your life and helping you crystallize your dream of becoming an engineer.
