KATHMANDU, March 2: As political parties fan out across the country with fresh promises ahead of the March 5 House of Representatives (HoR) election, another scene is unfolding quietly yet powerfully: thousands of young Nepalis are packing their bags.
While leaders campaign for votes, many youths—hailed as the nation’s future—are preparing to leave it behind.
The contrast is striking. On one side, door-to-door election appeals and speeches about prosperity. On the other hand, long queues outside the No Objection Letter (NOC) branch of the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (MoEST), where students wait for paperwork that will allow them to pursue studies abroad.
A flight before the vote
Sushmita Shrestha of Kalimati, Kathmandu, will board a flight to Australia on March 4—just a day before the election. She has secured admission to study nursing at an Australian university and has already arranged tuition fees, accommodation and living expenses for six months.
For her, this decision is less about ambition and more about survival.
“In Australia, you can earn while you study and become self-reliant,” she said. “My sister completed her BBA in Nepal, but never found a job matching her qualifications. She is now married and busy with household responsibilities. Seeing that, I did not feel motivated to stay.”
Sushmita says she has always wanted to work in the medical field. But more than that, she wants stability—something she believes she cannot find at home.
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When asked about leaving on the eve of the election, she did not hesitate.
“Nothing will change by voting. I don’t have even the slightest confidence that our leaders will do anything for us. If I become capable myself, I can celebrate many Holi festivals and other festivals in the future.”
Her words reflect a growing sentiment among young voters: disengagement.
The silent exodus
Every day, planes departing from Tribhuvan International Airport carry students chasing better prospects. Some once marched in the Gen Z protests demanding quality education, employment and good governance. Yet despite those public calls for reform, the outward flow has not slowed.
Birendra Jung Thapa, chief of the NOC branch at MoEST, confirms the surge.
“The country is immersed in election fever, but young students are determined to leave at any cost,” he said.
According to Thapa, students are not leaving to pursue rare or unavailable subjects. They are applying for common disciplines—engineering, medicine, management, hotel management, computer science, arts, nursing and languages—courses already offered in Nepal.
“The main attraction is the opportunity to work while studying,” he explained. “Currently, we are issuing around 1,200 NOCs daily.”
Numbers that tell a story
The statistics paint a stark picture.
In just the first four months of the current fiscal year, 32,258 NOCs have been issued. Between mid-July and mid-November 2025, Japan topped the list with 9,453 approvals, followed by Australia (7,730) and the United Kingdom (4,611).
Last fiscal year 2081/082 BS, MoEST issued 123,589 NOCs—39,847 of them for Japan alone. Officials estimate this year’s figure may exceed that record.
Meanwhile, the pressure on the NOC branch continues to mount.
“On average, we receive around 3,700 online applications daily,” Thapa said. “Managing the system and staff workload has become extremely challenging.”
Voting or leaving?
The irony is hard to ignore. While politicians promise employment, development and reform, young people—many of whom are first-time voters—are exiting without casting a ballot.
“The main objective of the Gen Z movement was to retain youths in the country,” Thapa noted. “But the situation is the opposite. Students say education is delayed here, and even after graduation, jobs are scarce. Rising educational unemployment is pushing them abroad.”
As the nation heads toward the ballot box, a pressing question lingers:
Who will shape Nepal’s future if its youth see their future elsewhere?
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