Open University deserves merits for a number of reasons. Only a few would suffice to establish its need. For the first thing, Open University does not require abundant physical infrastructures, only some competent human resources would be enough. Office can be set up in a small building or a room. Second, any aspiring graduate, in undergraduate, graduate and post-graduate levels, can enroll without having to attend the classes regularly and pursue his higher studies and work simultaneously. Third, the academic degree from such university is recognized everywhere. Fourth, the idea of Open University was first introduced in the tenth five-year development plan by National Planning Commission (NPC). Fifth, in the whole south Asian region only Nepal and Bhutan do not have such university. And sixth, the provision for Open University had been coded in the report of National Education Commission 1994, the first of its kind after the end of Panchayat rule and introduction of multiparty democratic system. These are enough reasons why there should have been an Open University in place in Nepal a long time ago.
However, the reality is just disappointing to say the least. Though education experts have been making a case for Open University in Nepal, Ministry of Education (MoE) has not even proposed a bill for this. And though University Grants Commission (UGC) had recommended for this three years ago, the prospect of Open University is still far off. Shockingly, MoE has tabled the bills for the new universities for which UGC has not yet given clear recommendations. Proposal of Rajashri Janak University in Janakpur, Birgunj University and Madan Bhandari Industrial University are the examples of this.
Needless to say, the cause of laxity for Open University has been nothing but politics. For politicians tend to favor those universities that can be based in their areas and that can subsequently help them consolidate their political cause. This is particularly true when renowned lawmakers including Bimalendra Nidhi and Ram Saroj Yadav are lobbying for proposed Janakpur University. Other lawmakers are known to have pressured the government for a new university in Birgunj. And that these proposed universities have not received nod by the UGC speaks of how politics can float legal constraints. We are not against the politicians buttonholing for universities in their respective regions and communities. The growth of universities has its direct bearing on educational prosperity of the nation. But it is unbecoming that no politicians have taken initiatives for Open University yet. We expect that the government will take this issue seriously and the country will soon have a mechanism for alternative education in place.
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