Nevertheless, dearth of qualified human resources is still hurting the IT sector. Lord Buddha Education Foundation (LBEF) has been a pioneer in offering professional IT courses at undergraduate and graduate levels in Nepal. [break]
The college has four departments -IT, Management, Biotech and Fashion Designing. Pankaj Jalan, director of LBEF, talks about the college and IT education. Excerpts:
Most IT graduates fail to find jobs matching their expectations. Is it because the programs are of poor quality?
Attraction for IT education is increasing. Unlike other sectors, one needs to update oneself with latest innovations in IT and should have skillful training rather than mere certificates. At LBEF, we offer professional courses that meet the demand of job markets.
There is almost 100 percent job placement in LBEF. Students here start working as part-timer in fist three semesters and by the end of the course, they get full time jobs in reputed companies in Nepal and overseas.
The response to short-term courses on IT security and ethical hacking was quite positive last year at CAN InfoTech. What new are you offering this year?
Counseling is crucial to show students the right path to their career. We want to make sure students have keen interest in the course they are planning to take. They should be able to understand the contents and the career prospects of the program should be good.
With these objectives, we will completely focus on career counseling. We have 5-6 counselors who can be reached by interested students to join under-graduate and post-graduate programs.
What makes LBEF different from other colleges offering similar programs?
We are offering unique courses with updated syllabus. We are the only college to offer MBA in information system in Nepal. Besides, we keep on introducing new courses. This year, we have introduced an under-graduate program in network technology. Besides, our affiliation and on-time course completion matter a lot. We are affiliated with MCRPS University and Skkim Manipal University that gives our degrees a global recognition.
What are the challenges in IT education in Nepal?
There is a tremendous need for a specific government agency to promote and monitor IT sector and IT education. Lack of well-trained human resources is hurting us, forcing us to hire faculty members from India, among others. Proper monitoring can help IT colleges offer courses that meet market demand.
The other challenge is that of the brain drain. The government and the private sector should work to create better opportunities here so that IT experts are retained in the country.
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