Kathmandu, Dec. 19:The 49th convocation ceremony of Tribhuvan University (TU) was held in the presence of President Ramchandra Paudel at Dasharath Stadium in Kathmandu on Monday. 

On the occasion, TU received an award and certificate from the Official World Record Association and necessitated a place in the ‘Guinness Book of World Records for the participation of 26,000 people, which TU claimed, was the largest number of people to attend a convocation ceremony in the world.

Out of the 74,749 students who were included in the 61st grace list of the University, this time 12,415 applied for participation in the convocation ceremony. Among those who applied, 8,098 students were initiated for the Bachelor’s level, 4,104 for the Master’s level, 44 for the MPhil and 112 for the PhD. 

Acting Vice-Chancellor of the University Prof. Dr. Shivlal Bhusal informed that the students who have passed from June 1, 2022, to the end of June 2023 were allowed to participate in the convocation ceremony.

Last year, 10,300 students participated in the convocation ceremony. He expressed the commitment of the university to adopt entrepreneurship along with education in the situation where there is a challenge to sustain the Graduated students with employment in the country. 

Both President Paudel and Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal 

‘Prachanda’ addressed the convocation ceremony. 

President Paudel said that educated youth have an important role in building a capable prosperous nation. 

He said that the future and fate of the nation depend on those who graduated from Tribhuvan University, and everyone should work accordingly. 

Stating that the state has been making big investments in the education sector, the President said, “State investment is also people’s investment, so you have some duties and responsibilities towards the nation, and I am hopeful that you will not deviate from these duties and responsibilities. The knowledge and skills you have acquired will be useful for the nation. You, who have been initiated today, will have an important role in the nation-building tasks.” 

Likewise, Prime Minister ‘Prachanda’ announced that the practice of political appointments in universities would be ended by adopting a merit-based approach. 

Prime Minister Prachanda, who is also the Chancellor of the University, said, “Today’s convocation ceremony has not only made history within Nepal but has also set a record in the entire global series of convocation ceremonies.”

“I hereby pledge my commitment to appoint the Vice-Chancellor and other officials based solely on merit, aiming to eradicate political shares commencing from Tribhuvan University,” he added. 

The Prime Minister additionally invited Nepali experts residing both in the country and abroad, encouraging their participation in the open competition for these positions.

“I urge political parties to step forward for appointments at Tribhuvan University based solely on merit rather than sharing the posts among them.”

He further said that individuals actively involved in the academic field should assume roles corresponding to their academic expertise and qualifications.

The Prime Minister said, “The pressure of the globalised world is significant and appears to be presently beyond our immediate control.”

“However, what led to our failure to generate competitive human resources for the global market? Why is the strong public trust and confidence previously earned by universities weakening? 

Why aren’t active academics playing a significant role as educators within universities? Who should be held accountable for the lack of adherence to the academic calendar in universities and occasional disruptions in teaching?” said the Prime Minister. 

“On the one hand, we are advocating for autonomous academic institutions free from political influence, on the other hand, we engage in pursuing political quotas and hatching conspiracies ourselves,” he added. 

Acknowledging the contribution of the university to Nepal’s educational landscape, the Prime Minister commended its significant role in shaping higher education within the country.

He also acknowledged the TU’s efforts towards academic, administrative, and managerial reforms in recent years. 

However, he said that the partial reforms alone may not suffice to meet the challenges posed by the globalised world and intense competition.

He urged the university officials to intensify their efforts and work diligently towards this objective.

Stating that a significant portion of the country’s political and administrative leadership are graduates of TU, he directed the institution to uphold and further enhance this legacy by actively striving for greater success in the days ahead.

Education ought to benefit the individual throughout their life, contribute to the nation’s advancement, and foster progress within society as a whole, he said adding, “Access to such education should be available to everyone. Not only basic education, some developed nations have also made the university education free. We are also progressing towards a similar direction.”

“I believe that higher education must be made accessible to all social classes and communities, eradicating circumstances where the economically disadvantaged are unable to access education,” he said. 

To achieve this in accordance with the higher education policy, continuous improvement and enhancement of university education are essential, he added.

He emphasised that Tribhuvan University’s current challenge lies in demonstrating the capability of its graduates to compete effectively in the global market.