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The University Grants Commission (UGC), Nepal, was established under the University Grants Commission Act of 1993 to properly distribute grants received from various sectors for the operation and development of universities in the nation as well as to establish the educational standards of universities for providing quality education. At present, there are 13 universities (11 of which are active), and six health academies established by the federal government. After the promulgation of the new constitution in 2015, the provincial government has initiated the establishment of new universities and health academies at the provincial level. As a result, provincial acts allowed for the operation of five provincial universities and two health academies in different provinces. Currently, Nepal has 1440 higher education institutions operating under these universities.

The National Education Policy 2019 envisages a National Eligibility Test (NET), reforming and empowering UGC and renaming it the Higher Education Commission (HEC), mandatory provision for quality assurance and accreditation (QAA) for all higher education institutions, effective monitoring and regulating higher education institutions (HEIs), the application of information technology, revision of market-relevant curricula, project/research-based learning, and making HEIs nonprofit and service-oriented. Similarly, the National Science, Technology, and Innovation Policy 2019 highlights three strategies for HEIs: first, extending the cooperation and partnership among academic institutions, research institutes, and industries for scientific research, technology development, and innovation; second, integrating the application of technology development and innovation to support the achievement of sustainable development goals (SDGs); and third, making science education more practical and research-based. In line with these policies, UGC has been engaged in creating an environment for providing equitable access to HEIs, quality, and relevancy, and preparing HEIs’ norms and standards through funding HEIs. The ongoing Nurturing Excellence in Higher Education Program (NEHEP) significantly contributes to the acceleration of government policies and the realization of UGC goals.

Despite the fact that Nepalese HEIs have benefited the nation develop and produce human resources, there are still major challenges to overcome. These challenges center on building institutional capacity to improve the delivery of higher education, including: effective teaching and learning, research and innovation, leadership development for HEIs, equitable access to and retention of underprivileged student groups, production of competitive human resource, increasing employability by fostering an entrepreneurial ecosystem, and the application of and access to information technology. The next step for UGC is to work on creating an action plan to support the implementation of the goals that pertain to higher education in the Fifteenth Plan, Higher Education Policy, Science and Technology Policy, and Sustainable Development Goal 4: Education 2030 Nepal: National Framework as envisioned by the Government of Nepal.

Prof. Dr. Dev Raj Adhikari

Chairman,

University Grants Commission, Sanothimi, Nepal.

Email: profdr.adhikari@ugcnepal.edu.np

8^th February, 2023