ABSTRACT

This chapter examines the history of social work education in Nepal, a development that has yet to be granted government legitimacy and widespread community sanction. It discusses the key chronological milestones in the development of higher education, the establishment of Tribhuvan University in 1959, the first National Education Plan in 1971, the entry of private sector provision in 1980, the National Education Commission in 1992, and developments post-2013. The chapter describes the development of social work education from its colonial roots to its rapid growth, followed by a period of disillusionment with an absence of formal positions for social work graduates. It explores contemporary developments relating to the structure of social work education programs and major issues in social work education, and briefly focuses on the future of social work education and practice. Social work has become a global profession with a strong commitment to culturally sensitive and anti-oppressive practice to promote locally relevant practice.