ABSTRACT
In this chapter, we explore the tension between the changes in Nepalese higher education prompted by macro-level political and economic shifts on the one hand and, on the other hand, the tendency of other cultural, political, and socioeconomic reasons to stagnate structural change in education. From the autocratic Rana regime (1846–1951) to the ultra-nationalist Panchayat system led by the Shah dynasty (1960–1990), the civil war prompted by Maoist insurgents (1996–2006) and then to the liberalization and globalization of the economy by the democratic revolution that led to the eventual rewriting of the country’s constitution as a federal democracy (2015), major shifts in political and socioeconomic structures have led to broad policy changes in education, as well as new kinds of institutions, curricula, and teaching learning culture to some extent. The case of Nepal – with its tension between progressiveness and conservatism, its obstacles and pathways, and its tendencies to embrace and reject global influences – also helps to illustrate for scholars of higher education in Nepal and beyond the importance of visionary leadership, of restructuring curriculum (especially by involving teacher-led innovation and autonomy), of enforcing and improving faculty development models (with a focus on knowledge production, continued development, reward system aligned with productivity and not just years of service), and for the elimination of political influence and interference in higher education.
