ABSTRACT
In the context of social and educational change in Nepal, this chapter discusses efforts made for institutionalizing pedagogy-driven change to higher education at Tribhuvan University. Describing initiatives for training an increasing number of faculty members across the country, the chapter theorizes “shifts” that must be made in order to implement the semester “system” of education in its true educational spirit, as well as in response to the socioeconomic changes described in the introduction chapter of this book. The shifts we discuss call for greater balance by moving the weight of education from teaching to learning, knowing to doing, written examinations to diversified assessment, degrees to disciplinary identity and professional growth, and changing classrooms to shaping the larger education culture in order to better align higher education with social change and demands. We acknowledge challenges and obstacles against the projects behind this chapter, but we focus on what educators can do, and are doing, with one practical step at a time from where they are, whether they are in the positions of teachers in the classroom or other positions across the institution, including those of administrative, policy making, scholarship and research, diaspora support, and support for a public institution as alumni and citizens. The chapter concludes by highlighting a vision that points to how current efforts could and should achieve new milestones in future years.
