August 11: Nepali students who have completed their schooling or higher education from foreign boards and universities are facing difficulties in obtaining equivalence certificates from Tribhuvan University. This is likely to result in a brain drain to foreign countries, warned experts.

Students who are struggling to acquire equivalence certificates have accused Tribhuvan University (TU) of being apathetic towards the issue. For instance, over 100 Nepali students who have completed their higher education in India are yet to receive TU recognition for their degrees. This situation has prompted some of them to leave for foreign countries, according to the affected students.

Dr Sharad Chand from Kanchanpur district, who completed his Ph.D. in Pharmacy from Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences, India, said that they had to endure significant challenges to obtain equivalence certificates from TU. Sharing his personal experience, he said that he had to visit TU almost 60 times over six months to secure recognition from TU. He explained that a Doctor in Pharmacy (Pharma D) is a six-year professional doctoral degree in the Pharmacy stream certified by the Pharmacy Council of India.

This situation has not only fostered negativity about TU among students who possess internationally recognized degrees, but has also left them disappointed, he added.

"When I initially requested an equivalence certificate, TU provided me with the designation 'Doctor of Pharmacy equivalent to the Pharma D.' However, this equivalence was later revoked through a notice published in Gorkhapatra Daily. When a final decision was reached to pursue a Ph.D. based on the equivalence, it was not considered to be of the master’s level. Following the realization that I did not fulfill the required process for admission, I am still awaiting the equivalence certificate necessary for Ph.D. admission," he explained.

He elaborated that he had submitted all the required academic and other documents to the TU Curriculum Development Centre. Based on the recommendation of the university where he had enrolled and the Pharmacy Council of India, the Center issued him an equivalence certificate for Pharma D and advised him to apply for a Ph.D. equivalence as well. However, a few days later, a notice was published in Gorkhapatra, stating that errors were present in the equivalence certificate provided to him.

The distinction between integrated and dual degrees is clarified in Clause 13 of Section 5 of the Degree Recognition and Equivalence Determination Procedure, 2078.

According to the Procedure, if Nepali citizens obtain high school, bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees from foreign universities and apply for TU equivalence certificates within the standards of curricula, credit hours, and examination systems prescribed by the relevant educational institution, the equivalence certificates can be granted through a proper process. Similarly, the Procedure specifies that individuals seeking equivalence or recognition of dual degrees with additional credits at any level will be granted equivalence or recognition based on their credits meeting the established criteria.

Despite fulfilling all the established criteria, the Center has declined to issue equivalence certificates, Dr. Chand complained.

As a result of the challenges in obtaining TU equivalence certificates, many qualified technicians are compelled to seek opportunities abroad, stated Kul Bahadur Rawal of Tatopani Rural Municipality in Jumla district. Rawal, who completed a Doctor of Pharmacy from Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences, India, expressed concern that although TU equates Pharma D to a Master's degree, it has not definitively stated whether Pharma D qualifies as a postgraduate (PG) degree. He emphasized that India clearly designates Pharma D as a Master's degree. Rawal accused TU of complicating matters for students seeking equivalence certificates by displaying a dual character.

He further alleged that TU employees engage in misconduct when dealing with students who visit the university for equivalence certificates.

The affected students have raised questions about how long they will have to endure losses while seeking equivalence for their degrees. They have been fighting for the past nine years, asserting that their stance is valid in terms of credit hours. They claim that TU employees fail to provide clear responses about whether the submitted documents suffice.

Considering that other universities like Pokhara and Kathmandu lack the authority to grant equivalence certificates, students are demanding the end of TU's monopoly in this regard.

Dr. Rawal emphasized that due to the lack of specification that Pharma D is a postgraduate degree, it is becoming problematic to apply for master’s level programs or jobs. While India explicitly defines Pharma D as a postgraduate degree, TU does not. He raised the question of who will issue equivalence certificates for their graduate and postgraduate degrees.

Aastha Dahal, a PhD graduate from Cambridge University in the United Kingdom, expressed her frustration with TU's apparent indifference towards granting equivalence for foreign degrees. She posed questions about potential differences between postgraduate and master's degrees in Nepal's education policy. She also questioned TU's hesitance to grant equivalence for higher education degrees earned from prestigious foreign universities and raised concerns about political influences in the process. She deemed TU's reluctance concerning and shared her two-year struggle to gain TU recognition for her foreign degrees.

However, Prof. Dr. Parasnath Yadav, the Executive Director of the Center, denied the allegations. He stated that equivalence certificates are issued according to the criteria outlined in the Procedure only when all necessary documents are submitted. He clarified that factors such as entrance requirements, course contents, credit hours, and duration are taken into account. Equivalence certificates are granted after receiving input from the Office of the Dean and confirmation. Yadav emphasized that TU grants equivalence when 75 percent of the subject matter, credit hours, and duration are met.

He explained that efforts are underway to digitize the service. He clarified, "We grant equivalence when the required credit hours are met (100 credit hours for bachelor’s, 60 for master’s, and 60 for Ph.D. degrees). Not all fields taught in universities worldwide are available at TU. Programs such as Physiotherapy and Pharma D are not offered here. Pharma D refers to pharmacy, and we have issued equivalence for the Pharma D degree. We have become more flexible in granting equivalence for academic subjects."

Recently, Sumana Shrestha, a member of the House of Representatives from the Rastriya Swatantra Party, brought attention to students' complaints about difficulties in obtaining equivalence certificates for their international degrees. She also mentioned mistreatment by TU employees in the process. She urged that TU be kept free from politics and that the Vice Chancellor be appointed based on merit with executive powers. -- RSS