KU SOM's new programme caters to the needs of Nepal's public sector which is increasingly looking for qualified human resources.

As Nepal has made a historic leap towards a federal system from a unitary one with a three-tier government system, the newly formed governments are increasingly looking for qualified human resource to make federalism function.

However, they are yet to get the best talents, as management graduates generally prefer private sector jobs over government jobs.

This has happened due to two factors. Firstly, the majority of management programmes run by Nepali Business Schools (B-Schools) are private sector-centric and B-Schools are yet to start academic programmes catering to the needs of the public sector, mainly government jobs.

In a first, Kathmandu University School of Management (KU SOM) through its Master of Public Policy and Management (MPPM) has introduced special academic courses primarily aimed at the public sector. The MPPM introduced in association with the Institute of Integrated Development Studies (IIDS) is an innovative academic programme that deals with a wide range of public policy, governance, and management issues pertinent to the public sector.

“There is a big dearth of management graduates in the government/public sector. We have introduced the programme with an aim to fulfill this gap and produce qualified human resource capable of managing administrative jobs of the government and public sector institutions efficiently,” says Prof Dr Bijay KC, Dean of KU SOM.

About MPMM
The MPPM is a two and a half-year programme, designed for mid-career professionals and offers graduates an understanding of the theoretical and practical foundations of public policy, governance and management with special emphasis on Nepal's policymaking processes.  

“They (students) will learn about economic, legal and administrative norms and practices in Nepal’s administrative context. They will able to identify and evaluate issues in the public sector more efficiently, suggest and formulate appropriate policies, address public concerns and manage administration properly as MPPM provides them with analytical skills and management tools to cope with complications in the policy process,” says KC.

Students will have to study a wide-range of topics that include ethics and governance for public management, public finance and budgeting, research and qualitative methods for public policy and political economy of federal governance. They will also be taught on issues related to energy security policies and strategies, transport and infrastructure development, statistics for public policy among others.

Importance of the Programme
Prof KC thinks that MPPM can be an important academic programme to bridge the gap between the country’s private and public sectors. According to him, the programme’s courses are up-to-date enabling the students to engage in formulating public policies based on data, facts and evidence which will help to create a situation where the policies can be effective and sustainable for a long period. “The effectiveness of public policies is often questioned in our country. It is because people who don’t have any know-how of such policies are engaged in the formulation and implementation processes,” he says. “There is a lot of confusion the consistency of the policies, formation, execution, and so on.”

Course Formation
KU SOM carried out extensive homework and review programmes before introducing this programme. “We have looked at the trends in the government administration and saw how it engages in decision making, execution of public policies and processes and also studied the specific needs of the newly implemented federal administration of the country. Then we identified the course of study on the basis of the requirement of the government agencies and public sector institutions,” says Prof Dr KC. Besides, KU SOM also referenced the courses and teaching practices of reputed international educational institutions like Harvard University. Additionally, several discussions within the KU SOM faculty members as well as the country’s policymakers and people in the bureaucracy were also held.

Scope
MPPM offers a wide scope for young and mid-career professionals who want to develop analytical views on issues that concern the public and look to build careers in government service, non-profit organisations or even the private sector. The programme has been designed in such a way as to help students hone their skills in strategic leadership, financial management, policy designing and evaluation.

Pedagogy
MPPM is a two and a half years course taught over five semesters. For the first four semesters, students will be taught by experienced faculty members at KU SOM. In the final semester, the students are required to complete their thesis. They are required to carry out various additional tasks including project works, case methods, field visits, data collection and analysis, among other activities. The students also get a chance to participate in the actual policy formulation process. Similarly, they are required to engage in a capstone project of six hours during the final semester of the programme. At present, KU SOM is trying to collaborate with different foreign universities to bring in faculty members from international educational institutions.

Admission Criteria
KU SOM is planning to run the classes from August and already announced admissions from mid-July. Students from any stream including social science, political science, economics, journalism and so on, securing at least 50 percent or 2.0 CGPA in their undergraduate studies are eligible to enroll in the programme after passing the entrance test. Students having work experience of a minimum of one year will get high preference in the admission process. Prof KC also shares, “As MPPM is targeted at working students, we will offer a flexible time frame for the classes. Currently, we are planning to run the classes four days a week.”

Fee Structure and Scholarship
The total cost of the degree will be around Rs 350,000. The college will be offering scholarships to students on a needs basis.  KU SOM is also negotiating with different government organisations to explore the type of scholarships that they can offer to the students.