LP Bhanu Sharma is the Principal of Apex College, one of the leading management colleges of Nepal. He is also the Chairman of Chartered Academic International Pvt. Ltd. He has over 16 years of experience in management, teaching and training. He is also a spiritualist and trainer on positive living and mediation. In an interview with Keshab Raj Gautam of New Business Age, Sharma shared his opinion on trend of business education in Nepal. Excerpts:
You have been working in the education sector for a decade and half. What is your experience?
I have been working in education sector for more than 16 years. Education has transformed and it is not the same. The curriculum has changed, teachers and students’ mentality has changed and this sector is looking for newer changes. At present, students have realised the importance of global prospective. Due to these prospects, many students, even management students, are studying Chinese, French, German and Swiss language. Current students no longer thinks that classroom education are enough, they have understood the need of real experience in this competitive business world. The mentality that, unless I do very well I will not be able to do anything has developed among students.
Do you find any difference between the students five years back and students now?
Yes, there is a difference. Today’s students know how to make use of technology. Also, sense of competition has grown up and the number of serious students has increased.
How do you evaluate the growing number of business schools in Nepal?
At present, number of colleges which offer MBA programme in Nepal has increased to 37.Even a small city like Narayanghat has four institutions offering MBA degree. I take this growing number of business schools as very positive step but this is just the start of journey. This shows that, business education has come up and students really desire for business and management education. Over 52 per cent of Nepali students into higher education study management in Nepal. If we look at USA data, only 25 per cent of graduate students are involved in MBA programme. Market will give these business school three to five years time to prove themselves. In business school, the researches brought into the classes are more important which many of the business school lack. Apparently, this is not the scenario of new institutions but market will give these institution times to stand out. Even older ones like Apex College are having new testing times and we are working on quality. If all these institution works on quality, things will change otherwise market will categorise these intuitions as A, B, C and D grade which ultimately lead these institutions to lose their ground.
How to choose the best business institution?
Students have to be smarter in this case. Choice of the intuitions is very core. Unless the intuition or the founder have some good records, student must think twice before joining it. Many of the intuitions claim to be the business school but are founded and run by non business graduates. What do they know about business? How are they going to do? These are the sincere questions which students as well as the common people must ask before joining any institution.
What are your suggestions to potential business students?
First of all, we must get out of this fashion race. MBA has become a fashion but it should not be. MBA is not for everyone. Everyone does not need to do an MBA. There are much other college options. Students must first need to analyze their strengths and define the expectation from the specific program. Secondly , MBA is not for fresher’s. I have a clear feeling that, not more than one third of present MBA students should be doing MBA. Because I found that fresher’s are unable to catch the sincerity and seriousness of MBA program. MBA is for people who have work experience of not less than three years. But it’s probably our compulsion to take fresher’s in our MBA program because the culture has not yet come where people with experience and different set of ambition apply for MBA. We are looking for more deserving students.
Where do you see today’s business students after 5 years?
Many business students will be working as entrepreneurs. This is very good sign. At present, around 50 per cent have gone to banking industry. In next five years, I would expect them to go into different NGOs, INGOs and trading companies. I also see some of these business students contributing to transportation, cooperatives, and managing schools of the country in next five years.
Nepali economy is growing at a slow pace. Where will these business graduates be absorbed?
We must be ready to face lot of upcoming challenges . But I think more than career searching, we should be more conscious about our own strength and weaknesses so that we could find the space to contribute.. Career changing is basically not the good options as professional managers are not among them who had changed their career track. . These are the people who knew what they are made for,what raw material they are and under what category they fall. This had led them to build their own career of interest. I run so many programs on career mapping. Only two days program will make an individual clear about how perfectly one can map his/her career.
As you believe in spirituality, can you suggest how does it help to achieve full human potentials?
If we want to know how to do marketing, we learn marketing, if we want to know history we have to study history similarly if we want to know about our self, we need to study spirituality. If only we could know ourselves better, the contribution can be seen in much better way. This ultimately will help us to be a better member of a family; better member of institution, and also better citizen as a whole. In such a way, spirituality helps to achieve the full potential.
Where do you see Nepali economy in 10 years?
It’s a very difficult question; my only wish is to see the private sector free from politics. Today, politicians are at driving seat but basically entrepreneurs should be in driving seat of private sector. I see much better future of Nepal in next 10 years. But the thing we should not miss out is of our personal values which we should improve. For this, people like us should be more efficient, effective and more professional so that we wont have to face any internal conflict. Unless there is good foundation of values among us, it is very difficult for sustainable growth. So, Media and education should start cultivating those values.
