Building skills, shaping futures: Lamichhane’s TVET legacy

In 1980, Ramhari Lamichhane was one of four students out of 16 to pass the School Leaving Certificate (SLC) examination from Shwachchanda Bhairab Secondary School in Makawanpur. “I rushed to Kathmandu on foot from Chitlang as soon as I heard the SLC results were out,” he recalls, sipping coffee on a chilly Kathmandu afternoon. “It was about a two-hour run, and when I saw my symbol number in Gorkhapatra, it confirmed that I had passed. It was a milestone for our village. We were the first batch of SLC graduates, and the villagers welcomed us with musical instruments and fanfare at Chandragiri.”

This young man would later become the member secretary of the Council for Technical Education and Vocational Training (CTEVT) and the first and only Nepali to hold the position of director general at the Colombo Plan Staff College (CPSC).

However, Lamichhane’s career path was anything but linear. After SLC, he faced uncertainty. “I didn’t know what to do next. I thought about becoming an overseer engineer after observing a few in action. But my friends advised me to study law because of my strong speaking skills,” he says. However, practicality won and he pursued commerce, which offered better job prospects while continuing studies—a crucial factor given his family’s financial struggles.

Although he completed his course and worked at a hotel alongside his studies, this was not the path he would ultimately follow in the long run.

 “I worked various jobs, including teaching in my village and running my own construction company,” he says. But a stint as a contractor in Hetauda left him disheartened. The workers at his site asked for Rs 150 for the Maghe Sankranti festival, and he couldn’t provide it. “That made me realize I had failed to provide for my own staff. The construction sector then, like now, suffered from mismanagement,” he says. “Contractors would often spend the money they received from clients on other things, leaving nothing for proper construction work or to pay their workers.”

Determined to continue his education, Lamichhane moved to Kathmandu in 1987, completing a Bachelor’s in Commerce and later earning an MBA in 1990.

During this time, he gained valuable experience through various roles. He worked on a USAID project and later passed the job exam for the Agricultural Development Bank, where he worked briefly. However, he continued exploring options to find the best fit for himself. He successfully cleared officer-level job exams for Sajha, CTEVT, and Rastriya Banijya Bank—all three at the same time. Ultimately, he chose to join CTEVT and was posted as a finance officer at Jiri Technical School in 1989. At this point, his career began to take shape. “I kept seeking new roles throughout my life to discover where I fit best,” he says.

At the technical school, teachers often traveled abroad for training, but those in the administrative department had no such opportunities. This disparity made Lamichhane realize the importance of being in the technical department. He decided to shift his focus from administration to the technical side. Around the same time, in 1995, an opportunity arose to pursue an Advanced Diploma in Hospitality Management in Australia. Administrative staff from CTEVT were eligible to apply, and completing the course would allow them to transition to the technical department. 

“This was the first time in CTEVT’s history that administrative staff could transition to the technical side,” he says. “I was instrumental in lobbying for this change because there were already enough human resources in administration, but there was a shortage in the technical sector. I advocated for capacity development within the CTEVT staff to bridge this gap.”

Lamichhane’s professional teaching journey began at this point. He taught in Lete, Dhaulagiri, and Pokhara, where he eventually became a school principal. His role in Pokhara involved establishing a technical school from the ground up.

In 2000, Lamichhane earned both PhD and MPhil in Educational Leadership from Kathmandu University. Additionally, in 2010, he went to America for a degree in Educational Administration, Planning, and Policy from Vanderbilt University. “Promotions in the technical field happen relatively quickly, and by 2010, I had already become a first-class officer,” he says.

In 2013, the government invited applications for the CTEVT member secretary position through open competition for the first time. Applicants were required to present business plans, a departure from the previous practice of discretionary appointments. Despite being the junior-most candidate among 17 applicants, Lamichhane’s business plan secured him the role.

During his tenure, he spearheaded the development of Nepal’s National Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Policy and implemented numerous TVET programs. With over three decades in the sector, Lamichhane served as an instructor, principal, program coordinator, project manager, and director. 

As his tenure as member secretary of CTEVT was coming to an end, Lamichhane applied for the position of Director General at the Colombo Plan Staff College. “My friends said it was almost impossible to get the job, but I was selected, becoming the first and only Nepali to hold the position,” he says.

“Skilled human resources are an asset to a country, but Nepal lacks it,” he says. “Various trainings are organized in different sectors, but they are just training for the sake of training, with no proper plan.” After many years of working in this sector, he believes that Nepalis lack patience. “They don’t set goals when coming to training, and there are issues with the providers as well. Our teachers and trainers are also not TVET-oriented,” he adds.

“A skilled person could become an entrepreneur, but those without skills will remain at the bottom,” he explains. “In a country like Nepal, where 93 percent of the economy is informal, if you have skills, you can easily create small and micro-enterprises.” Lamichhane emphasizes that technical and vocational education is crucial because it helps drive economic growth. “For example, last year in Dolakha, the price of kiwi fruit was Rs 270 per kg, and a farmer cultivated kiwi on 200 ropanis of land. This year, the price dropped to Rs 70 per kg. However, if you are skilled, there’s no need to panic. The farmer could make jam, jelly, candy, or wine out of it,” he says.

The government has prioritized technical and vocational education, but it’s limited to policy documents. It has stated that 70 percent of students will receive technical education, but there is no clarity on what kind of technical education this entails. “When I was in Jiri, we used to go door-to-door to scout students by observing their potential. These days, such practices don’t exist,” says Lamichhane. 

About a decade ago, there were around 800 institutions affiliated with CTEVT, but today, that number has grown to approximately 1,700. However, Lamichhane points out a concerning trend: When there were 800 institutions, 56,000 students were enrolled in technical education, but now, despite the increase in institutions, there are only 38,000 students. 

Lamichhane identifies another issue: the transitional period under the federal system and the lack of coordination between federal and provincial levels. “Now, provinces have established parallel institutions similar to the federally-owned CTEVT, but the federal government has not dissolved its own structures, creating a conflict,” he says. “There are seven different curricula related to TVET which is a problem as this doesn’t create uniformity.” Additionally, he highlights that people with no expertise in technical education are leading these institutions, further compounding the challenges.

“We still have a demographic dividend for about another five years, but after that, there will be no youths left in the country,” he says, emphasizing the urgency for stakeholders to improve the technical sector to prevent youth migration abroad. “The government should pursue mergers and focus on quality rather than quantity.”

Lamichhane advises students who pass the Secondary Education Examination (SEE) to set career goals without rushing. “Setting an interest-based occupational goal is essential for youths,” he says. Occupational culture is another major aspect. “In Nepal, technical work is often undervalued, despite its importance, but Nepal should adopt an occupational culture similar to European countries,” he says. “This includes establishing proper attire, safety measures, and standards to create an environment where, for instance, a plumber can earn enough money and can commute to work in a car, looking neat and tidy.”