Since its establishment in 1959, Tribhuvan University (TU) has been shaping the academic, administrative, and professional sectors of Nepal. As the country’s oldest university, TU has hundreds of constituent and affiliated colleges and together they hold about 80 percent of the total students studying higher education in Nepal.

This size is too large from a management perspective, too slow to adopt policy innovations, and too centralized for quality education. Today, as Tribhuvan University is burdened by its own enormous size and administrative burden, a bold but inevitable structural reform of the appropriate functional size of Tribhuvan University must be chosen to protect Nepal’s public higher education and restore its prestige.

Two clear strategies for structural reform can be pursued: first, upgrading the highly specialized central technical institutes of Tribhuvan University to autonomous universities; and second, transferring regionally affiliated colleges outside the Kathmandu Valley to technical and regional universities in the respective regions.

The unbearable burden of excessive centralization

Controlling the administrative and technical aspects of hundreds of colleges across the country from a central office in Kirtipur has now become an administrative mirage. Problems such as irregular examination schedules and non-delivery of results even after more than a year of examinations have always plagued the academic calendar. This administrative chaos has also undermined the academic autonomy of the colleges.

It is natural for a single central administration to be responsible for overseeing everything from basic courses in the humanities to cutting-edge research in medical sciences to weaken good governance. The administration seems to be focused on solving day-to-day managerial and administrative problems rather than achieving academic excellence.

Tribhuvan University should abandon its obsession with becoming a 'mega-university' encompassing all disciplines and colleges and strategically reduce its workload, focusing all its energy, attention, and resources on core academic research, humanities, social sciences, and basic sciences. Now is the time to make Tribhuvan University a lean center of excellence.

Upgrading technical institutes: Autonomy and academic leap

The most logical and appropriate starting point to reduce the burden of the university’s inability to cope is the separation of its established and excellent technical institutes:

• Institute of Medicine
• Institute of Engineering
• Institute of Agriculture and Animal Sciences
• Institute of Forestry

These technical institutes have their own unique brand in society, their own independent entrance examination system, and their own kind of academic environment and strong infrastructure. Despite this, they are still tied to the traditional economic and administrative structure of the university for decision-making. In the case of the Institute of Agriculture and Animal Sciences and the Institute of Forestry, both these institutes should be merged into the University of Agriculture and Forestry. Upgrading both the Institute of Medicine and the Institute of Engineering as two separate, fully autonomous, and independent universities will reveal their true potential.

Once these institutions become independent universities, they will be able to immediately revise their curricula in line with global technological changes. They will gain the administrative flexibility to directly partner with international research institutions and manage their own finances without waiting for Kirtipur’s approval. Even if we look at the practice around the world, specialized universities have been found to be more successful and excellent than universities with large and chaotic structures.

Decentralization: Strengthening regional universities

The second important aspect of modifying the size of Tribhuvan University is the decentralization of its constituent and affiliated colleges outside the Kathmandu Valley. At present, colleges in remote corners of the country are forced to travel to Kathmandu for everything from general curriculum subjects to obtaining examination certificates. To improve this, Tribhuvan University should gradually separate the affiliations of its colleges outside the Kathmandu Valley and integrate them into the existing provincial and regional universities of Nepal. The educational centers of Koshi Province and the East should be incorporated into the Purbanchal University, while the colleges in Gandaki Province and surrounding districts should be placed under Pokhara University. Colleges in Madhesh Province should be affiliated with Rajarshi Janak University, and similarly, colleges in Karnali Province should be placed under Midwestern University. Far Western University should place colleges in the Far Western Province under its own control.

The structure of higher education should be compatible with the regional structure of Nepal. It is practical and justifiable for the administrative and academic regulation of a college in Mahendranagar to be from the Far Western University in Kanchanpur, not from officials living 700 kilometers away in Kathmandu. 

The proposed geographical restructuring creates a win-win situation for both the legacy university and the emerging regional university:

Relief for Tribhuvan University

With the management responsibility of hundreds of affiliated colleges outside the valley being transferred to other universities, the administrative and managerial burden of Tribhuvan University will be dramatically reduced. The central office will be freed from the hassle of delivering examination papers to every corner of the country, collecting answer sheets, and administering examinations for millions of students. This saving of time and resources will help in transforming Tribhuvan University from a mere “exam conducting machine” to a prestigious research-oriented university.

Capacity building of regional universities

The argument that regional universities do not have the infrastructure or prestige to support so many colleges and students cannot be ignored. However, capacity is built not by abdicating responsibility, but only by delegating responsibility. By acquiring the established constituent campuses and affiliated colleges of Tribhuvan University, regional universities will immediately gain experienced faculty, ready-made physical infrastructure, and a large network of students. This will enhance their academic reputation and credibility and help establish them as dynamic and region-specific educational centers.

Curriculum tailored to regional needs

When regional universities take the lead from local colleges, they can offer higher education tailored to the local economy and geography. An agriculture or tourism campus under Pokhara University can design a curriculum appropriate for the tourism and environment of Gandaki Province, while universities in the Far West or Midwest can run academic programs that address natural resource management, cross-border trade, and local development challenges in their regions.

Transformational challenges and roadmap for solutions

Major structural change of this scale is not easily acceptable. Established political student organizations, employee unions, and administrative monopolies may try to block this decentralization effort. Professors may be concerned about losing the TU ‘brand’, while private college operators may fear that students will lose interest in attending the new university. The government should present a clear, phased, and credible transitional roadmap to address these natural concerns and uncertainties. 

The excessive centralization of Tribhuvan University is not only an administrative problem but also a systemic obstacle that is stifling the future of Nepal’s higher education and the younger generation. Nepali students are migrating abroad in millions every year in search of timely exams and quality education. Maintaining this sluggish and traditional structure of Tribhuvan University could prove fatal for the country itself.

Rebuilding the shape of Tribhuvan University is not about diminishing its historical legacy or glory, but it is a scientific effort to save its prestige and academic weight. Only by converting the established technical institutes of Tribhuvan University into independent universities and strengthening regional universities as the backbone of regional development can a healthy, competitive, decentralized, and high-quality higher education system be built in Nepal. The future of Nepal’s human capital now depends on our transformative courage and foresight.