Establishment of a Technological University in Nepal: 

A Concept note 
Background
Madan Bhandari Memorial Academy Nepal (MBMAN)is a leading vocational and Technical
education institution established in the memory and honor of the great visionary communist
leader and the Secretary General of Communist Party of Nepal (United Marxist Leninist)
Late MADAN KUMAR BHANDARI. The MBMAN is not for profit organization established in the
year 1993 in the Eastern Region of Nepal. Its basic objective is to provide skill based
vocational trainings and technical education to the marginalized community who are out of
main stream of education, employment and livelihood. Besides, it is also involved in social
mobilization, community development, co-operatives promotion and social inclusion issues.

The Academy is purely a civil society based institution having diversified group of more than
400 people from farmers, workers, teachers, doctors, engineers, development professionals,
politicians and social activists as its member.

Objectives
1. Identify human resources need of the various industries in the country 
2. Produce human resources as per  the need through various technical education and 
vocational training 

Strategies
1. Carryout research and studies to identify the human resource need of the various
industries in and outside the country
2. Develop, design, and conduct various modular training program in line with fulfilling
the training need of the industries
3. Carry out higher study program through MBTU and its colleges/campus

Present Activities and Status of the MBMAN

The academy has been imparting diploma level courses in the field of Nursing, General
Heath Agriculture and Animal Sciences. Besides, Community Medical Assistant, Assistant
Nurse Midwife, Junior Agriculture Technician are some other courses offered. The Academy
has been conducting several other short term modular skill developments trainings like
village level animal health worker, agriculture development assistant, bamboo and wood
works, electrical wiring, plumbing, off season vegetable farming, micro enterprise
development etc.

Regarding the present status of MBMAN about its major programs are as follow:

1. Conduction of Vocational and Technical Education producing over 400 skilled human
resources annually.
2. Facilitating community development programs in the Eastern Nepal in collaboration
with different government and non-governmental organizations.
3. Promotion of Madan Bhandari Technological University
4. Establishment of Community Hospital
5. Promotion of Madan Model Village
6. Establishment of Peoples Museum

1 

 
Government of Nepal has awarded meritorious awards for its outstanding performance in the
field of technical education.

The academy has some infrastructure such as land, building, equipments, furniture,
vehicles, and farmlands necessary for the academy.

Future Path
Although MBMAN has created a strong base for vocational training and technical education
in the limited areas, it is not in the position to fulfill the diverse need of the society in the field
of training, education and research. The Academy has decided to upgrade the institution in
the form of technological University which may be distinctive from other conventional type of
University system.

The Proposed University

The proposed University named as Madan Bhandari Technological University could have
following characteristics:

Rationale of the Technological University

Irregular geographical distribution, abject poverty, unstable political situation, decade long
armed conflicts, and lack of basic infrastructure are some of the factors that have affected
the overall development of Nepal. The education system has always been top-down and
became a commodity of those who can afford it. The poor people have always been
deprived of education mainly because the system could not attract those who live a life of
poverty. Similarly, education has neither produced graduates for employment in the job
market nor has been able to produce graduates who can create opportunities by
themselves. The school and university graduates, though they have degrees, are hanging
around in search of jobs, on one hand and the market which is striving to find skilled human
resources can not employ them due to lack of skills ,on the other. So there is a miss-match
between what they learn in educational institution and what they are expected to do in their
workplace. This situation has resulted in the increment of unemployed educated mass and
paradoxically the market has not been able to find skilled workforce in the country. Thus, the
issue of technical and technological university to be promoted at the community level in
Nepal has been a frequently discussed topic among the stakeholders.

There are still many more people who are deprived of education opportunities. If we look at
the youth population, the youths aged 14 – 30 years are about 7 million. Only 10 – 20% of
children who enrolled in grade one complete the School Leaving Certificate (SLC)
examination. This is a sheer wastage (80 – 90%) of investment in education. Only those who
pass SLC go for higher education in Nepal and abroad. Limited opportunities available in the
country are grabbed by them only. Those who failed in the SLC are normally the ones who
have poor economic status and are from remote parts of Nepal where facilities for education
are still very poor and teaching learning situation far below the standard. These youths when
they fail in the SLC are nowhere from their carrier perspective. The only choice for them is to
either go to the foreign country as an unskilled cheap labor force or live the life of frustrations
and lacking. The country has therefore constantly suffered due to the lack of skilled human
resources.

There have been some initiatives taken by the government in order to address this group of
people. Some technical training has been offered by different institutions and the graduates

2 

 
have been placed in different institutions. Even those who pass SLC have joined such
technical institutes and have obtained different degrees such as Auxiliary Nursing
Midwife(ANM), Community Medical Assistant (CMA), Proficiency Certificate Level in General
Medicine(Health Assistant) and Proficiency Certificate Level in Nursing(Staff Nurse) to give a
few examples in health sector. The same is true in agriculture, electronics, mechanical and
so many other disciplines. Interestingly, these people who possess such degrees cannot go
for higher study as they do not have a clear career path. The universities in Nepal do not
enroll them in higher education programs due to the lack of accreditation of these programs
as academic degrees.

There is another group of people who have been practicing various traditional indigenous
skills for generation to generation. They have gifted talents in those fields and their products
are appreciated worldwide. These people are still called uneducated simply because they do
not have the certificates of their skills and they did not attend the formal education system.
Nepal is full of these unrecognized treasures and in the absence of their formalization they
might disappear in no time.

Thus, in order to produce the technical human resources in the country at different levels
and formalize the indigenous technology through necessary academic inputs, a concept of
technological university has been proposed. Madan Bhandari Memorial Academy (MBMAN)
has been leading the task of establishing this university. This technological university will be
promoted by the community and it will be named after the great leader late Madan Bhandari
who envisioned this type of institution long before he passed away.

Distinctiveness of the University (Value and Features) 
In the context of 21st century and the age of globalization, the graduates produced in Nepal
should be able to compete not only in the region but also around the world. Thus, the
universities should keep their students abreast with the current developments that take place
in the global community. As the proposed MBTU plans to prepare competitive skilled human
resources of international standard, it is different from other universities in that -

a) This will be the only technological university in Nepal that offers a career path
through university education to the graduates of both general and technical
irrespective of their background.
b) The graduates of this university will aspire to be dedicated to the national
development through their practical skills rather than becoming the boss of the office
through white color education.
c) The university will offer competitive technological education with sound theoretical
and practical foundations.
d) The university will attract community participation based on the principle of public
private and community partnership without depending fully on the government.
e) The university will offer higher education opportunity not only to the general SLC
graduates but also to those with technical SLC (T-SLC) qualifications.
f) In order to provide practical skills to the students the university will also run different
professional workshops, production units, vocational and agricultural firms.
g) The university will offer community development service education to its graduates
along with regular technological education.
h) Collaboration will be done with the internationally recognized technological
universities, institutions and organizations for the exchange of technology.
i) People, with various traditional/indigenous skills and technology having gifted talents
without any formal educational/academic certificates, would have opportunity to

3 

 
 obtain recognized equivalency of standard after fulfilling the formalities of the
university.

Progress so far achieved till 2009 
1. Based on the experience gained in the area of the technical education in Nepal, MBMAN
has been advocating the idea of establishing a Technological University to GoN since last
four years.
2. As per the Operational Strategic Plan, MBMAN has formed a promotional committee to
establish the proposed Technological University and invested a certain amount of its
income to achieve the goal.
3. National Planning Commission, through its Three Years Interim Plan = 2064/2066, has
already approved the policy of establishing a Technological University In the country.
4. MBMAN, in association with policy–makers, educationist, Government agencies,
Ngos/Ingos, multi-lateral/bi-lateral agencies, officials of different universities, and
various professional and community organizations, has initiated several meetings,
workshops, seminars and interaction programs to promote the idea of establishing the
Technological University.
5. "Education Policy Committee" of GoN, under the chair of Honorable Minister of
Education, has already approved the concept of Technological University in 2065.
6. Recognizing the necessity of the technological university, a task force of University Grant
Commission–2065, has recommended to increase the prevailing infrastructure of
MBMAN and suggested the government for the Big Push in establishing technological
university in the country.
7. The first Government after the election of Constitution Assembly had mentioned the
policy of establishing such university through its policy, program and budget.
8. Honorable President clearly mentioned the policy of establishing the technological
university in the Policy and Program of Nepal Government - 2066/67 as "Necessary legal
and institutional action will be taken to establish the technological university and will
support for its infrastructure development".
9. Similarly, Honorable Minister for Finance also mentioned as "a technological university
will be established in eastern region to promote technical education", in his budget speech
– 2066/67.
10. Besides, Honorable Prim-minister, in his inaugural message of Manmohan Memorial
Polytechnic in Hattimudha, Morang committed that a technological university will be
established in the name of late Madan Bhandari in eastern region.
11. Finally, addressing the interaction program on "Role of Community Organization in
Promoting Technological University" organized by MBMAN on 3rd of Marga, 2066
Honorable Minister for Education said as "under the instruction of Prim-minister, the
proposed university will be named as "Madan Bhandari Technological University"…and
the government is committed to provide legal status immediately to establish and operate
the university".

Avenues for the collaboration, Partnership and Co‐operations 
The following are some areas suggested for collaboration cooperation and partnership:

-Strengthening of the existing skill development short term vocational training and technical
education program by adding new technology teaching learning methods and other physical
facilities.

4 

 
 • Planning for upgrading MBMAN as Technological University. A detail project report
should be prepared in this connection and experts from the concerned filed are
required.
• Various experts - needed at the time of establishment and faculty members and
technicians to run the university.
• Funds required constructing buildings, laboratories, workshops, procurement of
equipments etc.
• Technology transfer.
• Affiliation with similar types of institutions and Universities.

Madan Bhandari Technological Univeristy

Promotion Office
Anamnagar, kathmandu
Contact: +977 14238319
Email: mbtu.mbman@gmail.com

5