Universities that offer higher education are a country's core strength as they produce motivated students and connect them directly to the emerging industries throughout the nation, significantly impacting national development. MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology), for instance, has produced 100 Nobel Prize laureates. IIT (Indian Institute of Technology) in our neighboring country India, on the other hand, have produced CEOs like Sundar Pichai and Arvind Krishna and founders of successful companies like Flipkart, Ola and MakeMyTrip. However, IOE (Institute of Engineering), as a technical institution producing engineers, even after 93 years of its establishment, fails to meet the national and global requirements in more than a few fronts.
The vicious cycle of ignorance: how repeated questions keep us trapped
A direct consequence of repeated questions is that anything not asked in semester examination is deemed useless as they do not offer any marks. This reduces the need for in-depth study since we can predict the type of questions that will be asked year after year. As a result, even by skipping major portions of our syllabus we pass exams with minimal effort. Observing past questions of core subjects of mechanical engineering such as Manufacturing and Production Process, Industrial Engineering and Management, Mechanics of Solids, Machine Design, Finite Element Method and many other subjects can be passed with good marks by studying for a few days and tracking down the repeated questions.
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Nepalese-authors too, simply rehash old questions and answers instead of focusing on building concepts, resulting in dull and unappealing books. In our neighboring country India, books written on mechanical engineering subjects by professors of IIT like Prof. SP Sukhatme on Heat Transfer, Prof. SK Som on Fluid Mechanics and Machinery, Prof. Ghosh and Mallik on Theory of Mechanisms and Machines are studied world-wide, whereas Nepalese written books are reaching nowhere because of their narrow and exam-centric focus. Notes and references from our teachers also lack comprehension. Thus, we receive poor study materials. The result is a significant gap between what the syllabus intends to cover and what we learn. International books available in our library are out of syllabus and huge. Realizing which notes and books to study from is a struggle we students face every semester.
Consequently, most of us are unable to develop a passion for engineering, and our teachers lack enthusiasm in teaching. Thus, they start deviating from their class schedules, and we stop attending classes. This results in high failure rates in campuses. I still remember 88 out of 96 students failing our second semester examination. We learn to accept failing a few subjects as a norm. The worst-case scenario, we perpetuate and transmit this culture to new students who learn to accept failure as inevitable.
We are thus trapped in a vicious circle. There is currently no way for the question patterns to change because the resulting rise in failure rates would be extreme. So, teachers provide very few problems to practice, and the same is asked in examinations. Even numerical problems can be remembered without care for concepts. Our teachers disregard total subject hours and even core subject matters, therefore we learn less. Some portions of our syllabus remains a mystery and are ignored forever. We graduate with a knowledge gap of which we are not even aware. With these circumstances, we can ourselves assume how valuable our certificates are in the global market.
Breaking the cycle is extremely necessary for IOE to compete with top institutions around the world. The exam-centric approach should be replaced with a more comprehensive and engaging approach. Our professors should write in-depth books that align with our syllabus, and these books should be used as study materials in our class, instead of relying solely on notes and slides. Question papers should include conceptual questions instead of large single questions worth 10, 12, 16, or even 24 marks. Examination scores should be evaluated on the basis of multiple components such as assignments, projects, quizzes, midterms, and final exams.
When this kind of culture enters our campus gates through political student and teacher unions, it leads to top-down control over students. While unions are expected to represent students' and campus problems, because party decisions need to be preserved, a chain-of-command forms, which brings developmental activities in campus almost to a halt. From the election of non-political student society members to the decision of campus chief, political motivation exists everywhere. Teachers belonging to the same union never question union decisions, but inter-party conflict persists. National politics is the puppet master, with teachers and students playing their puppets. The answer to every question raised is "orders come from the top."
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Nepalese-authors too, simply rehash old questions and answers instead of focusing on building concepts, resulting in dull and unappealing books. In our neighboring country India, books written on mechanical engineering subjects by professors of IIT like Prof. SP Sukhatme on Heat Transfer, Prof. SK Som on Fluid Mechanics and Machinery, Prof. Ghosh and Mallik on Theory of Mechanisms and Machines are studied world-wide, whereas Nepalese written books are reaching nowhere because of their narrow and exam-centric focus. Notes and references from our teachers also lack comprehension. Thus, we receive poor study materials. The result is a significant gap between what the syllabus intends to cover and what we learn. International books available in our library are out of syllabus and huge. Realizing which notes and books to study from is a struggle we students face every semester.
Consequently, most of us are unable to develop a passion for engineering, and our teachers lack enthusiasm in teaching. Thus, they start deviating from their class schedules, and we stop attending classes. This results in high failure rates in campuses. I still remember 88 out of 96 students failing our second semester examination. We learn to accept failing a few subjects as a norm. The worst-case scenario, we perpetuate and transmit this culture to new students who learn to accept failure as inevitable.
We are thus trapped in a vicious circle. There is currently no way for the question patterns to change because the resulting rise in failure rates would be extreme. So, teachers provide very few problems to practice, and the same is asked in examinations. Even numerical problems can be remembered without care for concepts. Our teachers disregard total subject hours and even core subject matters, therefore we learn less. Some portions of our syllabus remains a mystery and are ignored forever. We graduate with a knowledge gap of which we are not even aware. With these circumstances, we can ourselves assume how valuable our certificates are in the global market.
Breaking the cycle is extremely necessary for IOE to compete with top institutions around the world. The exam-centric approach should be replaced with a more comprehensive and engaging approach. Our professors should write in-depth books that align with our syllabus, and these books should be used as study materials in our class, instead of relying solely on notes and slides. Question papers should include conceptual questions instead of large single questions worth 10, 12, 16, or even 24 marks. Examination scores should be evaluated on the basis of multiple components such as assignments, projects, quizzes, midterms, and final exams.
National Politics: The puppet master
The Prime minister of Nepal holds the position of chancellor of Tribhuvan University. He possesses a diploma in Agriculture. Former Prime minister KP Sharma Oli completed his primary school education in Tehrathum. In our country, winning elections is enough to secure positions in education, health, finance, and even make one a scholar in these fields. Discussions about goals, agendas, and political visions are seldom conducted, and influence-seeking rather than vision-driven leadership is promoted. Individual decision is neglected, and party decisions are made.When this kind of culture enters our campus gates through political student and teacher unions, it leads to top-down control over students. While unions are expected to represent students' and campus problems, because party decisions need to be preserved, a chain-of-command forms, which brings developmental activities in campus almost to a halt. From the election of non-political student society members to the decision of campus chief, political motivation exists everywhere. Teachers belonging to the same union never question union decisions, but inter-party conflict persists. National politics is the puppet master, with teachers and students playing their puppets. The answer to every question raised is "orders come from the top."
The outcome of this hierarchy is a sluggish approach to every little matter evident in various sectors of IOE. While the world is making headway in AI engineering and bioengineering, IOE has failed to incorporate these disciplines into its system. Additional faculties and departments are being created unnecessarily, without keeping pace of infrastructures and laboratories. Syllabus of most of the engineering faculties of IOE was last revised in 2066, more than a decade ago. There is no provision for internships through direct partnerships with industries. Laboratories and machinery need repair, buildings are too old, and library books are outdated.
Breaking Free
The only way to abolish this hierarchical domination is by freeing our campus from the influence of national politics. Hierarchical structures and party decisions have long obstructed progress in our campuses. Student union leaders must have the liberty to take autonomous decisions that serve the best interests of the campus. Harvard University, Stanford University and Indian Institute of technology are some top universities with no politically affiliated student unions; however, they have student councils focusing on specific tasks on campuses. Such healthy practices of clubs, societies and councils must be encouraged in our campuses too.It is very important to break free from the national politics that has controlled our campus throughout history from the top, and also make student unions independent. Although it may not be a significant change immediately, it has the potential to ignite a flame of transformation that will have far-reaching positive impacts in the years to come. Both as students and as teachers of IOE, we need to realize this fact soon and contribute towards shaping the future of our juniors and our nation.
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