In order to move forward with the proposed accreditation of technical schools and polytechnics of Nepal and to discuss general quality improvement of these institutes, the President of Asia Pacific Accreditation and Certification Commission (APACC) Dr. Ramhari Lamichhane, along with Colombo Plan Staff College (CPSC) Faculty Specialist Engr. Sanyog Bhattarai, met key officials of the Council for Technical Education and Vocational Training (CTEVT), Nepal.
The meeting was held on October 13, 2020 at the CTEVT Vice Chairperson’s Office and was attended by Mr. Khagendra Prasad Adhikari, CTEVT Vice Chairperson; Dr. Pushpa Raman Wagle, CTEVT Member Secretary; Mr. Binod Badal, Director of CTEVT Accreditation and Affiliation; Mr. Mister Kant Mainali, Director of CTEVT Curriculum Development and Equivalency; and Mr. Tek Bahadur Malla, Director of CTEVT National Skill Testing Board.
Dr. Ramhari Lamichhane, CPSC Director General and APACC President (rightmost) discussing about APACC
Dr. Ramhari Lamichhane emphasized on the importance of quality technical education and encouraged CTEVT to initiate the APACC accreditation in Nepal. To start with, he suggested the conduct of internal accreditation for few select institutions and continue on with national level accreditation afterwards before going for international accreditation by APACC. He presented the status and progress of APACC and provided examples of good practices of accreditation activities carried out in Malaysia, the Philippines, and Thailand.
A lively discussion ensued. Dr. Pushpa Raman Wagle appreciated the efforts both by APACC and CTEVT for the ideas presented. He recognized the need for equipping technical and vocational education and training (TVET) institutes with proper resources and bring the institutes’ management up to the APACC level prior to application. He mentioned that CTEVT will have an internal meeting on how to proceed further and will notify APACC on the outcomes of the meeting and how to move forward.
Mr. Khagendra Prasad Adhikari expressed his delight for the conduct of the meeting to improve the quality of TVET education in Nepal. He welcomed the ideas presented by APACC and requested his team to grasp the opportunities proposed by the APACC team.
The meeting ended with concrete plans which include the capacity development and reskilling of Nepalese assessors by APACC, updating of Quality Implementation Plan with reference to APACC documents, and pushing through with internal accreditation before aiming for national level accreditation of Nepal technical schools and polytechnics.
