Nepal‘s PhD Culture Faces Scrutiny: Is teh ‘Doctor’ Title Overshadowing Practical Skills?
Kathmandu, Nepal โ- โA recent critique โฃby writer and โeducator Gaurav ojha questions the value โofโข Nepal’s currentโ PhD system, arguing it โขprioritizesโข the attainment of doctoral titles over the โฃadvancement of critical thinking, innovation, and practical problem-solving skills.Published in Setopati, Ojha’sโ analysis highlightsโค a disconnect โbetween academic research and real-world application, using โขthe example of a โPhDโฃ graduate specializing in online education in Nepal who โฃsubsequently transitionedโ into roles in development studies, vocational โขeducation,โค feminism, and enduring studies – all without engaging with the technological aspects of their initial research focus.
The core issue, Ojhaโฃ contends, is a systemic failure to translate academic inquiry into tangible progress. This โis โฃstarkly contrasted with figures like Genevieveโ Bell, Vice-chancellor of the Australian National University, whose anthropological research was directly leveraged by Intel Corporationโ to โขimprove the socio-cultural โฃalignment of its technologies.Nepal’s higher education system, Ojha argues, โrisks producing “doctors” lacking โthe ability โคto โcontribute meaningfully to โคthe nation’s socioeconomic, political,โ artistic,โค technological, โand cultural advancement.โข
The problem extends beyond individual career paths. ojha’s piece points to a broader need for universities, policymakers,โ and the public to re-evaluateโฃ the emphasis placed on PhDs. โฃCurrently, the system โฃincentivizes the โ production of doctoral degrees, rather than the cultivation โข of scholars capable of driving transformative change. โ This shift in focus, Ojha โฃsuggests, is โcrucial for โคthe future โฃofโ higher education in Nepal and its ability to foster a generation of innovators andโค problem-solvers essential for national progress.
