Minister Rekha Sharma Advocates Practicality in University Programs for IT Sector Growth

In a significant move towards aligning academic programs with the dynamic needs of the job market, Minister for Information and Communications Technology, Rekha Sharma, has emphasized the necessity of making university academic programs more practical and relevant to entrepreneurship. The Minister, during the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Central Department of Computer Science and Information Technology at Tribhuvan University (TU) and the Digital Empowerment Society, underscored the crucial role of the IT sector in fostering economic prosperity in the current era.

The MoU, aimed at providing training opportunities for Master’s level students at the Department of Computer Science and Information Technology, TU, specifically focuses on collaboration with Microsoft companies. The agreement, signed by Department Chief Sarbin Sayami and Society Chair Rajendra Aryal, aims to bridge the gap between academic programs and the consumer sector. Minister Sharma hopes that this proactive approach will debunk the notion that university graduates are not immediately qualified for the job market.

Minister Sharma emphasized the need for training students with new IT skills to ensure they are well-prepared for the evolving job market. Recognizing IT as a subject of international competition, she urged the University to play a more active role in producing skilled professionals for this sector. She also mentioned the government’s plans to implement the ‘Digital Nepal Framework’ to ensure universal access to IT and encouraged the integration of IT into all academic subjects.

Assuring support for IT students, Minister Sharma announced plans to provide scholarships in the upcoming budget. She also disclosed that a law to regulate social media would be introduced within 2080 BS.

As per the MoU, 30 students from the 7th semester of the Master’s in IT program will undergo training in the commercial courses of Microsoft. Samir Thapa, Director of Data and AI at Microsoft Company in the USA, facilitated this collaboration, emphasizing that the initiative aims to help students build a respectable career in the IT field, especially in the USA. Department Chief Sayami mentioned that the selected 30 students would have opportunities for jobs both domestically and internationally upon completing their studies.

Choplal Bhusal, Officiating Vice-Chancellor of the University, stressed the optimal utilization of theoretical and practical knowledge provided by the University. Speaking virtually, Microsoft’s Thapa highlighted that the collaboration was initiated to address the challenges faced by IT graduates from Nepal in the USA, who often end up in menial jobs due to the lack of synergy between academic programs and the needs of the IT sector.