Minister Sharma stresses on making University programmes more practical

Kirtipur (Kathmandu), Jan 17: Minister for Information and Communications Technology, Rekha Sharma, has called for making University academic programmes more practical and relevant to entrepreneurship and the job market.     

During the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Central Department of Computer Science and Information Technology, Tribhuvan University, and the Digital Empowerment Society, the Minister highlighted the vital role of the IT sector in achieving economic prosperity in the current era.     

The MoU aims to provide training opportunities for Master's level students at the Department of Computer Science and Information Technology, TU specifically in Microsoft companies. The agreement was signed by Department Chief Sarbin Sayami and Society Chair Rajendra Aryal, representing their respective sides, in the presence of Minister Sharma.     

Minister Sharma stressed the importance of bridging the gap between TU educational programmes and the consumer sector to prove wrong the narrative that university graduates are not immediately qualified for the job market. Everyone entering the job market ahead should be trained with new IT skills. This approach, as she believes, could generate interest in academic streams that currently attract fewer students.     

Stating that IT was a subject of international competition and students could earn foreign currency working from home, the Minister viewed that the University should be more active in producing skilled in this sector.     

According to her, the government was preparing to implement 'Digital Nepal Framework' to ensure every citizen's access to IT. She urged to connect all academic subjects to IT.     

She assured that the government would provide scholarship for IT students in the upcoming budget and shared that law to regulate social media would be introduced within 2080 BS.     

As per the agreement inked today, 30 students selected on the basis on competition among the students studying in the 7th semester of Masters in IT will be taught the commercial course of the Microsoft Company.     

Samir Thapa, Director of Date and AI at Microsoft Company in the USA, facilitated for this, it was shared. Department Chief Sayami, the selected 30 students would get jobs at home and abroad in the related filed upon the completion of their study.     

Choplal Bhusal, Officiating Vice-Chancellor of the University, emphasized optimal utilization of the theoretical and practical knowledge provided in the University.     

Addressing the programme virtually, Microsoft's Thapa shared that the collaboration was initiated to those aspiring to build a respectable career in the related field in the USA.     

According to him, many of the IT graduates from Nepal in the USA were compelled to do menial jobs in lack of proper synergy between the academic programmes of the University and the need of the IT sector. (RSS)