Kathmandu – Nepal’s proposed National Defence University has sparked a debate over whether the institution should be primarily military-led or academically driven.
A bill to establish the university under the Ministry of Defence was registered in the House of Representatives on September 21. The proposed university aims to provide higher education, training and research in national security, defence, international relations and strategic affairs.
Under the bill, the Defence Minister would serve as co-chancellor, while a recommendation committee chaired by the Chief of the Nepali Army would recommend the Vice-Chancellor and Registrar.
Security experts argue that Nepal needs a specialised institution to train military and civilian professionals and reduce the need to send senior officers abroad for education and training. However, educationists have raised concerns about academic independence, university governance and whether the institution should come under the Ministry of Education instead.
The debate is therefore not about whether Nepal needs defence education, but what kind of institution the National Defence University should become.
