Kathmandu — Prime Minister Sushila Karki has said that universities must be developed as centres of academic debate and research, free from partisan political influence.

Addressing the 51st convocation ceremony of Tribhuvan University, Prime Minister Karki, who also serves as the Chancellor of the university, stressed the need for increased investment in education for the country’s long-term development.

She noted that political interference in academic administration has negatively affected Nepal’s higher education system and said there is a growing need to review the provision that appoints the Prime Minister as the university chancellor. According to her, serious consultations and preparatory work are currently underway on this issue.

Describing convocation as not an end but the beginning of a new academic and social responsibility, Prime Minister Karki expressed confidence that graduates would be capable of addressing challenges such as rapid technological change, climate change, employment competition and social inequality.