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Nepal, October 7 — Although there is increasing interest in health education, other initiatives within the Council for Technical Education and Vocational Training (CTEVT) are experiencing a consistent drop in student numbers.

As per Ekaraj Adhikari, the Information Officer at CTEVT, a recent investigation by the council indicated that a smaller number of students who passed this year’s SEE (Secondary Education Examination) are displaying interest in technical education. The research discovered that students are hesitant to enroll primarily due to the high costs of technical programs, their extended duration, and the lack of assured job opportunities after completion.

CTEVT has set aside approximately 70,000 spots for three-year diploma programs in health, engineering, agriculture, and hotel management. “Regarding the 20,000 seats available in health education, more than 40,000 applications were submitted,” Adhikari mentioned during an interview with Republica, “however, there are still empty seats in engineering, hotel management, and agriculture due to a low number of applications.”

The report also highlighted that the technical education curriculum is now outdated and does not match the requirements of skill-focused, creative learning. Adhikari stated, “Just having an education does not make someone technically proficient. For technical education to succeed, industries, companies, and businesses need to develop so that the skilled individuals trained can find employment opportunities.”

Adhikari added that general education (Grades 11 and 12) lasts just two years, offering students a faster route to study overseas or find employment, whereas technical education requires three years, making it seem less attractive. “This is why CTEVT has started updating its curriculum,” he mentioned, “At the same time, the nursing sector is experiencing a huge number of applicants because of its strong demand both in Nepal and internationally.”

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CTEVT plans to update its educational programs

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At a recent gathering led by the Minister of Education, Science and Technology and Chairperson of CTEVT, Mahabir Pun, the CTEVT chose to connect technical education with innovation and adjust its syllabus accordingly. The committee has begun compiling a list of specialists to guide the revision process.

CTEVT has also started examining all affiliation applications it has received since 2012, intending to present a report by the end of this month to decide which institutions will be approved or rejected for affiliation.

As per Upendra Pokharel, the Deputy Controller of the CTEVT Examination, both the Education Development and Human Resource Center (affiliated with the Ministry of Education) and CTEVT have started implementing comparable initiatives in community schools, leading to rivalry and uncertainty at the grassroots level.

To develop skilled and capable human resources starting from the school level, the government launched two educational pathways—general and technical—over ten years ago. Students in Grades 9 through 12 were allowed to choose technical education, according to the Education Act and Regulations.

However, the government also introduced technical education initiatives through CTEVT at community schools, resulting in redundancy. “On one side, the Ministry’s Human Resource Development Center offers technical programs in Grades 9-12, while on the other, CTEVT implements similar programs in the same institutions,” Pokharel mentioned, “This has created confusion for schools and students and resulted in overlapping expenditures.”

Consequently, numerous technical institutions have ceased offering programs and are either shut down or undergoing mergers. As per CTEVT statistics, the count of community schools providing technical courses has been decreasing.

The Director of CTEVT, Pramod Acharya, stated that the number of students enrolling in technical education is decreasing, leading to the potential closure of several programs. Data from the last three years indicates a steady reduction in the number of community schools providing technical education. In 2023, there were 363 such institutions, which decreased to 320 in 2024 and continued to drop to 241 in 2025.

The three-year period has deterred many students from enrolling,” Acharya stated, “Previously, civil engineering and agriculture were highly favored, but there has been a significant drop in interest lately. Only programs related to health are experiencing a slight rise in affiliated institutions.

According to CTEVT data, 142 schools provided civil engineering courses and 219 offered agriculture in 2023. These figures dropped to 130 and 137 respectively in 2024, and then to 104 and 92 in 2025. Meanwhile, the number of institutions providing health education rose from 263 in 2023 to 283 in 2024, and further to 289 in 2025.

Throughout the nation, CTEVT manages 1,176 institutions – covering private, partnership, affiliated, and Technical Education Schools (TES). Nevertheless, approximately half of these did not admit any students during the current academic term. “CTEVT is currently planning to consolidate institutions without students,” Acharya said in an interview with Republica, “Our curriculum closely resembles that of the Education Ministry’s technical stream, but CTEVT’s will soon be updated to be more hands-on and focused on innovation. We are also striving to ensure that all examination results are released within three months.”

Published by HT Digital Content Services, with permission from Republica.

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