Surkhet: The Surkhet-based Birendrangar Multiple Campus (BMC), which had provided an alternative to the students in the western region to coming to Kathmandu for the university education 30 years ago, has been formally brought under the newly set up Mid-Western University (MWU) on Saturday.

BMC was established in 1980 as a constituent college of the Tribhuvan University, the oldest and leading university of the country, at a time when the education system of the country was under-developed, has been formally handed over to the MWU amid a function here Saturday.

 Pitambar Dhakal, a dean of the MWU, who had served in the capacity of principal of the BMC for seven years since 1984, was instrumental in bringing BMC under the new university.

“We had extremely limited resources when BMC was started. We had to conduct classes at a secondary school,” Dhakal recalled. “Now the same campus has been able to evolve into a new university,” he added.

The campus where only 135 students had enrolled in the first year of its start saw annually 2,000 students on an average enrolling in the following years.

 The educational institute that made its history as the center of academic studies in the Far and Mid Western Region of the district providing university level education at affordable rates has produced human resources that have been doing well in various walks of life in the country.

“In the initial years, the BMC faced pressure from rising numbers of the students seeking enrolment. It is more like an academic heritage for the people in the Mid-Western and Far Western regions,” Dhakal said.

Established with a fund of mere Rs 80,000 three decades ago, BMC on Saturday handed over to the university its property worth over Rs 160 million. Officially handing over the BMC documents to the MWU vice chancellor Padam Lal Devkota, the chair of Campus Managamnet Committee, Bhusan Manandhar urged MWU to maintain BMC´s academic legacy in the days to come.

“The campus thrived with the toil and unstinted support from the people in the regions. It is now our duty work as per the people´s aspiration and continue the academic legacy of the campus,” Manandhar said.

Newly elected lawmakers -- Hridayaram Thani and Tapta Bahadur Bista -- of the district who were present at the function promised necessary support to improve BMC. As a constituent college of the Tribhuvan University, BMC would offer bachelor´s and master´s level education in the management and humanities and social sciences streams.

After the MWU taking over its management, BMC will also provide technical education as well as various education, science and engineering courses. MWU was established four years ago.

source:republica,14 Dec 2013