The government’s plan to set up an open university in the country has not materialised even after a decade.

“As the government is too busy in politics, it has totally forgotten about the Open University,” said Prof Mana Prasad Wagle, education expert and a member of the committee formed to conduct a feasibility study on the project in 1999. The committee was formed while Jaya Ram Giri was the education secretary in 1999.

Though the committee had submitted a three-month study report to the government on the management of resources and infrastructure for the open university, the report is yet to be endorsed. “If the government wants the report, we still have it,” he added.

Without endorsing the 1999 committee report, the government formed another committee — Open University National Directive Committee (OUNDC) — under the Ministry of Education (MoE) a year back for another feasibility study. But it has also failed to do the assigned work.

Kamal Dhakal, executive director of the OUNDC, said they have failed to execute the assigned work in the absence of appropriate act and laws. Mahashram Sharma, spokesperson for the Ministry of Education, said the managerial problem within the ministry was the main reason behind the failure of the open university project.

“We have formed a new panel to suggest the government about establishment of open university. Once the report is published, the plan will gather momentum,” he added.

source: the himalayan times,13 may 2013