Butwal, October 29
Students at Lumbini Buddhist University have raised concerns about their academic and professional futures after receiving transcripts that list a different faculty from the one under which they enrolled and studied.
The university has placed engineering, management, tourism and several other professional programmes under the Faculty of Applied Buddhist Studies, following a decision to reorganise its academic programmes. Students say the change was made without adequate consultation with stakeholders or assurances that their qualifications would be recognised by employers, regulatory bodies and other universities.
Nabin Adhikari, a student from the ninth batch of Lumbini International Academy of Science and Technology in Lalitpur, which is affiliated with the university, said his transcript listed Applied Buddhist Studies instead of the faculty under which he had pursued his studies.
“The university has issued transcripts listing different faculties for students from the same batch. This has left us uncertain about the implications for our careers, including promotions,” Adhikari said. He called on the Education Ministry to clarify the legal and academic basis of the university’s decision.
Pranesh Shrestha, who studied disaster management under the Faculty of Science, said he was similarly concerned after receiving a transcript identifying his faculty as Applied Buddhist Studies.
Shrestha said he was pursuing promotion and doctoral studies but had received no clear response from either the Public Service Commission or the university about the implications of the change.
“The transcript should reflect the faculty under which a student was enrolled. Changing it has created uncertainty about our careers and future,” he said.
University’s decision to reorganise faculties
At a university senate meeting held at the Education Ministry on July 10, the university decided to classify its academic programmes into two broad categories: core Buddhist studies and applied Buddhist studies.
Under the decision, engineering, management, tourism, rural development, disaster risk management and agroforestry programmes were placed under the Faculty of Applied Buddhist Studies.
The restructuring has drawn criticism over its academic justification and legal basis, particularly regarding whether engineering and management qualifications issued under the reclassified faculty will be recognised as equivalent to qualifications in those respective disciplines in Nepal and abroad.
D.R. Ghimire, chairperson of the affiliated campus, said grouping technical and professional programmes under a faculty associated with Buddhist studies could create difficulties for graduates seeking further education, degree equivalence, government employment and professional recognition.
He said students should have been assured that their qualifications would retain their disciplinary identity and recognition before the new structure was implemented.
More than 120 students at the campus are facing similar uncertainty, according to Ghimire. He said university autonomy should not be exercised in ways that jeopardise students’ academic rights and professional futures.
Concerns over the university’s decision-making
The controversy has also prompted questions about the process through which the new faculty structure was approved.
Stakeholders have alleged that the reclassification was carried out without sufficient assessment of its potential consequences for students. Some have also questioned the motives behind the decision, although those allegations have not been independently established.
Engineering and management programmes have been at the centre of the dispute.
Lumbini Buddhist University Registrar Indra Kafle has been associated with the university’s executive council since 2013, when he served as campus chief and a council member. During his tenure in that role, the university granted affiliation to an engineering college on November 11, 2015, when Nareshman Bajracharya was vice-chancellor. Global College Kathmandu and other institutions also received affiliation to run management programmes.
Some university officials have questioned the decision to place these programmes under Applied Buddhist Studies, arguing that the classification does not adequately reflect their academic disciplines.
The controversy has also revived concerns over the recognition of qualifications previously issued by the university.
In an earlier case, students who studied tourism management received certificates under the Faculty of Humanities and reportedly encountered difficulties obtaining degree equivalence at foreign universities. The issue prompted them to correspond with the university.
A lecturer at Tribhuvan University also reportedly faced difficulties with promotion after obtaining a doctoral degree from Lumbini Buddhist University and subsequently had to pursue another doctorate.
These past cases have added to concerns among students about whether the latest restructuring could create similar problems.
Registrar says the transcripts can be corrected
Registrar Kafle said the university had implemented the senate’s decision and denied that the change would create lasting problems for students.
He described the discrepancy in the transcripts as a technical error that could be corrected.
“It is a technical error. Students will not face problems, and the transcripts can be corrected,” Kafle said.
However, students and campus representatives say the issue extends beyond correcting the wording on individual transcripts. They want clear assurances about the legal status, equivalence and professional recognition of degrees issued under the revised faculty structure.
Debate over the university’s future
The dispute comes amid broader debate over amendments to the Lumbini Buddhist University Act, 2006.
The government amended the law through an ordinance, giving preference to postgraduate or doctoral qualifications in Buddhist studies when determining eligibility for university officeholders.
Ghimire argued that placing engineering, management and other professional programmes under Applied Buddhist Studies could create a mismatch between the government’s stated policy and the university’s academic classification.
He said the broad classification could allow graduates from disciplines such as engineering, law or management to fall within the category associated with applied Buddhist studies, raising questions about the intended qualifications for university leadership positions.
Stakeholders have also claimed that senior Education Ministry officials were involved in the senate decision.
A former university official, meanwhile, accused the current government of weakening plans developed by previous university leadership to expand the institution across Lumbini, Butwal and Devdaha.
According to the former official, earlier plans envisioned a larger university with three deans and the capacity to attract thousands of international students, including Chinese students, to Devdaha. The official warned that changes to the university’s structure and legal framework could undermine a project involving billions of rupees in investment.
The official called for stakeholders to pay greater attention to the future of the Devdaha project.
For students, however, the immediate concern remains whether the faculty name appearing on their transcripts will affect their eligibility for further studies, government service, promotions and professional recognition. They are seeking clear answers from the university and the Education Ministry before the uncertainty affects their careers.
