The Honorable Minister of Education, Science and Technology and the Chairperson of Council for Technical Education and Vocational Training (CTEVT), Ms. Bidya Bhattarai, visited the CTEVT central office in Sanothimi, Bhaktapur on July 18, 2024. She was welcomed by the Member Secretary of CTEVT, Er. Mahesh Bhattarai. A welcome program was organized in the CTEVT office. It was the Honorable Minister’s first visit to CTEVT after she assumed the position of Minister of Education, Science, and Technology on July 15, 2024.

Speaking at the program, the Honorable Minister stated, “The primary function of CTEVT is to develop the technical workforce needed for the country”. She stressed that Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) should be linked with skill development, knowledge generation, and employment creation. The Honorable Minister highlighted the necessity for a new TVET Act to make CTEVT more functional in the context of federalization. She urged that an Organization and Management (O&M) Survey be conducted as soon as possible. In addition, she directed the CTEVT team to conduct impact assessments and program evaluation along with student cost analyses. She expressed concerns about decreasing student enrollment despite an increase in the number of institutes.

In the program, the Secretary of MoEST, Dr. Deepak Kafle, elaborated on the context of establishing CTEVT and referenced the National Education Commission Report (1992), which highlighted the need for CTEVT and its functions in a separate chapter. Dr. Kafle stated that CTEVT has two major functions: providing employment-oriented technical education and delivering training and certification of skilled individuals. The secretary emphasized that CTEVT is the main body responsible for preparing the basic and mid-level technical workforce required for the nation. With the emergence of the private sector in TVET, he said, CTEVT has become more of an affiliation provider, but it should not derail from its main track. He stated that the staff recruitment process has been initiated in coordination with the ministry, although the employees have not yet been adjusted to the federal structure. He underscored the need for the new TVET Act, which has already been drafted in consultation with stakeholders and needs to be passed as soon as possible. He said that there are problems within every kind of organization, but it is our duty to resolve them. He assured that the ministry is ready to address policy and implementation issues of CTEVT.

During the program, Er. Mahesh Bhattarai, the Member Secretary of CTEVT, presented the status, progress, and issues of CTEVT. The welcome program was attended by joint secretaries of MoEST, directors of CTEVT, and representatives from trade unions at CTEVT. The program was facilitated by Mr. Nava Raj Koirala, Director of the Admin Division at CTEVT.