Equivalency Certificate Issuance Delayed Due to Pending Regulations
Kathmandu. The determination of equivalency for higher education degrees is likely to be affected for some more time. Students are facing the compulsion to wait for some more time to obtain equivalency certificates as the equivalency determination regulation has not been approved by the Ministry of Education. The work related to equivalency has been stalled for the past 5 days. The work of determining equivalency, which was previously done by the Tribhuvan University Curriculum Development Center, has been handed over to the University Grants Commission by the government.
According to the commission, arrangements have been made to apply online for equivalency determination of educational degrees obtained from foreign universities or equivalent educational institutions starting tomorrow, Wednesday. Educational certificates of service recipients who have obtained degrees from domestic and foreign universities and educational institutions are recognized and equivalency is granted. As per the 'Regulation on Degree Recognition and Equivalency, 2081', 'equivalency' means the process of recognizing degrees from domestic and foreign universities or educational institutions as equivalent to degrees in educational programs conducted under Tribhuvan University.
Doolraj Chimariya, Deputy Director at the University Grants Commission's University Coordination Division, stated that certificates can only be issued after the regulation is approved. Chimariya said, 'Applications can be submitted online from tomorrow, Wednesday, for the determination of equivalency of educational degrees obtained from foreign universities or equivalent educational institutions. We will receive students' documents online. To ensure that no one faces problems due to equivalency, we will prepare letters for applicants who have received all necessary documents and provide certificates after the regulation is approved. When determining equivalency, it is examined whether the curriculum of the university studied by the student matches the Nepali university system.'
Although the commission sent the regulation to the Ministry of Education for approval, it has not been approved yet. In the past, about two hundred students used to visit the Tribhuvan University Curriculum Development Center daily for equivalency. When determining educational equivalency, the structure and level of the curriculum of foreign universities are technically studied and analyzed to see if they match the curriculum and credit evaluation system of Nepali universities.
How to Obtain Equivalency Certificate Online
According to the commission, service recipients will have to apply online in the designated field. Then, the required documents will have to be uploaded. First, it will be checked under which cluster the application falls, for which a cluster committee has been formed. The designated representatives of this committee will review the details.
After the details are thoroughly checked and found to be correct, they will be approved, and if the documents are insufficient, they will have to be resubmitted. Arrangements have been made to correct the uploaded details online if they are not correct. Once all details and documents are correct, the application will be approved, and the equivalency certificate can be printed and obtained online.
As per the government's decision, the responsibility of determining the equivalency of foreign educational degrees has been assigned to the University Grants Commission from July 1st. Accordingly, the commission has clarified that the online application process is about to begin after completing the preparatory and necessary technical work. Students and stakeholders interested in equivalency can apply online through the commission's website.
This service will be available to applicants who have obtained educational certificates from domestic and foreign universities or educational institutions recognized as equivalent to universities, other than Tribhuvan University. Arrangements have been made to recognize or grant equivalency to certificates obtained from educational institutions operated with the approval of the authorized regulatory body of the respective country.
For equivalency, a certificate of the level for which recognition is sought and the level below it is required. For this, the original certificate issued by the concerned university or educational institution must be submitted. In the absence of a convocation ceremony, a provisional certificate for up to 5 years, or in the case of universities that do not issue transcripts, a copy of the marksheet and character certificate must be submitted. For degrees obtained through open and distance learning, an official letter from the concerned university must also be submitted.
Equivalency Certificate Will Be Sent by Courier
Arrangements have been made to provide equivalency certificates by courier for service recipients who find it difficult to come to the commission's office. Deputy Director Chimariya of the commission said, 'For service recipients in the far west of Nepal or abroad, if their equivalency is approved, the hard copy of the certificate will be sent by courier to their location. Additionally, the certificate can also be downloaded and printed online.'
The Tribhuvan University Curriculum Development Center has completely stopped determining the equivalency of higher education degrees, a task it had been performing for a long time. The center issued a notice on June 32, stating that this decision was made following the amendment to Section 6 of the 'University Grants Commission Act, 2050' as per Section 28 of the 'Some Nepal Acts Amendment Act, 2082'.
According to the new legal provision, the entire responsibility of determining higher education degree equivalency has now been entrusted to the University Grants Commission. The notice mentioned that students and stakeholders wishing to apply for equivalency determination on or after July 1st should contact the commission. Previously, the Tribhuvan University Curriculum Development Center had revoked the equivalency of 114 Nepali students who had obtained degrees from foreign universities.
This specific news has been automatically translated by AI. As a result, there may be some inaccuracies or language errors.
