Role of higher education in poverty reduction: A case study of Tribhuvan University, Nepal

ABSTRACT The given study examines the role played by higher education in the development and prosperity of society. The study unfolds the perceptions of students, scholars and members of academia about the contribution of education in the reduction of poverty. Furthermore, it concentrates on activities and challenges in higher education from the perspective of poverty reduction. This study delivers an understanding of the correlation between higher education and the poverty issue. The study employs a qualitative approach and a case study research design to collect detailed information on higher education’s role in poverty reduction. Semi-structured interviews are conducted to obtain views of students, faculty members and the academic leadership regarding higher education’s contribution to reduce poverty. Furthermore, the study also analyzes relevant official documents. The result of the study demonstrates a positive correlation between higher education and poverty reduction since it expands skills and creates employment opportunities. The research reveals that investment in higher education promotes human capital and produces good researchers who can study the reasons of poverty and try to find out the possible solutions. However, irrelevant university curricula, which seemed more theoretical than practical, created a gap between labor market and university graduates. The findings revealed that the gap can be reduced by introducing appropriate curricula and balancing practical cum theoretical knowledge. The results also indicate that different activities (mobilization of local people, utilization of local raw material, advocacy for society, collaboration with agencies, workshops, seminars and research) can be conducted related to poverty reduction. However, there are several challenges such as lack of proper platform, insufficient budget, social trust etc to conduct those activities and political instability is one of the main challenges