The enrollment of students in agricultural studies at the Agriculture and Forestry University (AFU) has witnessed an increase. In the preceding academic session, one of the extension campuses experienced no enrollments; however, this year, students have gained admission.
The number of students participating in entrance exams for academic studies has risen compared to the previous year. Despite capacity limitations on both the central and affiliated campuses of the university, a considerable number of students engage in the entrance exams. Prof. Dr. Arjun Kumar Shrestha, the Dean of the Agricultural Association, disclosed that this year, 560 students have been enrolled across nine campuses, as opposed to 426 students in the previous academic session of 2079.
In the previous year, there were no students enrolled in the Natural Resource Management College at Dullu in Dailekh, a constituent campus of the university. However, this year, 30 students have been admitted. With the exception of Dullu, all campuses have admitted students according to their allocated quotas.
The central campus in Rampur has a quota of 162 students. Constituent campuses situated at Marin in Sindhuli, Bardibas in Mahottari, Pakhribas in Dhankuta, Puranchaur in Kaski, Tikapur in Kailali, and Dullu in Dailekh each have a quota of 54 students. Additionally, Manichaur in Rolpa and Khajura in Banke have quotas of 49 students each.
Likewise, affiliated private campuses such as Purbanchal Agricultural Campus, Nitika Agricultural Cooperative in Itahari, Himchhaya College Gaindakot, Ramnagar Technical College Nawalparasi, Valley Krishi Campus Lalitpur, Gorkha Polytechnic and Research Center Kohalpur in Banke, and Bright Midwest Agricultural College in Surkhet each have a quota of 50 students.
Shrestha mentioned that although some campuses did not admit students in the last academic session, several campuses have enrolled students this year. Historically, up to 4,500 students applied for a Bachelor of Agriculture in the Faculty of Agriculture at the university. However, this year, the number decreased gradually, with only 1,550 applicants. Among them, 1,365 passed the entrance exam, and all three students have been successfully enrolled.
In the previous academic session, out of 1,523 applicants, only 753 passed, while the preceding year saw 800 passers out of 1,700 applicants. The current academic session has witnessed a higher number of students passing.
There are 35 campuses across seven universities offering a Bachelor of Agriculture, with 16 campuses affiliated with the University of Agriculture and the rest with other universities. Prof. Dr. Punya Prasad Regmi, the Vice-Chancellor of the university, attributes the increased enrollment to policy reforms, the timely conduct of entrance exams, and positive publicity. He notes that the implementation of a new curriculum starting this academic session has enhanced student attraction, and the simultaneous commencement of studies and examinations across all departments, as per the academic calendar, has contributed to the rise in student enrollment. The decrease in university strikes has also played a role in this positive trend.
