The average pass rate for the Diploma in Engineering program conducted in technical schools and community schools by the Council for Technical Education and Vocational Training (CTEVT) is only 25 percent. The program, managed by the Council and the Center for Education and Human Resource Development, enrolls a total of 36,720 students. According to Dr. Ramhari Lamichhane, former secretary of CTEVT, the low pass rate is attributed to the differences in the curriculum and course load between the program run by the government and similar programs.
CTEVT offers 14 engineering programs in the three-year diploma level, including Civil, Civil Bridge, Mechanical, Biomedical, Biomedical Equipment, Architecture, Automobile, Electrical, Electronics, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning, Electrical and Electronics, Hydropower, Geology, Computer, and IT Engineering.
Lamichhane noted that these diploma engineering programs are run in 72 schools in Koshi, 98 in Madhes, 118 in Bagmati, 36 in Gandaki, 88 in Lumbini, 31 in Karnali, and 40 in Sudurpaschim provinces.
The diploma in engineering programs conducted by the center runs classes from grades 9 to 12. The curriculum includes 1,000 marks, with 400 marks for compulsory subjects (developed by the Curriculum Development Center and sent to the District Education Offices) and 600 marks for technical and vocational education subjects. Students in community schools study the curriculum developed by the center and council.
Lamichhane mentioned the need for consistency in the quality of education, emphasizing that the community schools often lack sufficient teachers and adequate infrastructure. He highlighted the importance of establishing a separate council for the diploma level engineering programs to ensure quality.
Mahesh Bhattarai, the member secretary of CTEVT, highlighted the impact of the government's decision to expand the diploma in engineering programs from grade 9 to 12 on the quality of the CTEVT-run programs. He mentioned the need for additional resources to enhance the quality of the programs and suggested that the Council should be authorized to conduct examinations for diploma-level engineers, just like it does for Bachelor's level engineers.
Shivamangal Giri, the registrar of the Nepal Engineering Council, mentioned that while the Council currently has the authority to conduct license exams for Bachelor's level engineers, the law needs to be amended to allow the Council to conduct exams for diploma-level engineers as well.
The spokesperson for the Ministry of Education, Science, and Technology, Shivprasad Sapkota, explained the decision to pass students who have already passed the university or board exams with distinction. He emphasized that if the university or board's examination is not up to the mark, then an additional examination should be conducted to maintain uniformity in the education system.
