Kathmandu, Jan 3 (RSS): In view of waning level of interest among students towards the study of History in the recent years, the oldest university of the country, Tribhuvan University (TU), has come up with schemes to encourage students in studying the subject in its campuses. At an interaction programme organized here today by TU's Central Department of History titled 'Teaching and Learning of History Subject in Present', scholars pressed for the need to lure students towards this subject. In connection to that, the oldest university in the country has announced that scholarships would be awarded to those willing to study history. Earlier this subject was taught in TU-affiliated colleges throughout the country but only Central College at TU is running classes in History of late.
Dean of Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences at TU, Prof Dr Shivalal Bhusal opined that the decreasing number of history students was due to inability to make them understand the importance of this subject. Dr Bhusal said, "Students lately prefer to take up job-oriented subjects due to which attraction towards old subjects like history among students was on the wane." He further said that students would be hugely attracted to History if its significance was increased in sectors like politics, government services and social sectors among others." Dean Bhusal viewed that although history was an old subject and losing its charm among the students; its importance had not decreased yet.
On the onset of semester system in TU, there were seven students studying this subject in TU which has come to nil in the last academic year. A total of five students have enrolled with history as their major subject in the new academic session. Prof Dr Bhusal shared that charm of other subjects such as geography, culture, Buddhism and linguistic were also on the wane lately. There were negligible students for geography subject in 2073 BS.
Chief of Department of History, Shanker Thapa, said that different programmes has been mooted to attract students such as option of morning shift, scholarship to students having poor financial status and exposure to participating in programmes of academic importance. He said that the students have been attracted by revising the curriculum as per the demand. Thapa said, "Attraction towards History subject is decreasing in the world, not only in Nepal. Now students should be attracted towards history subject and it should be made in order to make contribution in society." Saying many researches are carried out in history subject, Thapa said removing the history related issues from its curriculum by Public Service Commission is one of the reasons behind the less number of students in history subject.
Former Dean of Humanities Faculty, Prof Triratna Manandhar, said that subjects like history were at risk of removal from the academic calendar after introducing new subjects without any study and research.
Similarly, former Chief of the Department, Tirtha Prasad Mishra, said that there was a negative attitude in the society towards the history subject as he elaborated that many acknowledged history to be fabricated accounts of the rulers rather than a recollection of important past events.
- Sharad Sharma
