Himalayan News Service

Lalitpur, January 16

Speakers at the National Dissemination Seminar on Curriculum for Strengthening National Capacity in Population and Gender Teaching, Training and Researcha programme today stressed the need for a proper curriculum for population, gender and development studies in order to strengthen the national capacity. "Greater challenges will be faced by teachers as the introduction of this course would involve students in developing rural parts of the nation,"said Toran Bahadur Karki, vice chancellor of Purbanchal University . He hoped that the Centre for Population Research and Training (CPRT) would introduces more such courses.

Tribhuvan University (TU), Purbanchal University (PU) and Pokhara University in collaboration with UNFPA organised the seminar. Dr Shankar Prasad Sharma, vice chairman, National Planning Commission was chief guest and inaugurated the programme.

Dr Purushottam Banskota, vice chancellor of Pokhara University opined that the introduction of Population, Gender Development Studies would help in poverty eradication. Mohan Bahadur Karki, Secretary, Ministry of Population and Education applauded the exercise. The seminar was about introducing three new diploma courses by all the universities. The UN would contribute to developing productivity. After finalising the curriculum, TU would introduce a 30-day long training on Population, Gender and Development, Pokhara University and PU would introduce Masters degree in Population and Development for one and two years respectively.