Under-representation is a major problem with the scientific community in Nepal because bureaucrats occupy their places. On numerous occasions, even non-political appointments in Nepal have acquired political colour. The existing scientific institutions are rife with bureaucratic red tapism, inaction, tardiness, lack of ingenuity, wilful neglect and indifference. How many useful researches were carried in recent years by the scientists at the Royal Nepal Academy of Science and Technology exclusively under its banner? When was the last time a good scientific paper of a groundbreaking nature was published in a prestigious international scientific paper courtsey RONAST? If sorry is the state of affairs of the domestic scientific community, a national Scientific and Technological Council with a huge corpus of staff body dominated by bureaucrats is being suggested.

It is a simple matter that academics and sciences are for academicians and scientists. There is no denying that a few administrative aspects will warrant the inclusion of some non-academic staff. But they cannot be involved in core matters of scientific policies and setting the direction for the nation’s future scientific trajectory. A technical council like the one mooted, therefore, is an exclusive domain of the scientists where there should be no room for bureaucrats to bog the institution down with their jaded ideas. The mantle of the Council must be borne by a scientist who has a proven track record of excellence, aptitude and someone with a vision for the orientation of scientific frontier from several planes. All that, of course, only if there is a need for such a Council in the first place. Even before the Council has taken sh-ape, bickering over who should be included has started. The rat race like that one is best left to politicians. Hard work, aptitude, ingenuity and brilliance alone must be the yardstick for science.

Unfortunately, Nepal has seen such science ministers as those who had no idea of the basic scientific concepts. It is an irony such ministers and officials talk about stopping brain drain without having so much as an inkling that bright students cannot look forward to stay back without underperforming or simply fading into oblivion in the absence of the official will and resources for attaining the discipline’s advancement. Even the most incorrigible optimist has been bogged down by bureaucracy. To make the task easy and approachable, the portfolios for different posts must be worked out among scientists alone. They are the best persons to know the breadth and scope of new scientific policies for the advancement of technology. A bureaucrat has no place in what is a purely an academic matter. To this end, the latter can safely stay away from the Council.