Tribhuvan University has started Labour studies at the masters level under the Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities. The programme has started for the first time in Nepal
The Program Coordinator, Mr.Keshav Prasad Adhikari said the program was implemented after a year of hard work in the planning of the new curriculum design. He added that they have conducted a need assessment of whether the labour studies should come as a discipline by itself and can be taught as a university curriculum. The programme was terminated after several stages of discussion with various stakeholders.
The course was eventually approved after interactions with academics such as the Chinese Labour Relations University, Global Labour University, the international network of trade unions, the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung, the ILO [International Labour Organization] and universities like the University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa; University of Kassel, Germany; and Jawaharlal Nehru University, India.
Adhikari mentioned that the experts from these universities appreciated and supported the original document and advised to implement the program. The curriculum may be revised in a future timeframe, if necessary.
In the four semester-long programs, topics like labour economics, labour sociology, labour law, labour migration, labour diplomacy and labour rights are important for the sector. The program total credit includes 63 credit hours.
Labour experts have welcomed the arrival of labour studies as a formal discipline at the university.
A labour and migration researcher, Swarna Kumar Jha said there was a need for formal training in labour studies as the labour sector itself is an important issue in the country. The formal training in this field will not only help to produce more labour-related specialists, but it will also help the bureaucracy in the long run.
Jha added that the Public Service Commission may refer to labour studies as criteria when it opens up space for labour related government agencies. Training in labour studies will improve the ability to deal better with labour-related issues.
Source: TKP
