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Published On: January 16, 2018 11:03 AM NPT By: Republica

Counselling for Intellectual Growth

Counselling for Intellectual Growth

Dedicated to the field of counseling for more than a decade now, Udhav Khadka, 41, is the Executive Chairperson at Hub International Education, Bagbazar. After completing his Master’s degree in Business Studies from Nepal Commerce Campus in 2001, and began working as an education counselor at Mentor Institute Pvt Ltd, New Baneshwar. He is also one of the board members of Nepalese Association of Australian Education Representatives (NAAER). Khadka was also feted with the Qualified Education Agent Counselor Award in 2012.
My City’s Sonam Lama caught up with Khadka to discuss his progressive journey as an education counselor.

How has the 12 years’ experience been at Hub International?
Prior to working in the field, I ran investments in other companies. However, this field has brought the best out of me. Since the inception of Hub International in 2006, we as a team have grown every year. We started off by providing career counseling and documentation services to Ireland, Australia and the US aspirants before extending our services to the UK, Canada and India. Establishing ourselves in the market was challenging in the initial phase, but with the work efficiency of limited staffs, we were able to provide better services and work infrastructure to numerous students.

The trend of students flying overseas for education is ever increasing because international degrees are 
more saleable 
in Nepal. 

How can the work efficiency of a consultancy be evaluated?
There are certain parameters to determine the work efficiency of any consultancy. The first and foremost thing is to learn about its stability and performance record, and the list of universities that it is affiliated to. However, the responsibility of scrutinizing and scanning consultancies on these bases lies upon the student. Since there are certain rules and regulations that bind consultancies to perform within the legal and ethical frames, it is also important for the students to learn past records before collaborating with any consultancy. 

Why do you think the number of students going abroad is increasing?
Though education system around the globe has become progressive, it is a saddening fact that Nepal still depends on out-dated curriculum. We have not been able to make quality and pragmatic education accessible to students. Moreover, the country’s political instability has been taking a toll, resulting in citizens flying overseas to improve their lifestyle and acquire better education. Since international educational courses and curriculum encourage hands-on as well as pragmatic learning, students highly look forward to abroad study. The trend of students flying overseas for education is ever increasing because international degrees are more saleable in Nepal. 

How does a consultancy’s procedure differ from that of an individual?
It is a smarter approach to apply abroad universities through a systematic procedure in order to meet the required goal. The main objective of educational consultancy is to provide career guidance and counseling at nominal service charge. Since students may not be aware about the educational requirement, policies and procedures of any particular university, consultancies recruit staffers who are employed to get the updates on educational requirements. On this note, consultancies help bridge the gap between universities and students by making the latter aware about the requirements. Students can certainly apply on their own if they have proper information about the requirements of any university, and are updated on the necessary details of visa procedures.

Do you think consultancies are contributing to brain drain?
I believe consultancies are only acting as a firm mediator to lobby and counsel students for better learning. The choice of settling abroad is personal and subjective. With the rise in advanced technology, networking among people has progressed. Amid all the improvements that we have witnessed so far, the younger generations have grown much inquisitive and ambitious in every respect. On the issue of brain drain, we also campaign our students to grow intellectually but return to one’s home country and make proper utilization of one’s learned skills. 
 

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