Science and technology in Nepal

Science and technology in Nepal, shortly S&T in Nepal, encompass the development and challenges of scientific research and technological innovation in Nepal, and how these developments, in turn, affect Nepali society, politics, and culture. Science and technology are small but emerging fields in Nepal. The Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment is the apex body tasked with the responsibility of overseeing the development of science and technology in the country.

An underdeveloped country, Nepal is plagued with problems like poverty, illiteracy, unemployment, and the like. Consequently, science and technology have invariably lagged behind in the priority list of the government. On the other hand, citing poor university education at home, tens of thousands Nepali students leave the country every year, with half of them never returning.^[1][2] These factors have been huge deterrents to the development of science and technology in Nepal.

History

Ancient kingdoms that existed in the Kathmandu valley are found to have made use of some clever technologies in numerous areas such as architecture, agriculture, civil engineering, water management, etc. The Gopals and Abhirs, who ruled the valley up until c. 1000 BC, used temporary materials for construction such as bamboo, hay, timber, etc. The Kirat period (700 BC – 110 AD) employed the technology of brick firing as well as produced quality woolen shawls. Similarly, stupas, idols, canals, self-recharging ponds, reservoirs, etc. constructed during the Lichhavi era (110 AD – 879 AD) are intact to this day, which manifests the ingenuity of traditional architecture. Moreover, the Malla period (1200 AD – 1768 AD) saw an impressive growth in architecture, on par with the advanced contemporary nations. An archetypal example of Malla architecture is Nyatapola, a five-storied, 30-meter tall temple in Bhaktapur that has strangely survived at least four major earthquakes, including the April 2015 Nepal earthquake.^[3]

Nepal was a late entrant into the modern world of science and technology. Nepal’s first institution of higher education, Tri-Chandra College, was established by Chandra Shumsher in 1918. The college introduced science at the Intermediate level a year later, marking the genesis of formal science education in the country.^[3] However, the college was not accessible to the general public, but only to a handful of members of the Rana regime. Throughout the Rana regime that lasted for well over a century, Nepal was effectively isolated from the rest of the world. Owing to this isolation, Nepal was relatively untouched by and unfamiliar of social transformations brought about by the British invasion in India and the Industrial Revolution in the West.^[4] However, after the advent of democracy and abolition of Rana regime in 1951, Nepal broke free from the shackles of self-imposed isolation and opened up to the outside world. This opening marked the initiation of S&T activities in the country.^[5]

Research institutions

Some of the eminent scientific research institutions in the country include:^[6]

• Nepal Academy of Science and Technology (NAST)
• Research Centre for Applied Science and Technology (RECAST)
• Centre for Environmental and Agricultural Policy Research (CEAPR)
• Nepal Agricultural Research Council (NARC)

Notable people

Some of the notable Nepali people in the field of science and technology include:

References