The government is all set to initiate the master’s degree program of mountaineering science for the first time in Nepal.
Nepal Mountain Academy, which had earlier started teaching mountaineering at undergraduate and postgraduate levels, is also planning to start teaching the masters levels of mountaineering science.
Uttam Bhattarai, Chief Administrative Officer of the Nepal Mountain Academy, which is under the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, said that it is preparing to implement it from the next academic session.
Bhattarai informed The Rising Nepal that he has started the work of preparing the course under the name “Masters of Mountain and Mountaineering Science” and Tribhuvan University has given approval for conducting the course.
Earlier, the institute had started undergraduate courses in Bachelors of Mountain Studies and Masters of Adventure Tourism.
Although the subject of adventure tourism is taught at the undergraduate level, it is important to study under the concept of studying the mountains, so the science subject is being started, said the Academy.
The course will focus on mountain environment, glaciers, production of materials used in mountains as well as topics related to mountain science.
For the first time in the world, after the approval of the curriculum on September 13, 2018, an arrangement has been made to study up to the post-graduate level in mountaineering.
He had started his undergraduate studies in this subject four years ago.
Ramnath Gyawali, Executive Director of the Academy, said that the study on mountains was not available in other countries and the aim is to make it global.
“As Nepal is a hub of the mountains, it is necessary to conduct studies on mountaineering and adventure tourism,” said Gyawali.
Tribhuvan University has approved the course to study mountaineering and adventure tourism. The government claimed that this is the first such course in the world.
Executive Director Gyawali said that many accidents are witnessed while mountaineering because there is a general belief that the Himalayas are only for mountaineering so climbing the mountain after studying about it is good and also minimizes the risk of accidents.
There is mandatory to study eight-semester at the bachelor’s level and four semesters at the master’s level. However, one needs to climb 7,000 meters and write the thesis on the Himalayas through on-site study in order to finish the study.
One has to study subjects like Core adventure course, adventure tourism operation and management, eco-tourism, contemporary tourism development, Managing protected area of Nepal, Cultural heritage tourism, Adventure tourism and risk, Healthy and safety in adventure tourism, Mountaineering management tourism crisis and disaster management, Tourism innovation, destination Planning, Development Management, Sustainable mountain tourism development, Global mountain and mountaineering event tourism development under the prescribed curriculum.
“As the attraction of youth in mountaineering has been increasing lately, the choice has also increased in studies” said the Academy.
Lately, youths are lured into mountaineering so many youths are now preferring to study mountaineering.
As students from 26 countries and other countries have come in contact and has shown interest in mountaineering so the academy is giving bets effort to bring it to the surface.
Source : THE RISING NEPAL,
