--TC Correspondent
Established in 1999 in Pokhara, Nepal Tourism and Hotel Management College (NTHMC), is the first colleges to offer Bachelor of Hotel Management (BHM) and Bachelor of Travel and Tourism Management (BTTM) programmes in Nepal. The college is affiliated to Pokhara University. According to Ashok Palikhe, Chairman of the college, students from NTHMC have been employed in foreign countries such as USA, Netherlands, France, Singapore, among other countries. “The students are earning Rs 200,000 per month,” he claims and says that the college has availed the BHM degree in Nepal as students otherwise had to go abroad to get the degree. The college has been focusing on imparting quality education rather than a profit-oriented one, according to Palikhe. “We have been working on developing Pokhara as the tourism, education and health capital of Nepal.”
The college-owned building covers 13,000 square feet of area in its campus that sprawls across 22 ropanis of land. The college boasts state-of-the-art equipment and lab facilities. The company has a general body of 140 personnel, most of them scions of top leading business houses of Pokhara such as the Laxmi House, Gosheli house, Gandaki noodles, Pokharahomes, and Machapucchre bank. The college is also equipped with modern infrastructure such as 4 training labs, 1 seminar hall, computer labs and basketball court. The college also takes its students to countries like India, Malaysia and Dubai for educational excursions that help them acquire practical knowledge.
“We have been attempting to deliver an education that focuses on the knowledge, skills and attributes required to build high competency among students,” says Palikhe. Experts from various countries like the USA, Switzerland and Netherlands provide training to students time and again. The college also offers scholarships to 2 students from the Higher Secondary Education Board (HSEB) and 4 students from Pokhara University. “We also provide full scholarships to students scoring high marks each semester,” says Ramkailsh Bichha, Principal of NTHMC.
The college offers 10+2 education in Hotel Management as well as 4 years Bachelor Degree in Hotel Management courses whereas the city campus (Business Management Center) offers BBA and BBA-BI (Banking & Insurance) courses. The teaching and learning of BBA and BBA-BI are focused on the theory and practice of Business Management that enhance students’ ability to compete in the job market as managers.
“Attraction of students toward hotel management and tourism have been increasing recently as hundreds of students get enrolled in the BHM course,” says Palikhe.
