Glocal, THE sign MoU to boost Nepali higher education

JAKARTA, INDONESIA: Glocal and Times Higher Education (THE) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) at the Global Sustainable Development Congress 2026 in Jakarta. The MoU establishes a strategic collaboration to strengthen Nepal’s higher education sector and expand its international engagement.

The MoU was signed by Asish Thakur, chairman of Glocal, and Mei Mei Lim, president for APAC at THE. Under the partnership, THE will provide expertise in higher education intelligence, rankings, impact assessment, policy advisory and institutional development. At the same time, Glocal will contribute experience in education, youth development, skills ecosystems and stakeholder engagement across Nepal and South Asia.

The collaboration will support Nepali universities and government institutions in improving quality, raising international visibility, benchmarking performance, measuring impact and planning strategic development. Both organisations said they will also work to promote Nepal as an international education destination and to attract greater academic engagement from abroad.

Speaking after the signing, Thakur said, “Nepal’s higher education sector is entering an important phase of transformation. We believe meaningful progress requires stronger international collaboration, access to global expertise, and the ability to connect local aspirations with global opportunities. Through this partnership with Times Higher Education, we hope to contribute towards strengthening Nepal’s universities, advancing the Study in Nepal movement, and creating new pathways for institutional growth, innovation, and international engagement.”

Mei Mei Lim welcomed the partnership and highlighted the importance of engaging emerging higher education markets across the Asia‑Pacific region. She said THE looks forward to working with Glocal to support institutional excellence, international collaboration, capacity development and greater global visibility for Nepal’s higher education sector, and to build stronger links among universities, governments, industry and global knowledge networks.

Glocal and THE said that the planned initiatives will target strengthening the higher education system, workforce development, employability, institutional transformation, skills ecosystems, and policy innovation. The organisations pointed to prior collaborations and international dialogues as a foundation for joint efforts to showcase Nepal’s academic strengths and expand transnational education in South Asia.

Glocal is a Nepal-based organisation active in education, employability, skills development, entrepreneurship and youth engagement through programmes such as Glocal Teen Hero, Skill Week and Glocal After School. Likewise, Times Higher Education (THE) is a global provider of higher education data, rankings and insights that advises universities and governments on improving performance and impact.