Strengthening Academic Capacity in Physiotherapy Education in Nepal

Collaboration between Kathmandu Medical College (KMC) and Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Trondheim, Norway, funded by the NORAD under the Norwegian Programme for Capacity Development in Higher Education and Research for Development (NORHED) II Grant.

Project Leader: Prof. Dr. Sunil Kumar Joshi, Head of Department of Community Medicine

To contribute to the strengthening of the institutional capacity and performance of higher education institutions (HEIs) in the South to deliver quality education and research, KMC has the role as partner institution and is committed to the implementation of this project in order to build capacity in physiotherapy education in Nepal by:

• Reforming of the curriculum for a new Bachelors’ program in physiotherapy that qualifies for general clinical practice in physiotherapy and for admission to MSc level studies.
• Increasing the pedagogic and supervisory skill in the academic staff at the Bachelor program in Physiotherapy.
• Increasing the academic level in the faculty at the Bachelor program of Physiotherapy by giving one of the academic staff the opportunity to enroll into a PhD program.
• Establishing online teaching–learning solutions.
• Establishing a quality development system for audit and continuous follow-up of the master program.
• Working for inclusion and equality by providing scholarships for students from disadvantaged groups.

Mr. Prakash Mahto, a senior physiotherapist at the Kathmandu Medical College, has been recommended for the PhD enrollment under this project funding with the research title: “Chronic nonspecific low back pain in rural and urban Nepalese population”.