The higher education system in Nepal has witnessed major achievements and challenges in the past few decades. This paper takes stock of the way the system has evolved and is now mismanaged, with a particular attention to the overall structure, financial management, quality control, and human resources that are central to fulfilling its societal promise. Given that these challenges have been a by-product of an evolving process of policy formation drawing from both global forces and local contexts, this analysis explains how the country has arrived at the current policy of “reluctant privatization” using path dependence and Advocacy Coalition Framework. Whereas the Government of Nepal is at a crossroads in reforming higher education, the insights from this analysis help students, researchers, and policymakers better understand the stakes involved and the potential fault lines that have occurred in its evolving historical context.

在过去的几十年里，尼泊尔的高等教育体系见证了重大成就和挑战。本文评估了该系统的演变方式和现在管理不善的方式，特别关注对实现其社会承诺至关重要的整体结构、财务管理、质量控制和人力资源。鉴于这些挑战是借鉴全球力量和当地背景的不断演变的政策形成过程的副产品，本分析解释了该国如何使用路径依赖和倡导联盟框架实现当前的“不情愿私有化”政策. 尽管尼泊尔政府正处于高等教育改革的十字路口，但该分析的见解有助于学生、研究人员、