Nepal, Feb. 16 -- With more than 30 years of experience, Jamil Salmi is a specialist in higher education policy who has collaborated with numerous governments, universities and international organisations around the world. He's a former World Bank Coordinator of Tertiary Education and has worked in more than 90 countries. Salmi was in Nepal recently to attend the commencement ceremony of Madan Bhandari University of Science and Technology (MBUST), where he participated as a guest speaker.

The Post's Aarya Chand sat with Salmi to discuss why higher education should be central to Nepal's development strategy and what lessons the country can learn from others when it comes to strengthening its universities. Excerpts.

How do you see the cur...