Kathmandu, Aug. 21 -- When she heard in March that she was accepted for a master's degree in urban management in The Netherlands, Surena Shrestha was ecstatic. Then Covid-19 happened.

Her classes at Erasmus University are scheduled to start in September, there are uncertainties about visa and flights. But the biggest barrier for her and thousands of other Nepali students is the bureaucratic barrier of obtaining a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the Ministry of Education.

"Without the NOC I cannot get the bank to transfer my fees, apply for a visa and buy an air ticket. Which means that my acceptance into the university could lapse," says Shrestha.

The Ministry of Education requires every student going abroad for studies to obtain a...