|
DATE
|
EVENTS
AND PROCESSES
|
|
1968
|
Lumle
established by Ministry of Defence to reintegrate Gurkhas
into rural areas
|
|
1972
|
Pakhribas
established by Ministry of Defence to rehabilitate Gurkhas
|
|
1975
|
Responsibility
for Lumle and Pakhribas handed over to ODA as Gurkha rehabilitation
but broadened to include all farmers in surrounding areas,
started training then added an extension component
|
|
Early
‘80s
|
Centre
priorities: research, extension and training.
|
|
1982
& 1986
|
UK
government tried to negotiate hand over of the stations to
the Government of Nepal without success
|
|
1986
|
Research
component became more important, scientists sent to UK for
postgraduate degrees
|
|
1989
|
Technical
integration of Lumle and Pakhribas into NARS
|
|
1990
|
Pakhribas
extension activities handed over to the Department of Agriculture
and KHARDEP
|
|
1991-2
|
Annual
expenditure for each centre peaks at £1.5 million with up
to 20 scientists abroad for further education.
|
|
1993
|
SEADD
(South East Asia Development Division - UK Overseas Development
Administration) initiate consultation with LAC (Lumle Agricultural
Centre) and PAC (Pakhribas Agricultural Centre) staff on vision
and options for future (all options proposed: hand-over, privatisation,
international centres… Integration into NARC was deemed a
low priority)
|
|
1994
|
Bebbington
visits: long term (10 year) hand-over period envisaged
|
|
1995
|
Lumle
extension activities handed over to Department of Agriculture.
Negotiations
began for next phase of hand-over.
August
workshop on future of research stations: hand-over period
reduced to 5 years with agreement between HMGN (His Majesty's
Government of Nepal) and SEADD; staff compensation package
proposed by staff but not accepted by SEADD.
December
workshop with LAC and PAC staff: SEADD took strategic decision
that the centres had to be reduced in size to be ready for
hand-over to the Nepali government. 2 year hand-over imposed
by UK Overseas Development Administration in package including
establishment of a competitive funding system. August workshop
proposals totally overridden. New proposals never formally
agreed by HMGN or NARC.
|
|
1996
|
January-May:
HARP formulated and approved to facilitate hand-over and provide
alternative funding arrangement for Nepal’s research system.
Abington appointed to manage HARP In March.
- Staffing
levels to be halved at PAC and LAC by July 1996;
- Hand-over
of PAC and LAC be complete by July 1998;
- Competitive
fund to be established by July 1998;
Staff
reduction process completed rapidly with severance package
offered as part of phase-in of HARP. Most ex-Gurkhas left
centres.
|
|
1996-98
|
Negotiations
between Lumle and Pakhribas and NARC focused on staffing issues
and NARC recognition of staff qualifications as otherwise
few would be eligible to remain.
Staffing
levels at PAC and LAC agreed to remain around 150 scientists/technical
support staff for each, but:
- January
1998: NARC agreed 146 staff (LAC) and 145 staff (PAC) and
agreed to recognise qualifications of existing staff and
ex-Gurkhas;
- March
1998: NARC unilaterally reduced staffing to 120 (LAC) and
119 (PAC);
- NARC
unilaterally ignored agreement on qualifications in recruitment
process and ex-Gurkhas excluded.
|
|
early
1998
|
- Senior
staff left the two stations in large numbers. Many joined
NGOs and international development agencies.
- Junior
staff left as they did not have the entry qualifications
required by NARC
|
|
July
1998
|
Hand-over
of LAC and PAC completed on time with staffing levels very
much reduced. HARP continued to support and pay for nearly
50% of staff at both Centres.
Nepali
Lumle Director-Designate assigned greater degree of autonomy
in last two months to manage the station with the assistance
of the sitting Director than the Director-Designate for Pakhribas.
|
|
Aug
- Sept 1998
|
UK
Ex-Directors of PAC and LAC leave
|
|
1998
|
HRP
launched: originally confined to only 5 NARC research stations.
|
|
Jan
1999
|
HRP
opened up - with NARC’s agreement the NARC centres eligible
to bid for HRP projects was increased by 5 to include fisheries,
goat, ginger, temperate pastures and horticultural research
in the hills.
|
|
Feb
1999
|
Second
UK Output to Purpose Review Team recommend opening HRP to
all-comers, including non-NARC actors’. This included all
NARC hill stations, commodity programmes etc. This was done
in agreement with senior NARC management. Subsequently, new
NARC management team voiced opposition.
|
|
July
1998- Nov 1999
|
NARC
funded staff slowly increased at the research stations under
pressure from DFID/HARP until ultimatum in November 1999.
|
|
March
2000
|
UK
OPR Team recommended extension of HARP until 2004, or to completion
of projects funded under 2000 call for proposals, subject
to conditionality.
|
