Perception and Readiness of Graduate Level Students Toward E-Governance Implementation in Nepal: A Study at Far Western University

E-governance which integrates information and communication technologies into governmental processes promises greater transparency, efficiency, and citizen participation. In Nepal, the National ICT Policy and the Digital Nepal Framework illustrate the nation’s digital ambitions, yet end-user readiness among emerging leaders remains underexplored. This descriptive quantitative study surveyed 53 graduate-level students at Far Western University (MA n = 23; M.Ed. n = 19; MBA n = 5; MBS n = 6) to assess five dimensions of e-governance readiness: conceptual awareness, perceptual readiness, behavioral confidence, core ICT competencies, and support/barrier needs. Data were collected via structured questionnaires and analyzed using descriptive statistics. Findings reveal near-universal conceptual awareness, with 98.1% of respondents having heard of e-governance. Perceptual readiness is strong: 79.2% agree and 24.5% strongly agree that e-governance can reduce corruption, while 71.7% agree and 18.9% strongly agree it can improve service delivery. Students prioritize e- governance applications in local government services (79.2%) and education (77.4%), and identify faster service delivery (73.6%) and transparency (71.7%) as top benefits. Behavioral confidence is high, with 92.4% feeling confident or very confident using platforms such as the Nagarik App, although 69.8% report they have not received formal ICT training. Core ICT competencies are robust in internet browsing (90.6%), email/cloud storage (86.8%), and MS Office (83.1%) but lag in online-form handling (77.4%) and digital-security practices (81.1%). When asked about support needs, 47.2% request targeted ICT training and 22.6% call for curriculum integration; they view universities as key to embedding e-governance modules (83.0%) and workshops (56.6%). Key barriers include procedural awareness gaps (66.0%) and poor internet connectivity (58.5%). These insights underscore the necessity of curriculum enhancements, hands-on workshops, procedural guides, and infrastructure investments to cultivate the digitally competent professionals essential for advancing Nepal’s e- governance agenda.