Laxman Poudel Elected President of ECAN

EDUCAST, Laxman Poudel (popularly known as Andrew) has been elected President of the Educational Consultancy Association of Nepal (ECAN).

The election was held on Monday at Alice Reception, Kathmandu, as part of ECAN’s 20th Annual General Meeting and Convention. Poudel secured 341 votes to win the presidential post.

The contest for ECAN leadership saw competition between two major panels led by Laxman Poudel and Deepak Raj Bhusal. For the post of General Secretary, two candidates were in the race: Bhawanath Humagain from the Bhusal panel and Navaraj KC Khatri, Director of SIEC, from the Poudel panel. Bhawanath Humagain emerged victorious.

For the post of Vice President, three candidates were elected: Biklpa Raj Pokharel, Basudev Dahal, and Geeta Siwakoti. Similarly, Suraj Silwal and Ashik Karki were elected as Secretaries from among four contenders. From the Poudel panel, Bhupal KC and LB Tamang had also contested for the secretary positions.

In the Treasurer position, Sadhana Pudasaini was elected. She competed against Uma Khadka from the Bhusal panel. For the post of Joint Treasurer, Govinda Khanal (Bhusal panel) and Bhim Bahadur Thapa (Poudel panel) were the candidates.

A total of 14 candidates contested for nine member positions. Those elected as members are Ashok Kumar Hathi, Anant Raj Ghimire, Bibek Basnet, Damodar Sharma Nyaupane, Sanjeev Pandey, Uddav Ban, Kamal Prasad Timilsina, Basanta Pandey, Dinesh Poudel, and Shiva Prasad Aryal.

Altogether, 34 candidates contested for 18 elected positions in the new executive committee. The election was conducted following the completion of the two-year term of the executive committee led by outgoing President Shesh Raj Bhattarai.

The election featured two panels representing different political affiliations. Poudel was backed by businesspersons close to the Nepali Congress, while Bhusal was supported by businesspersons aligned with the Nepal Communist Party. The Progressive Educational Consultancy Entrepreneurs Association of Nepal (PICAN), affiliated with the CPN-UML, did not field a presidential candidate but supported candidates for vice president, secretary, and three member positions from the Bhusal panel.

ECAN’s executive committee consists of 21 members, including a provision to nominate two additional members. The association has more than 700 member consultancies nationwide, with over 600 members casting their votes in the election. ECAN currently operates through eight regional chapters across Nepal.

ECAN is the umbrella organization of education consultancies in Nepal, representing businesses that provide educational counseling services to students aspiring to pursue higher studies abroad.