Kirtipur, August 24

Newly appointed Vice Chancellor of Tribhuvan University, Prof Tirtha Khaniya today expressed commitment to revive the goodwill of the country’s first university and make it economically self-sustainable to ensure quality education to all Nepalis.

Soon after the appointment, Prof Khaniya, went to TU in Kirtipur and assumed office today afternoon amid tight security due to the protest of Nepal University Progressive Teachers’ Association.

Professor Khaniya has also been accused of plagiarism. Talking to media after assuming office, he said it was a great opportunity to serve the university, which has produced the country’s renowned leaders, academicians, experts and others.

Prof Dr Khaniya is the 18th VC of TU.

READ ALSO: VCs appointed in four universities

He said, “TU is a public university but it is losing credibility by the day. Thus my first priority will be to develop public faith in public education.” Prof Khaniya said he will talk to the Rector and Registrar of TU to discuss challenges and problems in the varsity and ways to resolve them. “Education is getting expensive across the world and the university needs to make itself self-sustainable to provide quality education free of cost,” he said, adding, “Thus I will be searching for options to make the varsity economically sustainable by identifying potential sources of money that can be used to impart quality education.”

Prof Dr Khaniya was born in Duradanda, Lamjung in December 25, 1951. He migrated to Chitwan when he was eight years old and completed schooling from a local school. Later, he completed his PhD from University of Edinburgh in the United Kingdom in 1990.

He was director of Basic and Primary Education Project, campus chief at Bharatpur-based Birendra Multiple Campus, chief of English Education Department, first vice-chairperson of Higher Secondary Education Board and member of National Planning Commission. “Alumni in a university is a great asset, thus I will take initiative to form such alumni,” he said, stating that if it was formed earlier, it would have been a great help to the university after the April 25 quake.

He also vowed to manage problems of contract and part-time teachers in the varsity and draft a policy and guidelines to select the VC to hand over responsibility in a systematic way to another qualified person after completion of his tenure.

Meanwhile, Prof Bhusan Shrestha, VC, Far-Western University and Prof Ghanashyam Lal Das, VC, Purbanchal University assumed their offices in the Kathmandu contact office due to the padlock by agitating professors aligned to CPN-UML in their universities.