Dadeldhura, March 6

Political meddling is taking a heavy toll on Dadeldhura Education Campus at Dadeldhura headquarters Baghkhor.

Tribhuvan University had issued directive to all its constituent campuses to appoint staffers working on daily wage basis on contract some time back.

With the directive, the campus had forwarded the appointment process inviting political pressure. The political pressure and interference have halted classes for the last few days.

More than 5,000 students from Baitadi, Darchula, Bajhang, Doti, Achham and Dadeldhura are studying at the campus.

Free Students Union President Bipin Ojha said that political meddling had adversely affected classes. “It is wrong to play with students’ future on the row over employees’ appointment,” said Ojha.

Ojha said that the trend of appointing anyone ranging from Campus Chief to the staff on the ground of political quota sharing had been aggravating the situation of the college for the past five years.

“In the first few years, the admission ratio was good, the enrolment, however, has dropped with political meddling”, Ojha said.

Sabitri Khadka, a B Ed student from Baitadi complained that unnecessary political interference had disrupted classes almost on a daily basis. “My classes have been disrupted from the first year itself. I do not know how I am going to pass the exam”, Khadka wondered.

BEd first year student Khemraj Awasthi complained that political intervention had hit classes. “Classes are held less and agitation takes place most of the time. We may not be even be able to fill in the exam if the situation persists,” Awasthi said.

Campus Chief Netra Prasad Paneru, however, claimed that appointment of staff was going in a transparent manner. “Political interference is obviously there. But, we are trying to hire the staffers independently,” Paneru said.

With the row over staff appointment lingering, four student unions including All Nepal National Free Students’ Union, All Nepal Independent Students’ Union (Revolutionary) padlocked the campus administration and Campus Chief’s office today.

They warned they would not allowing classes to resume unless the staffers were appointed in a transparent manner.