• Government scraps affiliation given to eight private colleges by Agriculture and Forestry University

Kathmandu, August 1 The government has directed all the universities in the country to stop giving affiliation to private colleges until further notice. Speaking at the inauguration of the first meeting of High level National Education Commission, Minister for Education Giriraj Mani Pokhrel today, said that the Cabinet had decided to this effect on July 30. “Government will decide on this matter as per the suggestions of the high-level commission which has already been formed and the human resource projection has begun. We will come up with a detailed report on the criteria and rules that private colleges need to follow, until then no university will be allowed to give affiliation to colleges anymore.” The government has also scrapped the recent decision of the Academic Council of Agriculture and Forestry University at Rampur, Chitwan, to provide affiliation to eight private colleges in the country. Students and teachers of AFU who have been staging sit-ins and halting academic activities continuously for 21 days, are however continuing the protest. They have said their strike will continue until all their demands are fulfilled. Demands like the formation of Agriculture Education Council to monitor education quality in the university and demand for forming a high level commission to suggest new rules and policies regarding the university’s regulation have not been fulfilled yet. Associate professor of the University at Rampur, Ishwori Prasad Kadariya, who has been supporting the protest said, “The government still looks dismissive about taking action against people who breached the rules and gave affiliation to private colleges. We demand action against all those offenders.” The academic council of the university chaired by Vice-chancellor Ishwori Prasad Dhakal had given affiliation to colleges on July 5. Three private colleges in Nawalparasi district and one each in Jhapa, Sunsari, Surkhet, Banke and Lalitpur had received affiliation at once. None of the colleges had met the criteria in terms of human resources and land area required to run a college.