Kathmandu, January 27

All Nepal National Independent Students’ Union-Revolutionary affiliated to the Unified CPN-Maoist today handed over a 15-point memorandum to Vice Chancellor of Tribhuvan University Prof Tirtha Khaniya.

A delegation of ANNISU-R cadres led by its president Ramesh Malla today met with VC Prof Khaniya to draw his attention towards the existing problems in the varsity. They urged him to conduct Free Students’ Union polls, which have not been held for the last seven years, without any delay.

“It is the responsibility of the varsity to create an environment for conducting FSU polls in its constituent and affiliate campuses as per the academic calendar,” he Malla, adding, “TU is a central university. We want organisational representation of all student unions in the TU Senate.” The union has demanded that the TU scrap the decision to increase annual fee by 10 per cent and make provisions for health insurance of each student.

Malla said that the union has urged the varsity to develop and expand technical and vocational education outside the Valley and conduct all kinds of research on policy only through the university.

The union has also demanded concrete action plan for the expansion of constituent campuses, improvement in the quality of education, cancellation of advertisement for internal competition of teachers for permanent status, timely amendment to the curriculum of the varsity, expansion of research programmes, implementation of the 12-point agreement reached between the student unions and the varsity in the past, guarantee of right to education and scholarship to targeted groups, among other things.

Prof Khaniya said the demands and concerns put forth by the students were genuine.