Kathmandu, January 4:

A committee will be formed within three days to recommend candidates for the posts of vice-chancellors of Tribhuvan, Nepal Sanskrit, Purbanchal and Pokhara universities.

This was disclosed by a delegate, who attended a meeting held here today with the aim of expediting the appointment of VCs in the four universities.

The meeting was held between university professors and Minister of State for Information and Communications, Dilendra Prasad Badu, at the Prime Minister’s residence in Baluwatar. The participants agreed to initiate talks with all stakeholders from tomorrow to expedite the appointment of the vice-chancellors.

“We agreed to form a suggestion committee after holding talks with authorities concerned,” professor and president of the Nepal University Teachers’ Association (NUTA), Dr Bhupati Dhakal, told this daily after the meeting. He said the meeting also decided to form a suggestion committee within three days to recommend names for the post of vice-chancellors.

“We also discussed some strategies to expedite the appointment of vice-chancellors,” he said, but refused to disclose the details.

Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala has deputed Badu as a facilitator to solve all educational problems.

Professor Dr Saubhagya Jung Karki and Nepali Congress leader Shekhar Koirala also attended the meeting.

“If we fail to solve the problem even after discussions with stakeholders, we will ask the PM, who is the chancellor of the TU, to take initiatives for the appointment of vice-chancellors,” Professor Dhakal said.

He accused the CPN-UML of hindering the appointment of VCs in the universities. “By provoking its student wing, the CPN-UML is trying to take all the credit. It is putting pressure on the government to appoint a party sympathiser the vice-chancellor of the TU,” said Prof Dhakal.

TU staff to boycott exams

Kathmandu: The Tribhuvan University Employees Association (TUEA) on Thursday announced that they would boycott the ongoing TU Masters’ level examinations from tomorrow. Shambhu Prasad Bhattarai, president of TUEA, said the employees would not perform duties to conduct any of the TU examinations conducted from tomorrow unless their demands were met.

Generally, the TU employees are posted as invigilators and transport question papers and answer sheets to and from the Office of the Controller of Examinations and the respective exam centres. Bhattarai said they were compelled to call the strike because the government did not pay attention to solve their problems. He said they would announce next phase of their protest programmes on Friday.

The TUEA also organised a protest meet at Maitighar Mandala, demanding immediate appointment of top university posts. The TUEA officials today met Dilendra Prasad Badu, State Minister for Information and Communication, who was deputed by the Prime Minister to solve the problem.

Thakur Gaire, president of the ANNFSU, said they would organise hour-long sit-in at Singhadurbar gate from 1 pm on Friday. — HNS