KATHMANDU, JUNE 20
Nepal's largest and oldest university-Tribhuvan University (TU)-has a history of being locked often due to various political encroachments and student politics. However, this time around, it has been locked for more than two weeks due to professor protests.
Suraj Sejuwal, spokesperson for the Nepal Students Union (NSU), the student wing of the Nepali Congress, told the Himalayan Times that 'we have strictly instructed and implemented our code of conduct against locking up the university'.
"As per my information, part-time professors have locked up TU for quite some time now," he said. "We do not support any activities of damaging or vandalising the university or locking it up. This violates our code of conduct, which we strictly enforce," Sejuwal added.
He further said, "Even in the case of NSU students vandalising the TU vice-chancellor's office, we have fully supported legal actions." Recently, NSU members vandalised the TU Vice-Chancellor's office.
Similarly, Deepak Raj Joshi, President of the Free Students Union (FSU), defended the students' previous decision to padlock the university and vandalise it, claiming that the students were opposed to the commercialisation of bachelor's education. "TU strategically hinders the admission of students at the graduate level, benefiting private colleges," he said. "Our demands were de-commercialising education and being in favour of students."
Joshi further verified that four rooms in particular have remained closed for two weeks, including the Vice-Chancellor's office, the Rector's Office, the Registrar and the TU Service Commission. "The part-time professor at TU has locked up the university, opposing recent vacancies by the university injecting 120 various professors through a fast-track process, including associate and senior associate, bypassing conventional written test examinations," he said.
The association of part-time lecturers has, on the other hand, opposed the vacancy, calling it unconstitutional without written examinations, as per their statement.
In their statement, they described the fast-track process as an appointment for 'political cadres, kins, and favourites'. In their statement, they made six demands, expressing their desire for TU to remain locked up until their demands were met.
Joshi also reiterated that professors must come through a legitimate process. "The current acting VC, Khadga KC, should also be appointed or replaced following the submission of a vision paper and the required test based on meritocracy," he told THT.
Meanwhile, Khadga KC, TU's acting Vice-Chancellor, told THT that the shutdown of university administration by part-time professors has not discouraged or demoralised them.
"It is not appropriate for professors to launch a padlock campaign to meet their demands, which include a few impractical ones," he said. "However, we are attempting to resolve their concerns through the dialogue committee. However, their padlock has no effect on our daily administrative activities, thanks to digitalisation and the university's numerous branches and infrastructures," KC added.
Regarding the fast-track appointment process, he defended it, claiming that it is a widely accepted practice and that a candidate must have a Ph.D. to become an assistant professor at the university. "I see nothing wrong with it. Our neighbouring countries have been practising it."
