Kathmandu, August 28 :

Demanding that its nine-point charter of demands be met, the Tribhuvan University Struggle Committee (TUSC) today submitted a memorandum to the Education Ministry. Among other things, the masters-level students and lecturers have been demanding that the cabinet decision of providing 900 quotas on contract to part-time teachers, who have served for one year in TU constituent and affiliated campuses, be revoked.

“The decision would prevent deserving graduates from joining the TU as teachers and also lead to the degradation of quality of education in the country,” said Ramesh Thapa, the TUSC coordinator.

Protesting the cabinet decision, the lecturers and students today burnt photocopies of their academic certificates. “The protest is just the beginning,” the students said, adding, “The government would be held responsible if any untoward incident takes place due to its indifference on the matter.”

“Teachers should be appointed on merit basis and through competition,” said Thapa, “The practice of appointing teachers on the basis of favouritism does not augur well for the education sector.”

The TU service commission should come up with vacancy announcements, academic institutes should be free from any kind of political interference, the teachers who have been engaged in other professions and not taking classes should be sacked, the TU should not be made the recruitment centre for any political parties, the vacancies in the civil service, authority and government institutes should be announced so as to minimise the educated unemployed group, the memorandum states.

Laba Prasad Tripathee, the spokesperson for the Education Ministry, said the ministry would consider the demand of selecting teachers through open competitions.