Kirtipur, October 3:

The Tribhuvan University (TU) has formed an implementing committee to study the feasibility of putting the university’s four research centres under the departments concerned.

“A four-member implementation committee has recently been formed under the coordination of Professor Dr Tirtha Mishra to study TU rules that clash with the existing ones to implement the plan,” said Professor Dr Mahendra Kumar Singh, rector of the university. “The rules will be amended in order to merge the research centres with the faculties concerned.”

“The system is being introduced with a view to making all the research centres self -supporting and teaching methodology should go hand in hand,” Singh said.

“The committee is formed after a investigative report on the feasibility of the plan suggested that desired results can be achieved if the research centres were kept under the faculties concerned,” Singh said. “We found that the research activities had not been satisfactory and they have decreased over the years.” The four research centres are Centre for Economic Development and Administration (CEDA), Centre for Nepal and Asian Studies (CNAS), Research Centre for Applied Science and Technology (RECAST) and Research Centre for Educational Innovation and Development (CERID). Singh said the university would not impose the decision but would be implemented only after the TU academic council passes the proposal. The TU academic council meeting will take place at the year end (December).

Earlier, a committee had been formed to study the feasibility of the four research centres nearly a year ago under the coordination of Professor Dr Bal Kumar KC. TU allocated Rs 9 crore for all the research centres each year. The research centres were established for various reasons. CEDA was established as a policy-research centre contributing to the national development policies and strategies. CNAS envisions to facilitate research works on Nepali history, culture, art, religion, language and the like. RECAST has been conducting research and development activities in areas like energy, natural products, food technology, biotechnology, medicinal chemistry, environment, construction and building materials, and agro-technology.

CERID focusses on dissemination of research outcomes, educational information, piloting of innovative ideas that bear on national educational issues and concerns.