Kathmandu, December 28:

The Tribhuvan University Teachers’ Association (TUTA) today postponed its third convention after failure to settle a dispute over the issue of recognising Public Campus Teachers’ Association (PCTA) as an independent organisation.

The dispute cropped up after the PCTA demanded that it be recognised as an independent organisation through amendment in the organisation’s statute.

There was no consensus among the delegates about giving the PCTA an independent status.

TUTA president Shiva Prasad Munakarmi said the teachers from the PCTA took up the issues of private-public and part-time teachers and started the fight. They wanted an independent status of their association when it is already a member of the TUTA. “There is no need of categorically specifying the organisation in a new statute,” he said adding: “As an umbrella organisation, the TUTA welcomes all irrespective of their affiliation and political ideology.”

The TUTA, on its second convention, had adopted a federal structure and currently there are progressive and democratic teachers associations affiliated with it.

Prof Dr Chiranjivi Sharma, central member of the TUTA, who was elected to the TU Senate this week, said they had never expected such an incident and that it should not have happened at all. “This is an unfortunate episode in the history of TUTA,” he said adding, “But we are hopeful it will be solved soon.”

Munakarmi said the convention would not take place unless the parties involved in the conflict solved their issues.