Tribhuvan University has been planning to grant autonomy to some of its sixty campuses, to make them more efficient and result-oriented. At the same time, in an apparently paradoxical move, the government seeks to make eight community campuses part of TU. Besides, the government came under pressure from CA members to set up TU campuses in forty-seven districts where there is no TU campus. However, a middle way has been found on the advice of TU and the University Grants Commission — the government, beginning with this fiscal year, will make available facilities to forty-seven selected community campuses on par with TU campuses. The rationale is said to be to increase the general people’s access to higher education.

Politicians want TU to assume a larger role and cater to the wider range of students across the country. Students’ unions want TU to provide better education and to provide better facilities without charging anything or nominally. The various politically affiliated teachers’ associations want more facilities and less work. Most of the other TU employees are similarly inclined. The politicians have never thought of minimising politicisation of TU. Under these circumstances, a turnaround in the way TU functions - and in the kind of fare it provides would be impossible. The urgent need and the main challenge today is to make TU perform better and to take all those measures that lead up to it.