A silver lining has emerged when Prime Minister and Chancellor of Tribhuvan University (TU) Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda said, after consultation with TU Vice Chancellor Dr. Madhav Prasad Sharma on Saturday, that TU would reopen very soon. TU has remained closed for over two weeks with all academic and administrative activities at TU, Kirtipur, being stalled all because of the pressure from the Kirtipur residents for the fulfillment of their list of demands. This is quite unfortunate as TU is the oldest and the premier seat of learning in the country. It is not that TU does not face problems from time to time in trying to move according to its academic calendar, but the present stoppage is something unique as it relates, among others, to the full compensation for 6,500 ropanis of land acquired by TU, dating back to 1956 AD, for its establishment. The demands also include the provision for the hiring of around 40 per cent of the TU staffers from amongst Kirtipur residents. The demands are in their own place, and TU by itself does not seem to be in a position to fulfill all the demands. Hence, the necessity for the government to step in to resolve the issue.

The way TU activities at Kirtipur came to a halt suggests that something is basically wrong. It seems that the Kirtipur residents had belatedly started their protest programmes citing inaction of TU in fulfilling their ‘genuine’ demands. How far the demands are genuine can only be ascertained after a thorough investigation is made, even digging out the old records. However, this problem must not be allowed to hamper the academic pursuits of the students. Result-oriented talks must replace strikes, padlocking the university, organising sit-ins, university gheraos, torching the furniture and so on. It is in the interest of the allegedly aggrieved people to put forward their case in a proper manner without in any way disturbing the regular activities of TU. If the demands are indisputable then they must be fulfilled. The way the TU authorities exhibited their helplessness could somewhat be the result of overdependence on the government for financial grants for running the university.

With the reputation that TU has in the academic world, it should have been able to sort out its problems but the present situation shows otherwise. This is all that can be linked to the lack of finesse among the TU officials as the top jobs come from political deals, at the moment. It is often that the top officials are replaced even before they have the time to get familiar with the university problems. This obviously is a drawback but that has been the system. TU has vast assets and they can be harnessed so that financial benefits can accrue, which could then be utilised to open up more scholarships for students pursuing higher studies and offer lucrative research programmes for teachers besides other beneficial academic and extra-curricular activities. Human resource and financial management need higher priority so as to make the university more efficient and productive. Above all else, there is a greater immediate need for a political consensus on freeing TU from the effects of petty politics, in view of the higher education of the country and the future prospects of lakhs of students.