KATHMANDU, Nov 1: Tribhuvan University (TU) has begun tracing teachers who took study leave and then went missing, potentially enabling the recovery of up to Rs 2 billion in uncollected funds.
A committee led by Assistant Professor Dr. Jeevan Kafle was formed to investigate teachers who availed study leave but either did not complete their studies or failed to return to TU. Based on the committee’s report, TU has initiated efforts to locate these individuals. According to the report, as many as 400 teachers and staff have misused study leave.
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The report recommends recovering the funds from those who misused the leave, estimating that around Rs 2 billion could be collected. Following the submission of the report, TU’s Execution Council formed a two-member implementation committee under Dr. Kafle to carry out the recovery process. On Friday, the committee issued a public notice, calling on the missing individuals to contact the committee either via email or in person within 35 days to repay the amounts due.
“According to the committee’s report, 400 teachers and staff took study leave for five years for PhD studies or two years for postgraduate studies, but failed to provide any updates to TU on whether they completed their studies,” Dr. Kafle told Republica “Of these, 200 went abroad and misused the leave. Among them, 213 have not submitted their completion certificates, and 187 have not returned to TU. If funds are recovered from these individuals, it could amount to Rs 2 billion. The Execution Council has decided that the recovered funds will be deposited into TU’s Pension Fund and used accordingly.”
Dr. Kafle added that many teachers and staff who did not complete their studies are either retired or still working at TU without fulfilling their study commitments, highlighting widespread misuse of study leave.
The report notes that when teachers sent on study leave do not return or fail to complete their studies, it causes both academic and financial harm to the university and damages its reputation.
TU’s notice warns that failure to contact the committee within the specified time will result in disciplinary action under the TU Act 2049 BS. “TU has long provided study leave—five years for PhD and two years for postgraduate studies—to enhance the academic capacity of its faculty and staff. However, many have stayed abroad with their families, taught in foreign universities, or gone missing, resulting in significant academic loss for the university,” Dr. Kafle said.
