PhD now mandatory for university campus teachers
KATHMANDU, Dec 13: Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has expressed concern over the absence of deans at the country’s oldest and largest university, Tribhuvan University (TU). He said so during a TU Senate meeting on Thursday. Oli, also the Chancellor of TU, chaired the Senate meeting in his capacity as Chancellor.
Oli addressed the issue of the absence of deans at the TU Senate meeting and instructed Vice Chancellor Professor Keshar Jung Baral to ensure the presence of all deans from faculties and institutes at the next meeting on December 22. Oli emphasized the importance of keeping TU free from politicization and directed the appointment of deans based on meritocracy by December 22.
Chancellor Oli instructed Vice Chancellor Baral, "As the Vice Chancellor, you are primarily responsible for running the university. Work impartially and based on meritocracy. I do not interfere in university appointments and have never interfered in the university’s work. For the next meeting on December 22, ensure that all the deans are present with you."
Oli emphasized the need to improve the quality of education starting from the school level, noting that the failure of 52 percent of students in the SEE has raised concerns about the overall education system.
Vice Chancellor Baral explained that he had delayed appointing the deans in order to ensure the appointments were made impartially and based on meritocracy. During the meeting, Shyam Raj Ojha, the president of the student union at Tribhuvan University's Kirtipur campus, asked why the deans had not been appointed yet, despite the Dean Selection Committee having completed interviews and recommending three names before the Tihar festival. In response, Vice Chancellor Baral clarified that the delay resulted from his efforts to ensure fairness in the process.
TU dean appointments draw flak
Vice Chancellor Baral said, "You are currently calling me a 'second-class' vice chancellor, and yes, I am working to break that tradition." He added, "The delay in appointing deans occurred because I am ensuring that no one else faces the same 'second-class' status like I did, by making appointments based on impartiality and meritocracy."
For the past four months, temporary deans have held six positions. The terms of the deans of the Faculty of Management and the Faculty of Science will end in mid-December.
Vice Chancellor Baral presented the Tribhuvan University educational reform policy, and the Senate passed it, stipulating that teachers at the Kirtipur campus must hold a PhD as a qualification.
Baral presented a 12-point policy, with point number 10 specifying that teachers at the Kirtipur campus of the university must hold at least a PhD. Vice Chancellor Baral stated that the university will implement this provision starting from the upcoming academic session.
Tribhuvan University will now require teachers to pass an aptitude test administered by the university. In the first point of the educational reform policy presented by Vice Chancellor Baral, he has stated that the university would reconsider the minimum qualifications for entering the teaching service. The policy also includes provisions for a university service qualification examination for teaching at the affiliated and recognized campuses or colleges.
Vice Chancellor Baral stated, "From now on, only those who pass the Tribhuvan University service qualification exam will be allowed to teach at affiliated, recognized, and community campuses of the university." He added, "However, this provision will automatically become inactive once the University Grants Commission Nepal establishes a national qualification test."
The Senate has passed a policy to continue employing students and outsourcing office assistants. This policy includes preparing a student assistance regulation to support students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds and regions in meeting the human resource needs of Tribhuvan University's central bodies, departments, and campuses.
Similarly, Tribhuvan University has decided to develop a bachelor's degree curriculum in hotel management, using a mixed-method approach in collaboration with the Ayurveda Medicine Science, Liberal Arts, and Hotel Association. The university has also set policies to create curricula for special educational programs in Nepal and to develop and run non-credit courses based on labor market demands.
The Senate has passed a policy to restructure Tribhuvan University based on the recommendations of the High-Level Education Commission. This includes integrating community campuses under Tribhuvan University into community campuses and private campuses into private institutions. Tribhuvan University has also adopted a policy to amend the regulations related to the Monitoring Directorate, Curriculum Development Center, and Research Directorate to make these bodies more relevant to current needs.
Vice Chancellor Baral proposed a policy to restructure the central departments and various bodies operating as schools, and to merge the four existing research centers with the relevant schools. Chancellor Oli then facilitated a discussion among the members. During the discussion, Mirgendra Bahadur Karki, executive director of the Center for Nepal and Asian Studies (CNAS), argued that research centers, being the heart of the university and the state, should not be merged into any school. In response, Chancellor Oli decided to postpone the proposal, stating that there had not been enough discussion.
In the meeting, Shatrughan Gupta, the president of the Public Campus Association, highlighted that 33 percent of Tribhuvan University's total students are enrolled in 600 community colleges. He emphasized the need for the policy to address the existence, management, and security of community colleges.
Gupta said, "The University Grants Commission Nepal has accredited 92 colleges for quality assurance, 72 of which are community colleges. We need to manage community campuses by introducing an operational and management law. We must determine the levels of teachers and staff and introduce governance reforms and an operational management law to secure community colleges."
While the meeting was ongoing, Tribhuvan University staff protested outside, shouting slogans that the policy did not address their agendas.
