TU Reform Nowhere In Sight

Not very long back, Tribhuvan University (TU) picked up a row over the appointment of the head of the sociology department under humanities and social science stream. It was alleged that the appointment had been pushed overriding the precedence of seniority reportedly under the influence of partisan politics. The TU academic position appointment guidelines, endorsed a few months ago, stipulates that the TU academic positions, including deans, campus chiefs, should be recruited based on competitive selection process. But this has not been followed and upheld by the TU authorities, revealing the party-inspired tussle over several appointments in different positions. Though there have been demands raised from academic quarters to bar the prime minister from occupying the post of chancellor, this has not been implemented.