Bringing Discipline Back to Tribhuvan University

Tribhuvan University’s latest directive requiring professors and staff who failed to return after completing study leave to report within 15 days is a long-overdue attempt to restore accountability in Nepal’s oldest and largest university. The university has warned that those who ignore the notice will face legal action under the agreements they signed and the provisions of university rules. The move targets individuals who either did not return after completing their studies or left university service before fulfilling the mandatory service period required after receiving study leave benefits. The directive comes amid growing concern over the misuse of a facility designed to strengthen the university itself. TU grants study leave to help produce capable, research-oriented, and internationally competitive academic personnel. In return, beneficiaries are required to serve the university for a specified period after completing their studies. The arrangement is simple: the university invests in human resources, and those beneficiaries contribute their skills and knowledge back to the institution. The scale of the problem has become difficult to ignore. According to TU, around 50 professors have already repaid more than Rs 118.4 million after failing to meet their obligations. The university has also made it clear that recovery of outstanding amounts will continue. This indicates that the problem is not confined to a few isolated cases but reflects a broader culture of weak enforcement and institutional laxity that has persisted for years.