Mukti Rijal

Recent news items have it that the offices of the Tribhuvan University vice chancellor, registrar and rector have been padlocked creating obstructions in carrying out routine and regular functions of the higher seat of education. It is reported that the university teachers’ union affiliated with one of the major political parties has executed the obstructive act putting forth several demands concerning their perks and benefits. None of the demands seem to be related with reforming academic environment and management of the university that is said to have witnessed a sharp deterioration. Moreover, at a time when the entire education sector has been badly battered due to coronavirus pandemic and educational institutions have been shut down for almost five months, it is morally inappropriate and unbecoming on the part of academics and teachers to put forth demands to add resource load and foul academic environment.

Sorry state of varsity
Moreover, university teachers have been freed from their obligations and routine work to teach, interact with students and handle assignment accordingly due to prolonged shutdown. In this context, long list of demands put forth by TU teachers basically directed to serve their interests seems to be ill-considered, if not irrelevant. News that sheds light on the sorry state of affairs in the university has been that the students are not happy with the decision taken recently to conduct examinations during the upcoming months. The student unions, according to the news disclosed the other day, have objected to the decision and are determined to oppose it. The stance of the student unions may be right as they might not be psychologically prepared and ready to take examinations during this difficult and stressful time.
While taking such decision, the university authorities need to do necessary homework and hold consultation with stakeholders, including students. This is an example of the flawed way with which the university authorities also take decision inviting resistance of students and academic community. The new university administration that has taken over not very long back is thus confronted with a series of challenges presented both from part of teachers and students. As a result, it seems to be in no capacity to enforce ones’ own calendar of operation in a plain and effective manner.
Needless to say, the partisan politics has dictated the destiny of the Tribhuvan University for long. Independent academics have articulated that the political meddling and interference has been one of the fundamental reasons responsible for sharp deterioration in the quality and standard of TU, among others. At a time when there is a pressing need to let the academic institutions including TU exercise more autonomy and make it accountable to its performance the heavily politicised institutional environment provides room for political diktat and control. Normally, in our context prime minister by virtue of his official capacity as the executive head of the government automatically becomes the chancellor of the public or government aided universities. It is a continuation of the previous practices and traditions that was set when the Tribhuvan University was established during early sixties.
The then king used to become the chancellor of the university. Today as the country has become federal democratic republic which calls for independent robust academic institutions to respond to the imperatives of the new political milieu, it is not relevant to vest in the prime minister, the role of chancellor. There is a need to minimise and scale down the involvement of political authority in peddling influence in the operation and management of university. However, this aspect has not been given due consideration. Instead, the government is seemingly interested to buttress political meddling and fill in the posts through recourse to shallow vested political interests.
Apart from this, there has been a public outcry and resentment on the haphazard and politically motivated manner with which universities are reportedly awarding affiliations to different private colleges and institutes without any regard to minimum academic purpose, norms, requirements and standards. At the moment, the university’s priorities seem to be more occupied with doing business through affiliation deals instead of keeping focused on improving quality of higher education. It is alleged that the university authorities prefer to deal with the private colleges and institutes to accrue allegedly undue benefits.
As public universities and campuses are indiscriminately politicised, public intellectuals and educationists articulate on the need to separate academics and politics and protect the sanctity and integrity of the academic institutions. The trade unionism that has made inroads into the realm of both teachers and students should be properly regulated and managed. There should not be any moves undertaken to strengthen the hand of the state authority as this will further politicise academic institutions.

Social responsibility
Regarding the role of university during the contemporary times, a UNESCO document mentions “Universities have the social responsibility to advance our understanding of multifaceted issues, which involve social, economic, scientific and cultural dimensions and our ability to respond to them. It should lead society in generating knowledge to address challenges, inter alia food security, climate change, water management, intercultural dialogue, renewable energy and public health.” It is time we worked to make our universities effective and credible for generation of useful and competitive knowledge. According to a news item Gandaki Pradesh has taken initiative to establish a university at Pokhara in adherence of the mandate given by the constitution of Nepal. However, addition of new university in the long list of the existing universities will not make sense if academic autonomy and integrity aspect was not given due importance.

(Rijal, PhD, contributes regularly to TRN and writes on contemporary political, economic and governance issues. rijalmukti@gmail.com)