It seems the Tribhuvan University (TU) will have to bite the bullet to reclaim its property that has long been under the management of the private sector. With the Little Angles (LA) School firm on keeping the Laboratory (Lab) school with itself, the move is sure to invite a tussle between the LA and oldest varsity of the country.

The school which is currently run by Little Angels has a history older than the TU, which was established in 1956 under the College of Education. The school was set up with a view to providing “practice lessons” for students under the education faculty. It, however, became a victim of “foul play” and went under private ownership, according to TU officials.

With a view to bringing back the university’s property, the TU in 2010 formed a special committee under Prakash Man Shrestha, the Dean of the Education Faculty at the TU, which recommended bringing back the school under the university.  Based on the report of the committee, the TU executive board in January this year decided to reclaim its property and operate it under the education faculty. However, the LA management is not ready to act according to the board’s decision. The LA says the school was public property and permanently handed over to it. “We have invested a lot of money to bring the school to this stage,” said Umesh Sherstha, the founder principle of LA. He said the LA will never hand over the Lab school to the university.

According to Education Dean Shrestha, the then TU management, with the consent of the government, decided to temporarily hand over the management of the school to the Nepal Education Society in 1995 as the quality of the school deteriorated. Umesh Shrestha was member secretary of the society led by former Education Secretary Bal Gopal Vaidhya. After the society became defunct, Umesh managed to bring the school under LA. “Umesh Shrestha, with political backing and foul play took over the entire management of Lab in 2003,” Education Dean Shrestha said.

TU Rector Surya Lal Amatya said the university possesses the land ownership certificate of the 109 ropani premises of the school. He claimed that the committee report has come up with sufficient evidence to prove that the institution is government property.

Prakash Shrestha also said that as the Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority has already sorted out the matter saying that it belongs to the TU, LA’s claim to it has no meaning.

Acting on a complaint filed by an anonymous person, the commission had, six years ago, said the property, no doubt, belonged to the TU. Once the school comes under the university, the TU plans to operate it through a management committee led by the education faculty dean or another person recommended by him.

The TU also plans to construct more buildings in the school premises and run classes of one-year BEd that are now conducted in the university. It further plans to shift the evening classes currently conducted at Dillibazar to the school, according to Amatya.

Presently, around 12,000 students are studying in the school.

sourceL: NIRJANA SHARMA,BINOD GHIMIRE, The Kathmandu Post