Bickering among political parties and clash of interest among Tribhuvan University top guns has hindered the appointment of deans at faculties, executives at research centres and chiefs at two dozen TU constituent campuses.

Because of this, these academic bodies have been making do with ‘designated’ officials for months, a staffer at the TU vice chancellor’s office in Kirtipur said. The staffer said most of the designated officials can do nothing except preside over day-to-day activities of the institutions.

Last year, after a wrangling running into months, political parties shared the posts of VC, registrars and rectors among themselves.

A seven-member executive council, with vice-chancellor as chair and registrar, rector, and two representatives from deans and professors as members, is tasked with appointing the officials.

Of nine faculties at the TU, seven have been without deans, some since January. In their absence, deputy deans have been working in their place waiting for their bosses’ appointment.

Professor Rameshor Upadhyaya, general secretary of the Nepal University Teachers’ Union, said academic institutions have been bearing the brunt because of the short-term arrangements, which do not allow the designated lot to make crucial decisions.

Over two dozen of 60 TU constituent campuses have been without campus chiefs for months, but the central authority seems least bothered about choosing the new leadership.

Ratna Rajya Campus, Shankardev Campus and Sanothimi Campus got their chiefs recently, but five other valley-based colleges with large numbers of students have been operating without executives for one to three months.

Four research centres, namely the Centre for Economic Development and Administration (CEDA), Research Centre for Educational Innovation and Development (CERID), Centre for Nepal and Asian Studies (CNAS) and the Research Centre for Applied Science and Technology (RECAST), have been running without executive directors or centre heads.

CERID got its ‘designated executive director’ three weeks ago. The designated official, Kishor Shrestha, told this daily that he is not authorised to make long-term deals. “I am involved in day-to-day business and nothing else. I don’t know for how long I will have to work like this,” he added.

Upadhyaya said indecision on the part of VC, registrar and rector is to blame for this state of affairs, while TU Registrar Chandramani Paudel said they will build a consensus for the posts soon. “Everyone knows that the executive council cannot take a decision without an understanding with stakeholders,” Paudel said. Names for the campus chiefs have been almost finalised, he said and added that names for other posts will be finalised soon. Paudel, however, refused to provide the name list of new campus chiefs.

Amid all this, a professor at CERID said on condition of anonymity that the designated chiefs are busy mobilising their staff for landing the coveted posts.

source: The Himalayan Timews, 8 may 2012