Going against the legal provision, two professors’ unions are pressuring the government and TU university administration to appoint unqualified candidates in vacant posts.

The Nepali Congress-aligned Nepal Democratic Professors’ Union (NDPU) and the Nepal Professor’s Association (NPA), close to the UCPN (Maoist), have been pitching for appointing unqualified candidates as the rector and the registrar in Tribhuvan University. Though the TU Regulations (1993) clearly requires a candidate to have academic excellence—PhD degree and professor—to get appointed as the rector, NDPU has recommended Prof Guna Nidhi Neupane, who does not hold a doctorate degree, for the post. Since 1990, no person without a PhD degree has been appointed as the TU rector.

Similarly, contrary to the criteria set by the regulation—administrative excellence of a registrar aspirant, NPA General Secretary Chandra Mani Poudel has forwarded his name for the post though he has no experience with the university administration. Poudel, an associate professor at TU, has never assumed any administrative post.

The NDPU two weeks ago unanimously picked the name of its president, Neupane. However, Poudel unilaterally forwarded his name without his union’s formal decision. “There has been no consensus in Poudel’s name,” an NPA member told the Post seeking anonymity. “He should not be appointed the registrar since he does not fulfill the required criteria.” He claimed that Poudel, close to Maoist Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal, has been building support for his appointment.

Poudel’s unilateral move has created a conflict. Many NPA members are for forwarding the name of either Bharat Raj Pokhrel, executive chief of Centre for Economic Development and Administration, or Krishna Belbase, chief of International Relations, TU.

source: The Kathmandu Post, 10 Dec 2011