They waited for years to see a university come up in Surkhet. But when Surkhet finally got its university, it brought no joy to local students. Instead, they are now worried about their future studies.

In the wake of the exposure of corruption by officials at the Mid-Western University (MWU), dozens of students have discontinued their courses there and are searching for alternatives.

Dharmendra Acharya, a BBA fourth semester student at MWU, had 10 friends in his group until a few months ago. But no longer. Many of them have already left to join private colleges affiliated to Tribhuvan University (TU).

The private colleges Acharya´s friends have opted for are expensive compared to MWU and located far away.

“I might graduate later than my friends," says Om Prakash Tiwari, one of Acharya´s friends who left MWU. "But I believe I have made the right decision."

After his friends left MWU, Acharya is also planning to follow suit. “It is very unfortunate that our university has crashed before it even took off," he says. He worries that the now tainted image of MWU might affect their prospects of pursuing international degrees later on.

Quitting of the university by students in droves was sparked by the exposure of corruption and subsequent suspensions at MWU. In August, the Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) raided the offices of the VC and the registrar and suspended 18 officials.

Although the newly appointed VC and registrar have expressed their commitment to improving things, the students appear not to be reassured. As of now, around 150 students have already left MWU, said Jhalak Bhandari, a Nepal Student Union (NSU) leader at MWU.

Mahendra Malla, Interim Registrar at MWU, admitted that students have been leaving the university. The new team of officials is working hard so that classes are not hampered, he said. “In the first two months after we assumed office, transparency in our work and regularity of classes have both improved,” he claimed.

The situation at Purbanchal University (PU) is not rosy either. Delays in implementation of the academic calendar at PU have become a chronic problem. “One student left his management course in mid-session, went to India, completed a degree there and came back to teach PU students who were of his own batch there,” narrated Pashupati Nepal, in-charge of the Eastern Region and PU chapter of All Nepal National Independent Student Union-Revolutionary. He said the trend of students abandoning their courses at PU in mid-session because of the mess in the academic calendar started long back.

Shirish Rijal, interim VC at PU, admits there are problems. PU was padlocked for around one and a half years. Later, the CIAA suspended dozens of PU officials, including the VC, registrar, rector, controller of exams and others.

“We are now focused on publishing the pending results and admitting new students," said Rijal.

source:NIRJANA SHARMA , republica,4 nov 2014