KATHMANDU, June 4: Professor Dr Keshar Jung Baral, the outgoing vice chancellor (VC) of Tribhuvan University (TU), resigned two months ago, but the university has not appointed a full-time vice chancellor yet. The Minister of Education, Science, and Technology formed a three-member vice chancellor selection committee as per the University Act 2050, but the committee has not held a single meeting in the past two weeks.
The university accepted Professor Dr Baral's resignation on Chaitra 28 (April 10, 2025). While officials discussed the new vice chancellor, Prime Minister and Chancellor KP Sharma Oli appointed Education Director Professor Dr Khadga KC as acting vice chancellor.
Prime Minister Oli appointed KC as acting vice chancellor for a maximum of three months. Following Section 21(a) of the Tribhuvan University Act 2049 and based on Oli's decision on April 13, 2025, KC took on this responsibility until the university fills the position permanently. Meanwhile, TU professors continue to discuss when the university will get a new vice chancellor, as the selection committee has stalled the appointment process.
Following Oli's appointment of KC as acting vice chancellor, KC named Dwi Dhananda Dhakal as acting education director for a maximum of three months to oversee the university on Baishakh 2 (April 15, 2025). However, a lot of people think that the university, which is the biggest and most student-heavy in the nation, cannot continue to operate efficiently under temporary administration.
"I serve as the dean of the Faculty of Education and Humanities, and they assigned me the role of acting education director," Dhakal said. "The Education Minister leads the three-member committee formed to select the vice chancellor, but as far as I know, the committee has not started working yet."
He said the university will implement a four-year plan only after appointing full-time officials for a four-year term. Therefore, the government must appoint a vice chancellor as soon as possible to resolve the issue. He added that acting officials cannot work effectively for a long time.
"We manage daily academic, administrative, and financial tasks as acting officials, but we cannot create or implement long-term plans," he said. "Furthermore, the university's teachers and staff have already warned us against making major decisions while serving in an acting capacity."
Chudamani Paudel, a member of the vice chancellor selection committee and education secretary, clarified that the committee has been formed, but has not yet held any meetings to discuss selecting the vice chancellor.
"Once the committee holds a meeting, we will fix the criteria and discuss selecting the new vice chancellor through a proper process," Secretary Paudel told Republica.
Candidates for vice chancellor
Recently, people have discussed several candidates for the vice chancellor of Tribhuvan University. The candidates include former registrar Professor Dr Dilliram Upreti, former head of the Department of Climate and Meteorology Professor Dr Deepak Aryal, Professor Dr Khadga KC, Professor Dr Upendra Koirala, Professor Dr G.L. Sharma from the Central Department of Chemistry, former dean of the Faculty of Management Professor Dr Dilliraj Sharma, and Professor Dr Govinda Subedi from the Central Department of Population.
‘Enrollment cannot open immediately as undergraduate exams are about to begin.’
Meanwhile, some students from the Nepal Student Union vandalized the vice chancellor's office at Tribhuvan University over the enrollment issue. Before they vandalized the office, they demanded that the university reopen the student enrollment period that had been postponed until before the student union elections. However, the university explained that it cannot open enrollment now because the application period for the undergraduate exams is already open.
Acting Education Director Dhakal said, "Disorder has reached its peak at Tribhuvan University. Undergraduate exams will begin in the last week of Ashar. Despite this, students pressured the university to open undergraduate enrollment and vandalized the vice chancellor's office. This behavior is wrong."
He clarified that the university will publish the exam schedule within a day or two and cannot open enrollment under these circumstances.