Kathmandu, June 3: Tribhuvan University (TU) has remained in disarray for the past month due to a lockdown and protests. The offices of the top officials, including the vice chancellor, rector, registrar, and service commission, have remained shut, halting administrative functions.
The agitation, led by part-time teachers and students, seeks to enforce past agreements and cancel the faculty recruitment process being carried out under a fast-track system. Senior officials have been unable to enter their offices for the past two weeks, causing policy decisions and daily operations to grind to a halt. Some departments have temporarily shifted operations to alternative locations such as Pulchowk’s Institute of Engineering.
Earlier, student leaders from Kathmandu-based campuses vandalized the vice chancellor’s office and enforced a lockdown that has yet to be lifted. Successive lockdowns have left the university without leadership or decision-making power.
To address the demands, TU had formed a negotiation committee, which held three rounds of talks with protestors. However, no agreement has been reached, with both sides refusing to budge from their positions. The protesting teachers have called for the implementation of a previous task force’s report and for the cancellation of the fast-track recruitment announcement.
The university, on the other hand, maintains that it cannot fulfill all the demands immediately, citing legal and procedural complexities. The Supreme Court has also intervened, issuing an interim order instructing that the offices be reopened.
According to protest leaders, the chances of resolution are fading due to TU’s unwillingness to compromise on key issues. They insist that the task force's recommendations should be implemented and that the fast-track appointments are flawed and should be scrapped. They demand that the reserved posts be integrated into regular competitive recruitment, even if it requires postponing scheduled exams.
The university administration argues that while it is in ongoing dialogue with the protestors, it cannot accept every demand. Officials say some decisions should be left to a permanent vice chancellor, especially those with long-term impact.
The situation shows no signs of resolution. Parallel protests by student groups and part-time teachers have severely damaged the university’s reputation and academic environment. Though two student union members were arrested for vandalism, they were released shortly after without legal proceedings.
TU has initiated its largest-ever fast-track faculty recruitment drive — 130 appointments including professors, associate professors, and assistant professors — based solely on interviews.
Former members of TU’s executive council have stated that the fast-track appointments require strict academic credentials such as a PhD, publications in reputed journals, and subject-related research output. TU held a press briefing to clarify that the appointments aim to select only highly qualified and active researchers, urging stakeholders not to doubt the process.
The university had previously conducted similar recruitments in 2016 and 2019. TU maintains that the current initiative is an extension of those earlier efforts.