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Political sharing of varsity posts draws flak



political-sharing-of-varsity-posts-draws-flak

By A Staff Reporter
Kathmandu, Sept. 25.Intellectuals and political leaders have criticised the tendency of sharing university posts through political appointments by playing with the future of students. Speaking at an interaction on ‘Political Division at Universities and its Impact on Education’ organised by Socialist Students’ Union in the capital on Tuesday, they said that if the new officials were appointed on the basis of political sharing, it would be a wrong way to drive the country backward.
Addressing the function, Dr. Babu Ram Bhattarai, chairperson of Nepal Socialist Party and former prime minister, said universities must be autonomous if the country was serious towards the future of new generation.
“There is no any option but to follow the best practices of the world’s top universities to bring about changes in our education system,” Bhattarai said. He informed that all the world’s top 100 ranked universities are operated by their own boards, they are not led by the head of the government.
Dr. Bhattarai said it would a gross mistake for putting the blame roundly on his generation’s leaders for the current mess because the same leaders were able to end injustice and autocracy in the country.
Lal Babu Raut, Chief Minister of State 2, said that changes in universities would be impossible unless the capable persons were allowed to lead them. Only the academicians having administrative capacity could lead the universities properly, he said “Academicians of universities are divided on political line and are biased against one other, which has set a wrong precedence,” Raut added.
Kedar Bhakta Mathema, educationist, said junior and inexperience personalities had got appointments to the important posts at varsities due to their political following. This is like a person driving a car without having proper driving skills, he said.
Ram Kumari Jhakri, former student leader, said that academicians are political think-tank of the country but most of them are biased because of their political leaning.
Jhakri further said the employees of the universities must be hired through the Public Service Commission by scrapping the university service commission. There must be a provision of appointing lecturers of the universities by the department’s professor on the basis of their marks, researches, articles and other performances.
Rup Narayan Shrestha, chairperson of the Socialist Student Union, said his union would not accept the appointment of officials based on political sharing.