Vice-chancellors (VC) of three new universities have asked the government either to pressurise Tribhuvan University ( TU ) to hand over property or shut down the newly established varsities.

The government converted TU constituent colleges into new universities through three separate Acts three years ago. The TU , however, has not handed over its property saying that it is an autonomous body and government has no right to decide on the matter.

As per the Acts endorsed by parliament on June 17, 2010 to establish new universities, the TU is supposed to hand over Siddhanath Campus and Siddha Nath Multiple Campus to the Far-Western University (FWU) and Surkhet Campus, Birendra Multiple Campus and Public Science Campus to the Mid-Western University. Similarly, the Agriculture and Forest Act 2010 envisions converting the Chitwan-based Institute of Agriculture and Animal Sciences and the Hetauda-based Institute of Forestry into the Agriculture and Forestry University (AFU).

However, despite several directives from the Prime Minister’s Office and the Ministry of Education, the TU is reluctant to hand over the property of its constituent colleges to the new universities. “We have already announced admission but we are facing problems to run the classes due to lack of infrastructure,” said FWU Vice-chancellor Jay Raj Awasthi. “We ask the government to scrape the new universities if it cannot provide the infrastructure.”

A year ago, the then Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai formed a five-member committee led by Professor Kedar Bhakta Mathema to resolve the issue but the panel too failed to carry out its work.

“The TU has called admissions in the same college parallel to ours,” said AFU VC Kailash Nath Pyakurel. “How can we work in this situation?” he questioned.

The university has already enrolled 110 students in the B Sc in Agriculture programme, 40 in Veterinary and 55 in Forest Sciences.

source:the kathmandu post,19 Sep 2013