All the constituent colleges and research centres under the Tribhuvan University ( TU ) remained closed on Wednesday, depriving thousands of students from their studies owing to the protest by Tribhuvan University Teachers’ Association ( TU TA).

TU TA, an umbrella organisation of the lecturers at the country’s oldest varsity, boycotted classes in 60 constituent colleges and four research centres to pressure the TU authority to meet their demands. Around 200,000 students have been affected due to the protest. It has announced that the protest will continue for three days.

The association has been staging a series of agitation programmes, putting forth 21-point demand which includes revision of pay and perks of the lectures in line with the increment announced in last year’s budget. It has claimed that the TU lecturers have not received the increased 18 percent salary that was announced in the budget speech. The association has also been demanding the TU make an immediate announcement of vacancies both in the academic and administrative departments. It has also asked the university authorities to increase annual academic allowance to Rs 1,000 and examination allowance to Rs 250 from the existing Rs 125. “We are compelled to take this measure after the TU authority had turned a blind eye to all of our previous protests,” said Prem Raj Khaniya TU TA general secretary. He accused the TU authority of ignoring the genuine demands of the teachers.

The TU officials, however, said they do not have any fault in the existing problem. “It is the government that has been delaying in releasing the budget not the TU . Therefore, it is useless to shut down classes,” said TU Registrar Chandra Mani Poudel.

source: the kathmandu post,13 march 2014