The government has begun internal preparations to remove the provision that designates the Prime Minister as Chancellor of universities. For this, it is preparing to form an expert committee.
According to the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, a committee comprising university vice-chancellors and academic experts is being planned. The government aims to draft a new law based on the report and recommendations submitted by this committee.
“There is a plan to form a committee of university vice-chancellors and experts. The committee will be formed within a few days,” an official at the Ministry of Education said. “The minister is holding consultations regarding the formation of the committee.”
Education Minister Mahabir Pun has repeatedly stated that the provision making the Prime Minister the Chancellor of universities should be removed. Experts had also advised Minister Pun to end the practice of the Prime Minister serving as Chancellor, based on which the minister is moving ahead with the formation of the committee.
There had been discussions on whether to remove the provision through an ordinance or to incorporate the change directly into the law. The ministry, however, has concluded that the change should be made through an Act rather than by ordinance.
According to ministry sources, preparations are underway to include a provision in the Higher Education Standards Act stating that the Prime Minister will no longer serve as Chancellor.
“The draft of the Standards Act has already been prepared. Discussions are underway to incorporate this provision into that Act. An expert committee is being formed for this purpose,” a ministry source said.
Each university also has its own separate Act. Those laws would also need to be amended. “The expert committee will study how and in what way the provision can be removed and will make recommendations accordingly,” the official added.
The Ministry of Education had earlier drafted a bill to amend and consolidate laws related to higher education. That bill was sent to the Law Commission for review and refinement after collecting feedback and suggestions. After reaching the Law Commission, it is now being converted into a Standards Act.
According to the ministry, the bill has now returned from the Law Commission to the ministry, and the provision to remove the Prime Minister as Chancellor is being added to this bill.
Experts claim that ending the provision of the Prime Minister as Chancellor will help reduce politicization in universities.
“In recent years, Senate meetings chaired by the Prime Minister have seen direct political interference. Appointments to the positions of vice-chancellor, rector, registrar and others have also been politicized,” said former Tribhuvan University vice-chancellor Kedar Bhakta Mathema. “If the Prime Minister is no longer Chancellor, political interference in universities will decrease. Universities can instead be run by a Board of Trustees.”
He argued that universities should be autonomous and able to make their own decisions. “Decisions should be made within the university itself without waiting for the government’s nod. Universities abroad also operate under a Board of Trustees model,” Mathema said. “We have been raising this issue for the last two decades. The law itself needs to be amended.”
If the Prime Minister is no longer Chancellor, universities will be able to decide for themselves what kind of vice-chancellor, rector and registrar they need, Mathema claimed. At present, with the Prime Minister as Chancellor, appointments are often made on the basis of political affiliation and party quotas, which, experts argue, has damaged the reputation of universities.
Currently, the Prime Minister is Chancellor of 10 universities: Tribhuvan University, Purbanchal University, Pokhara University, Kathmandu University, Far Western University, Mid-West University, Agriculture and Forestry University, Nepal Sanskrit University, Lumbini Buddhist University, Rajarshi Janak University and Shahid Gangalal Dasharath Chand Health Science University.
At Nepal Open University, the Education Minister serves as Chancellor. At Madhesh Agriculture University and Manmohan Technical University, the Chief Minister serves as Chancellor.
In six universities, the Chancellor also serves as Chairperson of the Board of Trustees. These include Madan Bhandari University of Science and Technology, Gandaki University, Lumbini Technical University, Madan Bhandari University of Science and Technology (second legal arrangement mentioned), and Bidushi Yogmaya Himalayan Ayurveda University, where the chairperson will be selected. Nepal University, meanwhile, has a provision to appoint an expert as Chancellor.
