A delay in appointing senior leadership at?Nepal¡¯s largest university has reignited concerns about political influence over recruitment at?the country¡¯s institutions.

It comes as the education minister has vowed to?amend current laws governing the appointment of?vice-chancellors and university leaders.

The prime minister, Pushpa Kamal Dahal, appointed a new rector and registrar at Tribhuvan University, a Kathmandu-based public university, on 12?April after a two-week delay, following recommendations from the university¡¯s vice-chancellor, who was himself appointed by the prime minister in?February.

Mr Dahal, who is ex?officio chancellor of Nepal¡¯s 11 universities, originally asked Keshar Jung Baral, Tribhuvan¡¯s vice-chancellor, to reconsider his recommendations, meaning that the positions remained unfilled for longer than expected. Professor Baral reportedly refused to reconsider, threatening to resign if his selected candidates were not approved.

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Four of the university¡¯s former vice-chancellors spoke out about the ¡°unusual¡± delay, saying pressure from the prime minister was affecting the functioning of the university, The?Kathmandu Post . They argued that vice-chancellors should ¡°have the authority to build their team¡±.

¡°If the university is to be functional, the newly appointed vice-chancellor should be given the opportunity to appoint his own leadership team,¡± agreed Krishna Bista, professor of higher education at Morgan State University.

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¡°The appointment process for university leaders in Nepal remains highly political,¡± he said, adding that this was a?¡°direct threat¡± to democracy.

When recruiting Tribhuvan¡¯s vice-chancellor at the beginning of the year, the prime minister said the appointment to the role would be based on ¡°merit¡± after concerns that the position would go to one of his political allies. The government subsequently announced an ¡°open competition¡± for the post that saw 43 candidates apply.

However, the process came in for criticism after the role was ultimately granted to Professor Baral, a candidate perceived as being aligned with the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist Centre), the prime minister¡¯s party.

¡°The orchestration of these appointments has become a political spectacle, reflecting the significant influence of political parties,¡± said Professor Bista. ¡°This politicisation risks undermining the university¡¯s credibility, leading to potential enrolment declines, financial instability and ongoing conflicts between the appointees.¡±

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Sumana Shrestha, Nepal¡¯s newly appointed minister of education, science and technology, who is a member of a different party from the prime minister, said in March that she planned to amend current laws to allow ¡°experts¡± to be appointed as the head of Nepal¡¯s universities, giving institutions more autonomy. Before taking up the ministerial post, Ms?Shrestha had criticised the appointment of Tribhuvan¡¯s vice-chancellor.

Professor Bista said the education minister¡¯s steps towards changing this were ¡°commendable¡±.

¡°The universities should be governed by independent boards, and [the] prime minister¡¯s office should not have a direct role in the process,¡± he said.

helen.packer@timeshighereducation.com