Tribhuvan University appears to partially allow its teaching staff to work in the private sector. Professors display approval certificates and attend university duties during required hours before heading to their private jobs. Over the past decade, 9,064 faculty members have received permission to work externally.
Kathmandu, 30 Baisakh – The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) issued a letter last year regarding 18 professors at Tribhuvan University’s Birendra Multiple Campus working in outside jobs. However, no further disciplinary action proceeded after the professors presented authorization letters granted by the university permitting part-time external work. Campus Head Dr. Premsagar Bhandari said, “The CIAA inquired whether permission was taken; after seeing the approval letter, no issue arose.”
According to the Tribhuvan University Monitoring Directorate Regulations 2073, such permissions are granted. The regulations state that permission is given under the authority of service rules 2050, clauses 69 and 71, provided university work is not impacted.
Rule 69 of the staff service regulations prohibits working elsewhere without prior approval from designated officials or committees. It forbids simultaneous full-time or part-time employment at Tribhuvan University and other universities. However, Rule 71 opens the possibility of external work with consent.
Faculty and staff must obtain the Vice Chancellor’s approval to establish or operate consultancy or research institutions. The regulation outlines, “This rule does not impede research, consultancy, academic, or professional work, which will follow related procedures.”
Based on rules 69 and 71, Tribhuvan University grants permission for private sector employment with assigned shifts and times. This includes a half-hour grace period between university office hours and approved private work schedules. Permissions are structured to avoid conflicts with university shifts. Nevertheless, monitoring teams report frequent non-compliance with these provisions.
While rules are sometimes disregarded, there are also regulatory provisions not found in statutes. A monitoring directorate member commented, “The university has formulated rules not reflected in the primary Act. They created regulations granting private sector work permission based on these rules. Important matters require legal provisions in the Act itself.”
Though the Tribhuvan University teacher and staff service rules are said to be framed under various sections of the Tribhuvan University Act 2049, experts indicate these rules and regulations possess unguaranteed authority not explicitly backed by the Act. Rules conflicting with the Act are naturally void.
Professors have increasingly used approval certificates as leverage to prioritize private sector teaching over their university shifts, sparking frequent complaints about failure to fulfill university teaching hours. Monitoring teams have investigated these complaints by liaising with relevant agencies. “We found fabricated routines used as a weapon of approval, with faculty absent from university teaching at designated times to work externally,” said a monitoring team member.
Tribhuvan University conducts classes in morning, afternoon, and evening sessions. If a professor teaches during the morning session, partial teaching permission is granted for either afternoon or evening shifts. Executive Director of the Monitoring Directorate, Prof. Dr. Yambahadur Gurung, stated, “Sustainable committee meetings approve permissions; if applicants are unsuitable, requests are rejected.”
Professors have begun attending university classes only once daily to accommodate private sector work. Monitoring members observed, “Since one attendance per day suffices, working in the private sector becomes easier. Some teachers conduct classes only during their university shifts and a second session within their approval scope.”
Faculty cannot obtain permission to work multiple shifts at one or more institutions within a fiscal year. However, monitoring teams claim some faculty teach at two or more private campuses simultaneously. “Many teachers attend one college’s period and then travel to another for further teaching,” members noted.
In semester systems, teachers are expected to teach nine credit hours, and 15–18 periods in annual systems, yet some fail to teach even a single period. “Faculty prioritize private sector teaching over university duties. Even university officials agree that allowing partial external work is problematic,” said outgoing Vice Chancellor Prof. Dr. Deepak Aryal. “Ultimately, faculty should not work externally regularly. Occasional guest lectures with permission are acceptable, but routine external employment requires repealing the rule.”
After recurrent complaints about unauthorized private work, the university formed an inquiry committee. Yet investigators discovered documents in private institutions were not under the professors’ names. “Some operators or principals’ names belong to others; many register relatives’ names to appear as operators,” shared a monitoring team member.
University rules prohibit full-time teachers and staff from holding positions as administrators or office-holders at private institutions. Nonetheless, some Tribhuvan faculty are private campus operators, conducting private work without permission. “Some influential individuals avoid obtaining approval, making detection difficult,” added the team member.
Complaints about unauthorized private sector work reach as many as 50 monthly, reported to the CIAA, National Vigilance Center, and the university. Director Gurung said, “Partial work permissions are granted, but many complaints allege faculty hide full-time private work.”
The Monitoring Directorate investigates and submits reports to Tribhuvan University’s Executive Council, which holds disciplinary authority but typically issues only formal warnings. Former Vice Chancellor Prof. Dr. Kesharjung Baral said he disciplined one individual during his tenure.
Former Vice Chancellor Kedarbhakta Mathema recalled that no permission was granted previously for external teaching. “During my term, it was outright denied. Working elsewhere outside university duties is an academic misconduct and this provision allowing permission should be repealed,” he stated.
The law permits dismissal or removal of faculty who work externally without or even with permission but during unauthorized hours, as per Rule 84, but no such actions have been taken. The Executive Council generally limits itself to warnings.
In 10 years, 9,064 faculty applied for private sector work permission, of which 8,977 were granted. Many currently hold jobs outside Tribhuvan University.
Currently, Tribhuvan University employs 7,966 faculty staff, with a high number of associate professors. Most faculty working privately originate from Prithvi Narayan Campus, Pokhara, but multiple campuses report external employment by their staff.
The university charges a fee of NPR 2,500 to process external work permission applications. Applications are rejected if applicants are deemed unqualified. Permissions must be renewed annually.
Outgoing Dean Prof. Dr. Khadga KC advocates abolishing this provision. “Many teachers apply for approvals, yet university academic activities suffer,” he said.
Before 2031 BS, Tribhuvan University did not allow external tuition teaching. Following nationalization and the establishment of community campuses, permission grants began. Yet former Vice Chancellor Baral insists that permitting external teaching remains inappropriate.
The Monitoring Directorate concludes that the university must retain its faculty to support study and research internally. “The university should invest and foster a sustainable work environment so that external employment becomes unnecessary,” Director Gurung recommended.
