At Kathmandu University, deans who were dismissed by an ordinance have been appointed as interim deans. Interim Vice-Chancellor Prof. Dr. Rishikesh Wagle stated that, in consultation with the Education Minister, he assigned the responsibilities of dean to them. The Professors’ Association has issued an ultimatum to the Vice-Chancellor to convene a general assembly within 10 days and form a selection committee for appointing the Vice-Chancellor. Kathmandu, May 19 – Kathmandu University (KU) has appointed individuals who were removed from their positions by a recent ordinance as interim deans. Interim Vice-Chancellor Prof. Dr. Rishikesh Wagle handed over the responsibilities to the dismissed deans on Monday. “These appointments are temporary assignments to ensure continuity of operations,” Wagle explained. According to him, this is not a permanent reinstatement, but only an interim responsibility. “The appointments were made because the university’s convocation is scheduled soon,” he added. KU’s convocation is planned for the end of the month.
Kathmandu University currently has seven schools. The interim deanships were assigned as follows: Prof. Dr. Manoj Humagain for Medical Sciences, Prof. Dr. Manish Pokharel for Engineering, Prof. Dr. Wedmani Dahal for the School of Science, Prof. Dr. Vijay KC for the School of Management, Prof. Dr. Balchandra Luintel for the School of Education, Associate Professor Dr. Uddhav Pyakurel for the School of Arts, and Associate Professor Dr. Shiv Giri for the School of Languages.
These individuals had been dismissed by the ordinance issued by President Ramchandra Paudel on April 1. The ordinance removed KU’s deans as well, which caused dissatisfaction among some university professors. Among the university officials, only Controller of Examinations Wagle remained, leading to his appointment as the interim Vice-Chancellor. Prior to officially taking on the Vice-Chancellor role, Wagle had assigned the responsibilities of dean to assistant deans on April 12.
KU’s Vice-Chancellor and Prime Minister Balendra Shah appointed Wagle as interim Vice-Chancellor on April 14. Following two separate appointments of different individuals as deans, a group of professors visited Vice-Chancellor Wagle’s office on Tuesday seeking clarity on who is the officially recognized dean. “Assistant deans were assigned responsibilities on April 12, but then the former deans were reappointed yesterday. We went to ask who is officially in charge,” said one of the professors in the delegation. “We also asked the Vice-Chancellor under which legal authority the dismissed deans were reappointed.”
In response, interim Vice-Chancellor Wagle confirmed that those who received the letter on Monday are the official deans. “After the ordinance-mediated dismissal, the assistant deans were given immediate responsibility on April 11, and when the previous incumbents were assigned duties later, the prior letter was automatically nullified,” a professor participating in the delegation quoted Wagle. He added that the appointments were made in consultation with Education Minister Sasmita Pokharel. “I appointed the deans after consulting the Education Minister,” Wagle said.
The professors have urged for a prompt convocation to form a selection committee to appoint permanent officials. The delegation from the professors’ association gave the interim Vice-Chancellor a 10-day deadline to call a general assembly to form the Vice-Chancellor selection committee. “The committee must be formed quickly, and new officials must be appointed. A general assembly of KU must be convened for this purpose,” the professors stated. The delegation comprised 32 professors. In response, Vice-Chancellor Wagle assured the professors that the process will move forward within a week.
