Tribhuvan University Part-Time Contract Teachers Warn of University Shutdown from Kartik 30
Part-time contract teachers at Tribhuvan University have warned of a complete university shutdown starting Kartik 30. They cite the university’s failure to implement an agreement with the Part-Time Professors’ Association on Shrawan 18.
Tribhuvan University Service Commission is set to conduct the Associate Professor examination on Kartik 30. The commission plans to hold this exam following the 2077 advertisement, which announced 581 openings for the Associate Professor position. Part-time teachers have demanded that this exam be halted until the university grants them contractual positions.
Gokul Limbu, the chairperson of the Central Struggle Committee of the Part-Time Professors’ Association, shared that they have been teaching at the university for the past 19 years in part-time positions. Following the agreement with the association, the Executive Council meeting on Shrawan 23 decided to establish a three-member on-site study team to move forward with the appointment process for Assistant Teachers in vacant positions on a contractual basis.
Based on the task force's report, it was decided to create appointment procedures for Assistant Teachers and proceed with recruitment through relevant campuses and central departments. However, as the process has not advanced, Struggle Committee Chair Limbu has issued a warning to halt the examination scheduled for Kartik 30.
"We are waiting for the 30th," Limbu stated. "Either the university shuts down, or the exam will not proceed. We are calling on colleagues from across the country for this purpose. This time, we will fight the final battle with the university. Only after the shutdown will oppressed and exploited teachers find relief."
Limbu also warned that they would take the matter to the Labor Court if the university does not offer them contractual positions this time. He expressed concern over exploiting their labor and intellectual capabilities at an institution like the university.
"We have worked at the university for 19 to 20 years and are still kept in part-time positions. The university's red book allows for contractual employment for six months to two years if needed," he said. "Despite making us work for 19 to 20 years, they have not offered us contracts or a monthly salary."
The university has around 8,000 sanctioned teaching positions, of which only 3,820 are currently filled by permanent teachers. Some are assigned administrative duties as campus heads, while others are on study leave. According to Limbu, the remaining classes are being managed by part-time and contract teachers.
He explained, "We have only asked for a minimum monthly salary. We teach two periods, just like Associate Professors and Professors. But an Associate Professor earns NPR 48,000, and a Professor nearly NPR 70,000, while we are paid NPR 500 per period, reduced to NPR 450 after tax deductions."
Limbu urged the university to make a clear decision if part-time teachers are no longer required. "If you don’t need us, say so clearly. If you can’t provide us with monthly salaries, this is unacceptable," he stated.
Limbu clarified that the approximately 2,200 part-time teachers are prepared for the final battle. "We are speaking out against the exploitation of around 2,200 personnel. We are subjected to labor and intellectual exploitation. We are exploited within the university, even though we teach moral education. We are ourselves in distress," he remarked.
He added that they have also demanded that the Public Service Commission announce all vacancies simultaneously. "The question is often asked: 'Why don’t you pass the Public Service exam?' But the commission should first open up the vacancies. They open only a few hundred positions to accommodate their people, and then it's done. We are left out because we don’t have connections. They deliberately open fewer positions to secure spots for their candidates. We have asked to open all vacant positions."
According to Limbu, over 4,000 teaching positions are vacant at the university, and he emphasized that all should be filled at once.
A few days ago, part-time contract teachers met with Prof. Dr. Ghanshyam Bhattarai, the chair of the Tribhuvan University Service Commission, demanding that the exam be postponed and that the process of making them contractual employees be initiated.
Tribhuvan University Registrar Prof. Dr. Kedar Prasad Rijal mentioned that the university is committed to moving forward with the recruitment process for teachers through open competition. He acknowledged that everyone’s demand aligns with this and explained that the Service Commission is conducting the exam for this purpose.
