KATHMANDU, Jan 8: Just months after student organizations of all political parties pledged to ensure the smooth functioning of Tribhuvan University (TU) for academic advancement, the university has once again been forced to shut its doors.
On Thursday, the All Nepal National Independent Students Union–Revolutionary (ANNISU-R), affiliated with the Nepali Communist Party (NCP), staged an indefinite padlock at TU, targeting the offices of senior university officials to demand the implementation of a previously agreed fee adjustment.
Students padlock District Education Office to protest fee hike
A team led by Dinesh Air, District Chair of ANNISU-R at TU, Kirtipur, had last Friday placed posters in the offices of Vice-Chancellor Prof. Dr. Deepak Aryal, Rector Prof. Dr. Khadga KC, and Registrar Prof. Dr. Kedar Prasad Rijal, urging the university to implement the reduced fees. Air said the padlock will continue until new students are admitted according to the agreed lower fee.
“In mid-June to mid-August, we staged a 32-day hunger strike to pressure TU officials to implement the two-year postgraduate fee of Rs 110,000 for four central departments, treating them like central departments,” Air told Republica. “Yet, even after six months, fees for subjects like International Relations, Gender Studies, Peace and Conflict Management, and Social Work are still being charged at the old private-level rate of Rs 250,000. TU has even admitted second-semester students at this higher rate. Since the agreement has not been honored, we had no choice but to padlock the university,” he added.
