KU in Media (27 May 2006)

Teaching staff at KU respond
(Courtsey: http://www.kantipuronline.com/kolnews.php?&nid=74818)
Kathmandu Post has published three different letters in the past three days (24th, 25th and 26th May) from individuals who have expressed their opinions regarding Kathmandu University administration and staff. This has caused us to stand up and defend those staff here that truly work hard and contribute to providing quality education to the students. In this regard, we cannot negate a large number of issues raised in those letters and at the same time point out that those issues target only a very small group of individuals at KU.

We are of the opinion that a lot of those statements do reflect a number of serious problems that are present within the framework of KU. The problems and inconsistencies that have either been published in your paper or have been floating around as emails from past employees in recent times invite an investigation by an independent body. This has been welcomed by Jyoti Pradhan of KU Human Resource Section in your publication of 25th May.

Within KU, it has long been felt that the culture of threats in coercion of staff very much exists here. Staff that dare to speak out against even simple inconsistencies by Deans and heads of department(HOD) are almost immediately called in for "please explain."

There have been cases when temporary staff couldn't cope with the frustration of working under a dictatorial authority within their department. Currently, the only way to pass on staff grievances to the authorities is via the hand-picked representatives from within KU campus who have no say in the decision-making of the Executive Committee. Practically speaking, there is then very little chance that grievances will be adequately attended to, this way. The voice of the hand-picked is heard but not listened to.

A number of burning issues at KU relate to lack of one-man-one-post policy with a majority of higher authorities holding multiple key positions. We believe that this reduces efficiency of the system. Another topic of discussion within KU relates to the tenure of VC, registrar along with the Deans, HOD etc. It is quite easy to see that these posts appear to stay in limbo with same sets of people, years at a time. The problem with KU is that the authorities appear to gloat over what they have achieved to date without understanding that the present is very different from fifteen odd years ago. The present generation wants to voice their opinions and be heard.

An Ad Hoc committee has now been formed at KU with the aim of setting up a staff body that can oversee problems faced by staff here and to create a healthy teaching and research atmosphere at KU. However, the path has been riddled with obstacles by the authorities -- either in the form of ignorance, or by indirect threats to staff members that dare speak in favour of such a body. The VC and his aides have made it very clear that such a body would "invite politics" and thereby bring a downfall of KU. This is their defense for not wanting to have a staff body or an association. An interesting point to note here is that the current VC of KU was, at one time, secretary

of TU Teachers' Association when Professor T N Uprety was the then VC of Tribhuwan University. In regards to forming an association, we the staff however feel otherwise. We feel that this body would actually prevent the downfall of KU as the current crisis within is starting to spill over to the outside and people are starting to pay attention to what's going on inside KU.

This letter was necessary to clear up a lot of confusion about how we -- the teaching faculty -- are dealing with the current crisis within Kathmandu University.

We would like to invite well wishers of KU to be aware of the current exercise to form a representative teachers' body at KU with the aim to provide teaching staff at KU a place to view their opinions freely. Without this body, KU will continue to be an institution where voices are subdued and an unhealthy working place for staff members that are employed here.

As this letter was being finalized for being sent to your publication, KU has issued a circular stating that no association can be formed within the university system. We wonder how the public would respond to such an undemocratic step by the VC and his aides under the current national democratic context.

(The Ad Hoc Committee for the formation of KUPA,

Kathmandu University Professors’ Association)