Due to political and administrative uncertainty, classes at the university located in Khandbari, Sankhuwasabha have been suspended since Baisakh 19, leaving students in a state of confusion.
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Since Baisakh 19, all classes have been completely suspended at Vidushi Yogmaya Himalayan Ayurved University located in Khandbari, Sankhuwasabha. Students have demanded that classes be resumed immediately.
Stating that the uncertainty surrounding the operation of the university has put their academic future at risk, the students held discussions with representatives of political parties and heads of local governments on Friday, urging them to create an environment for regular classes.
Classes at the MSc level had started at the university from Chaitra 1. Eighteen students are enrolled in that program. According to the students, after an ordinance regarding the annulment of political appointments was issued on Baisakh 18, all academic activities at the university have been affected. Since then, not only have classes not been held, but the university office located in the District Coordination Committee building has also remained closed.
According to MSc student Khitij Baral, students had enrolled and begun their studies through an online application process. Each student has already paid a fee of 40,000 rupees for the first semester exams. However, he said, they have been left in limbo after classes were suspended shortly after paying the fees and starting their studies. He called on the relevant authorities to immediately regularize academic activities, stating that the delay in the operation of the university has put both the students’ time and investment at risk.
Associate Professor Dr. Sumitra Ghimire, who has been teaching at the university, said that they have been fulfilling their academic responsibilities without any formal agreement. According to her, although the teachers have prepared the syllabus for two semesters, they have not yet received any formal academic responsibilities.
She mentioned that necessary decisions could not be made because the university senate meeting could not be held. She also noted that there is a lack of essential educational materials for conducting classes, and the university does not even have its own letterhead.
According to Dr. Ghimire, the 250 million rupees allocated for the university’s infrastructure development has also remained frozen, unable to be spent. She said that the university is facing further operational problems because the necessary structures, policies, and administrative arrangements could not be prepared in time.
Gopalman Bhandari, head of the Education Coordination Unit in Sankhuwasabha, who was given responsibility for operating the university after the political ordinance, said that although he has been assigned the responsibility, he has not received any official instructions from higher authorities. According to him, no formal letter regarding the operation of the university has been received so far. He clarified that since the senate meeting is the supreme decision-making body of the university, no teacher appointments or other important administrative work can be done without its decisions. “Until written instructions come from the higher authorities, there is no situation where independent decisions can be made,” he said. “Unless the senate meeting is held and necessary decisions are made, there are legal and administrative difficulties in operating the university regularly.”
Participants in the discussion program organized after the students’ demands included District Coordination Committee Chief Suman Shakya, the mayor of Khandbari Municipality, Khadgabahadur Rai, district chair of CPN-UML Sankhuwasabha, and Bhaktanaryan Shrestha, district president of the Rastriya Swatantra Party, as well as secretary Sunil Shrestha, among others. They emphasized that the government should take the operation of the university seriously.
They expressed the view that the future of the students should not be jeopardized and that, if necessary, alternative arrangements should be made to resume classes immediately. They also suggested that the weaknesses seen in the operation of the university should be identified, and necessary policies, rules, and physical infrastructure should be prepared to organize the institution in a sustainable manner.
After the discussion, District Coordination Committee Chief Shakya said that it was decided to urge the relevant authorities to convene a meeting of the university council as soon as possible, make the necessary decisions, and find a way to resume the university’s regular operations.
According to him, the process required to advance the land purchase in the name of the university is available at the District Administration Office, and it was also decided to request the government to immediately provide the budget approved by the Council of Ministers.
Similarly, Chief Shakya said that since the 250 million rupees allocated for the university’s infrastructure development in the fiscal year 2082/083 has remained frozen due to technical reasons, it was unanimously decided to request the government to make those funds available again. Student Bhim Kattel said that students have become anxious as it remains uncertain when the university, closed due to political and administrative uncertainty, will resume operations.
