The annual meeting of the Tribhuvan University, which was supposed to be held on Sunday, has been stopped on the instructions of Prime Minister and Chancellor KP Sharma Oli, who has been neglecting the appointment of the vacant Tribhuvan University Vice-Chancellor since March 15.

The meeting scheduled to approve the next year's budget and the list of 90,000 students who have received academic degrees (Grace List) of the University was stopped after the instructions.

Trivial organizes annual meeting according to date. As Prime Minister Oli is on a visit to Spain, the meeting on Asar Shukla Navami (Friday) was scheduled for Sunday. On June 1, he himself had specified in a letter to the university that the annual meeting should be held on June 22. Acting Vice-Chancellor Khadg KC said that the meeting was postponed at the request of Prime Minister Oli. 

The University prepared the budget by the planning council, the executive council and submitted it to the assembly. The budget is implemented only after it is passed by the assembly. Invitations were also distributed for the meeting. Faculty members from outside the valley had come to participate in the meeting. However, the meeting was postponed as the Prime Minister was scheduled to go to Humla to inaugurate the bridge on Sunday, according to his secretariat. Officials said that when the meeting is uncertain, the budget to be spent from July 1 and the approval of the 'grace list' and the convocation program based on that will also be affected.

Prithvi Narayan Campus associate professor and assembly member Kamalraj Sapkota came from Pokhara to Kathmandu to participate in the meeting. He complained that the sudden postponement of the meeting was a betrayal. It is sad that Trivi itself cannot run according to the calendar. It does not convey a positive message. It damages the university," he said.

There is a mandatory provision in the Tertiary Act that the appointment of the Vice-Chancellor must be completed within 90 days of the vacancy and even if the Vice-Chancellor is absent, the annual meeting should be held under the chairmanship of the Vice-Chancellor.

But because of Prime Minister Oli, the provision has been violated. Last year too, the annual meeting was held on 15 July and the budget was passed. The then Vice-Chancellor Kesharjung Baral expressed his displeasure in the meeting that Prime Minister Oli intervened and instructed to pass the budget without policies and programs. Last year, Tri University brought a budget of 26 billion 1687 million. 

Former Vice-Chancellor Kedarbhakta Mathema said that the University Assembly meeting cannot be held downstairs on the orders of the Prime Minister and Minister of Education. "Not even being able to appoint a vice-chancellor on time, not even allowing the annual meeting to be held according to the calendar is the height of the prime minister's failure and incompetence," he said. Postponing the meetings on the instructions of the Prime Minister went the other way. The Executive Head of the University is the Vice-Chancellor. The chancellor should follow his advice.' 

Mathema objected to the fact that there have been repeated interventions to make the university look like an agency under the Prime Minister's Office and the Ministry of Education. He expressed his concern that the autonomy of the university is being taken away more and more. The professors' union/organization also stopped talking about such things. We have been saying that the prime minister should not be the chancellor so that this kind of thing happens," he said. Prime Minister Oli is strongly opposed to the suggestions of experts who operate from the board of trustees of university professors. He has repeatedly held the opinion that the Prime Minister should be the Chancellor.

Even when Baral Vice Chancellor was appointed, then Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal could not appoint Vice Chancellor within 3 months. Acting Vice Chancellor Shivlal Bhusal took charge for more than 3 months after Dharmakant Baskota left as Vice Chancellor. At that time, there was a delay after going through the application process to appoint the Vice-Chancellor through open competition. Now Acting Vice Chancellor KC for a maximum of 3 months  The task given as

is being completed by the end of June. But the recommendation committee formed under the coordination of Education Minister and Vice-Chancellor Raghuji Pant has not recommended the name.

Minister Pant informed that the meeting of the recommendation committee has been held 4-5 times and they are preparing to send the name to the Prime Minister. Personal details of some interested professors have been received. Those names have been discussed. We recommend a suitable name,” he said. Ministry of Education sources said that 12 people have applied for the post of Vice-Chancellor and all of them are university professors.

 Though the recommendation committee did not ask for applications publicly, they submitted their personal details to the education minister's secretariat. The ruling Congress-affiliated Navy Association has been demanding the appointment of the Vice-Chancellor on the basis of merit through competition. Education Minister Pant is preparing to directly recommend the names of 3 people, out of which 1 person will be appointed by the Prime Minister as the Vice Chancellor. Earlier Education Minister Vidya Bhattarai had been recommending vice-chancellors on the basis of competition by requesting applications from other universities.