Analysis and debate are being done from various angles about the reform of universities in Nepal. The problems of universities are multifaceted. In the public debate, there is more discussion that the university is not gaining momentum as expected due to poor state investment, lack of clear policy and extreme partisanship.

Such debates centered on Tribhuvan University have raised the problems created by party divisions. However, there has not been much discussion about how responsible the role of the professor is in the university's inability to gain momentum. In this article, we have discussed the role that professors can play in creating ideas and knowledge based on a study of the activities of 'ideological' organizations of professors in Tribhuvan University.

professor a thinker 

The professor is a thinker. Their thinking has no geographical boundaries. The study-research and publication done by professors creates a unique identity of the university. Research-oriented thinking has made a special contribution to education and social development. At the beginning of the 20th century, when there was a debate about the role of education in building society, the thought of a professor at the University of Chicago gave birth to the 'Chicago School of Thought'. This school laid the foundations of liberalism in education, economics and society.  Mainly in the question of

education, professors like John Dewey promoted education as an active, experiential and 'learning by doing' method against the traditional one-to-one knowledge gathering system. This thought, known as 'Progressive Education', took the form of a new ideological movement to make education able to deal with the problems and complexities of the present rather than teaching ancient knowledge. This thought led to the argument that education should be made a tool for democratization and freedom. 

John Dewey founded a lab school at the University of Chicago to test and implement his progressive education concepts. Based on the ideas of the Chicago School, the concept of 'Core Curriculum' was created in the US and globally. Taking this concept as a basis, today in schools and universities around the world, there is a trend of creating curriculum by keeping basic human values ​​and democratic thinking as subjects that everyone should learn.

At the same time, professors across Europe developed education as a powerful means of building critical consciousness and questioning the status quo. Known as the 'Frankfurt School', this thinking created and advocated various critical theories in education. 

Max Horkheimer, Herbert Marcuse and Jürgen 

The scholarly work of researchers and professors like Habermas gave rise to a new vision of how education should work for the empowerment, equality and justice of communities deprived of resources and capital in a class society. This school laid the foundation for a distinctly 'socialist' approach to education, society and economics. The Chicago and Frankfurt schools represent today's two major global schools of thought. 

Lately, London School of Economics professor Anthony Giddens created the 'Third Way' ideology. This school of thought chose a new path between the Chicago School and the Frankfurt School. The 'Third Way' presented by Giddens emphasizes a balance between social justice and a marketized economy rather than traditional socialism and a market-oriented neoliberal economy. This ideology became so strong and effective that the then British Prime Minister Tony Blair and his New Labor Party 

advanced this as its main political philosophy. This ideology has now influenced the political direction of many countries in Europe, Latin America, Australia and Asia. 

This is how professors build economic, social and political ideology in universities. They create new ideas and innovations in science and technology. Today, knowledge and technology have made it possible to take such a big leap and make human life so easy. It is the same knowledge workers and thinkers who are professors.  'Ideological' organizations without

ideas 

Various 'ideological' organizations are active in our university. We felt that after claiming to be 'ideological', these organizations play a powerful role in education and social change in theory, ideas, knowledge generation and advocacy.

Shouldn't such professorial organizations with the names of 'democratic', 'progressive' and 'socialist' create the necessary knowledge and philosophy for education, society and nation building? We felt that professors who claim to be 'democratic' should study-research, create, advocate and publish the democratic theory, philosophy and thinking needed in Nepal's education and society.

Similarly, a 'progressive' professor should be the academic leader of progressive thinking, knowledge and study-research in education. Irony! These organizations seem to be busy in achieving party interests as fraternal organizations of the party rather than creating ideas. Our study of the work and publications done by them in the last two decades shows that the responsibility and role that should be in ideological thinking and knowledge creation in these organizations is almost zero. 

Analyzing the work of ideological professor organizations in the past two decades, they seem to be mainly engaged in the following four tasks. First, membership distribution, renewal and convention on a party basis and participation in party programs. Some of these conventions represent political factions and lobby to get leadership.

Secondly, to use party power to share the various positions of the university, as anthropologist Dor Bahadur Bista said, take the initiative to appoint 'your own people'. And if the appointment is not suitable for him, he will not cooperate, pressure or lock such leadership. Thirdly, presenting demand letters, memoranda and agitation for services and facilities.

Fourth, organizing social activities such as exchange of greetings, welcome, farewell, respect, tea party, picnic etc. In such events, invite the leaders of their party and make them guests, do chakdi and listen to their speeches. Such actions have not only brought about professional division among professors, but have also brutally attacked the honor and dignity of professors. 

sometimes conducts discussions on current affairs and publishes some mouthpieces and journals, but such activities are only limited to technical and formalities. Continuity, direction, thinking, philosophy and effect of such actions are like zero.

At the core of the professorial role is knowledge-based thinking, thought-building and advocacy. The reputation and identity of the university and the trust of the public depend on the collective ideological contribution of the faculty. Irony! The experience of the past two decades shows how the faculty organization has not paid attention to the formation of thinking and study-research needed for university reform. 

Rather than making ideological professors, it seems that these organizations are focusing only on making party workers in an organized manner. The main factor in the party division seen in the university is this faculty organization. How can a university be reformed if there is no academic debate and research about the philosophy, knowledge and concepts that guide the university? 

The way forward : Professorial intellectual thinking 

Philosopher Michel Foucault said in his book 'Politics, Philosophy and Culture' that the main task of intellectuals and groups is not to help achieve one's political will. It is to participate meaningfully in building 'political will' by constantly questioning the standards that are automatically considered perfect based on research and analysis in their respective fields. 

Intellectuals stand for social change and truth, questioning the status quo based on their constructed knowledge. Philosopher Antonio Gramsci also said that intellectuals must play a role in questioning and changing the 'dominant thinking' in order to change society based on their ideas. In difficult times, the intellectuals are the carriers of socio-economic changes. It is widely accepted that professors are not just jobbers, they are intellectuals who build knowledge and thinking. 

What will be the direction of higher education? What will be the structural and academic thinking of universities? How can the university maintain its image at the national and international level? In order to think about such questions, our professor's organization should be a free and open 'space' for studying and debating academic and philosophical thinking without being partisan.