Back in the 1980s, blatant politicisation was ailing Tribhuvan University (TU), Nepal’s oldest and largest. Then, Kathmandu University (KU) entered the scene in 1991 by offering top-notch education in a ‘politics-free’ environment. Students frustrated with TU’s failure to stick to the academic calendar, lengthy academic years and frequent delays in publication of examination results, turned to the new university. However, over the years, political meddling has become apparent in KU as well.

Take the recent controversy over the appointment of its vice-chancellor (VC). Prolonged delays in filling this vital position have led eight of 10 VC hopefuls to question the role of the selection committee coordinator, Suresh Raj Sharma, who is also the founder and former VC of the university. They say there is clear favouritism in the selection process, accusing the coordinator of wanting to see his favourite in the position. In their letter to Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, calling him to look into the matter, they point out that “the committee was working against the selection guidelines… to pick candidates on merit”.

What’s more, the committee on January 2 set PhD as the minimum qualification for the post, trying to exclude candidates from the university’s medical school, where the highest degree is MD/MS. (These criteria were removed following Oli’s instruction on January 18, clearing the hurdles for the medical faculties to apply.) Notably, of the 17 who had previously applied, 16 professors with PhD had made it through the first phase, but the list included two of the committee chairperson’s close relatives—even as the working procedure states that “member(s) of the selection committee cannot be in the team if their close relatives are applicants.” Additionally, while allowing the university’s registrar to be acting VC is the norm, the chairperson went so far as to seek the PM’s approval to let the recently retired VC to continue as acting VC. (KU’s registrar is currently leading as an acting executive head.) Thus, the committee’s intentions appear suspect.

This incident is a symptom of a deeper malaise at KU. The university leaders have been criticised for their penchant for favouritism and cronyism over academic excellence. Allegations surrounding financial impropriety and arbitrary administrative appointments of deans and department heads under Ram Kantha Makaju’s leadership from 2021 to 2020 eroded the public’s trust in the institution. His monopoly in decision-making was another obstacle.

A competent vice chancellor, picked on merit, is needed in Kathmandu University—amid a growing perception that the university’s standing is in a steady decline, particularly since 2012. Students’ enrolment has also dipped in the past few years. The onus is also on Prime Minister Oli to keep KU from heading the TU way, where former Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal appointed his ‘favourite’ as the VC last year even though he promised free and fair selection. The leadership must ensure that the open call for nominations for the VC is not another eyewash at a time when hundreds of thousands of students are seeking education abroad, with growing distrust of our education system. Nepal has already lost one university with once solid reputation in the whole of South Asia to politics. We cannot afford to lose another. It’s up to our political class to forestall a situation of complete loss of trust in Nepal’s higher education.