The absence of an education minister could delay the approval of a bill relating to Nepal University, the first of its kind varsity in the country conceptualised by a group of academicians and other professionals. A detailed discussion on the bill that is under consideration of the Legislation Management Committee of the National Assembly could only commence when the country gets its education minister.

Education Minister Shishir Khanal resigned from the position on February 6 following the Rastriya Swatantra Party’s decision to pull out of the government. Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal has yet to appoint a new education minister.

“Seven groups of lawmakers have registered their amendments to the bills. The amendments will be discussed during the clausewise deliberation,” Numa Raj Khanal, undersecretary at the parliament secretariat, told the Post.

A team of lawmakers led by committee chairperson Bedu Ram Bhusal have visited the proposed site of the university’s central office and its campuses. Khanal said the field report will be discussed once the House panel starts detailed deliberations on the bill.

To be set up in Nawalparasi district, the university will focus on multi-disciplinary liberal arts that can be a centre of excellence, say those involved in its inception. The bill needs to get through both Houses of parliament after the legislation committee approves it to clear the legal hurdles in setting up the new university, which will be run on a public institution modality.

Conceptualised half a decade back, the government in June 2021 had formed the Infrastructure Development Preparation Board led by Dr Arjun Karki for preparatory works to set up the university. The board is in the process of acquiring land from Gaindakot Municipality, Madhya Bindu Municipality and Hupsekot Rural Municipality in the district.

Unlike the existing universities that are in operation, the Nepal University will operate under a board of trustees and it will have complete authority over the management of the university including the appointment of its vice-chancellor.

The prime minister is the ex-officio chancellor and the education minister ex-officio pro-chancellor in the existing universities. They have a say in the appointment of vice-chancellors. As a result, there is direct political influence in the universities’ management.

“The Nepal University, a public university, will operate with the support from all tiers of government and donors. It will be fully autonomous,” Bipin Adhikari, a professor at Kathmandu University School of Law, who is also a member of the development board, told the Post. The bill says the funding for the infrastructure will come from the three tiers of government. The operational costs will be borne from the donations from individuals and institutions, foreign nationals and international organisations and the fee raised from students.

Adhikari said the law should also have provisions for contribution from all tiers of government as well. Some of the lawmakers, however, have reservations over the setting up of the university. Khim Lal Devkota, a member of the House committee, said there must be clarity as to why the country needs yet another university when the existing ones aren’t functioning well.

Thirteen universities are in operation in the country at present.

“There is no problem in setting up a new university, if there is no government liability. However, if government funding is needed, we must be assured as to why we need one more university,” Devkota told the Post. “Who assures that the to-be-formed university will excel in the field?”

Other lawmakers, however, have a different position. Jitendra Dev, Nepali Congress lawmaker in the upper house, said his party wants the bill to be endorsed as the country will get a public university that will be different from the rest. “The campaigners for the university are saying that it will be a world class university. Why not promote it,” Dev told the Post.