The government has begun appointing vice-chancellors and senior officials at public universities and health science institutions through open competition, marking a shift towards a merit-based selection process.

The Ministry of Education and Sports and the Ministry of Health and Food Safety have issued procedures and invited applications through selection and recommendation committees after an ordinance removed vice-chancellors and other senior office-bearers from universities and health science academies.

The selection committee has published shortlists for vice-chancellor appointments at eight universities: Tribhuvan University, Purbanchal University, Pokhara University, Lumbini Buddhist University, Agriculture and Forestry University, Mid-West University, Far Western University and Rajarshi Janak University.

The Ministry of Education has also initiated open competition for top positions at Kathmandu University, Nepal Sanskrit University, the University Grants Commission, the National Examination Board, the Teacher Service Commission and the Council for Technical Education and Vocational Training (CTEVT), among other institutions.

In the health sector, the government has launched the appointment process for vice-chancellors at the National Academy of Medical Sciences, Patan Academy of Health Sciences, Karnali Academy of Health Sciences, Pokhara Academy of Health Sciences, Rapti Academy of Health Sciences and BP Koirala Institute of Health Sciences.

According to the Ministry of Health and Food Safety, 113 candidates have applied for vice-chancellor positions at six health science institutions, and applications are currently under review.

Applications have also been invited for senior posts, including chiefs, deputy chiefs, registrars and member-secretaries, at regulatory bodies such as the Nepal Medical Council, Nepal Ayurveda Medical Council, Nepal Health Research Council, Nepal Nursing Council, Nepal Health Professional Council and Nepal Pharmacy Council.

However, the ministry has suspended recruitment processes at several institutions, including BP Koirala Memorial Cancer Hospital, Shahid Gangalal National Heart Centre and the Health Insurance Board, after applications were called without a formal procedural framework.

A selection committee led by Education Minister Sasmit Pokharel has been formed to recommend a vice-chancellor for Kathmandu University. The committee includes National Planning Commission member Reshu Aryal Dhungana and former vice-chancellor Suresh Raj Sharma.

Applications for the posts of vice-chancellor, rector and registrar at Nepal Sanskrit University have already closed, while CTEVT has invited applications for vice-chairperson and member-secretary positions.

The Education Ministry has also requested the Public Service Commission to recommend candidates for the chairperson and members of the Teacher Service Commission.

Although the commission had recommended a candidate for chairperson of the National Examination Board before the current government led by Prime Minister Balendra Shah took office, the appointment remains pending.

According to the minister’s secretariat, the recommendation of former Tribhuvan University examination controller Pushpa Raj Joshi for the chair of the board has been put on hold following complaints and concerns raised about his candidacy.

For the Martyr Dasharath Chand University of Health Sciences, the selection committee is preparing a shortlist for vice-chancellor and registrar positions.

Meanwhile, shortlisted candidates for vice-chairperson of the Medical Education Commission have been called for presentations and interviews on June 11. The applicants include Shree Krishna Giri, Gehanath Baral, Roshan Pokharel, Dinesh Kumar Lamsal, Dipendra Shrestha, Debendra Bahadur Khatri, Pramod Kumar Yadav, Sanjay Kumar Shrestha, Sujan Shrestha and Shailesh Pradhan.

Shortlists published for eight universities

A total of 218 individuals had applied for vice-chancellor positions across the eight universities. Most institutions have shortlisted 10 candidates each.

For Tribhuvan University, the shortlisted candidates are Ram Prasad Regmi, Bhola Thapa, Nanda Bahadur Singh, Durga Dutta Paudel, Tara Prasad Bhusal, Tank Nath Dhamala, Gobinda Subedi, Krishna Raj Acharya, Kabi Prasad Pokharel and Amar Prasad Yadav.

At Purbanchal University, the shortlist includes Ajay Bhattarai, Anil Kumar Pokharel, Ashok Kumar Jha, Janardan Lamichhane, Dilip Parajuli, Debendra Adhikari, Narendra Katuwal, Madhav Lamsal, Biju Kumar Thapaliya and Sujan Babu Marahatta.

Pokhara University has shortlisted Saroj Koirala, Bir Bahadur Khanal Chhetri, Bijay Singh Sijapati, Nirmala Jamarkattel, Debendra Adhikari, Dilip Parajuli, Dipak Bahadur Bhandari, Gyaneshwar Sharma and Chetraj Bhatta.

Several names overlap as the newly issued procedure permits candidates to apply for a maximum of two universities.

Some of the shortlisted candidates include office-bearers who were recently removed from their positions by the government ordinance.

The Agriculture and Forestry University shortlist comprises Hom Bahadur Basnet, Bishnu Bilas Adhikari, Bimal Kumar Lal Karna, Lal Prasad Amgain, Balram Kumar Bhatta, Pushkar Bahadur Pal, Kalika Bahadur Adhikari, Kalyani Mishra Tripathi, Rishiram Kattel and Arjun Bahadur Shrestha.

For Mid-West University, the shortlisted candidates are Kalyani Mishra Tripathi, Kabi Prasad Pokharel, Chandra Prasad Rijal, Dev Bahadur Khadka, Nanda Bahadur Singh, Panna Thapa, Rajan Suwal, Laxman Gyawali, Saroj Koirala and Sushil Kumar Shahi.

Far Western University has shortlisted Kisan Dutta Bhatta, Khem Raj Joshi, Chetraj Bhatta, Jagat Krishna Pokharel, Damaru Chandra Bhatta, Padam Raj Joshi, Mahesh Kumar Joshi, Rajendra Joshi, Ram Prasad Ghimire and Bishnu Bilas Adhikari.

The Rajarshi Janak University shortlist includes Amar Prasad Yadav, Ashok Kumar Jha, Nanda Kishor Sah, Narendra Katuwal, Raj Narayan Yadav, Ras Bihari Mahato, Basanta Kumar Karna, Bimal Kumar Lal Karna, Shyam Kishor Mahato and Shyam Narayan Labh.

At Lumbini Buddhist University, only seven candidates were shortlisted due to a lower number of applicants: Chandra Kala Ghimire, Tilak Ram Acharya, Dipak Prasad Acharya, Phanindra Kumar Neupane, Yashodhara Bhetuwal, Sharada Paudel and Surendra Man Bajracharya.

According to the committee, candidates receive 35 marks based on screening of personal credentials. The remaining 65 marks are awarded for vision papers, action plans, presentations and interviews.

A separate committee headed by Minister Pokharel, with Education Secretary Choodamani Paudel and National Planning Commission member Dhungana as members, will oversee the evaluation and interview process with support from subject experts.