Mass dismissals leave leadership vacuum in universities

In a sweeping move that Nepal’s new government claims is aimed at ending politicisation in the academic sector, the leadership of universities, health academies and various educational governing bodies across the country has been relieved of its responsibilities.

Amending the laws of various institutions through ordinances, the Balendra Shah government dismissed university vice-chancellors, rectors, registrars, and, in some cases, even deans, as well as top officials of supervising bodies such as the University Grants Commission and the Medical Education Commission.

The government, elected through the 5 March elections, commands close to a two-thirds majority in the parliament.

Office bearers of 15 universities, including those whose appointments were made by a board of trustees, and seven health academies, also called deemed universities, have been dismissed. More than a dozen supervisory bodies have faced similar actions.

Merit rather than politics

The Shah administration claims the move marks the beginning of depoliticisation in academic institutions, where appointments for decades have been made based on political proximity rather than merit.

“Reforming institutions, including the universities, is not possible without the right people leading them,” CB Adhikari, press coordinator to Minister for Education, Science and Technology Sasmit Pokharel, told University World News.

The mass dismissals have left a leadership vacuum affecting decision-making. A week has passed, and there has been no decision to authorise any existing officials to acting roles until the new appointments are made.

Nabindra Prasad Bhandari, spokesperson at Tribhuvan University, the country’s largest and oldest university, said they are expecting Shah, the ex officio chancellor, to designate someone to shoulder the responsibility for a temporary period.

“No decision regarding the result, publication or awarding of contracts can be made without the leadership in place. The university’s administrative as well as academic functions will be crippled if left in a further vacuum,” Bhandari told University World News.

Call for applications

A three-member panel led by minister Pokharel has been constituted for the appointment of vice-chancellors. On 8 May, the ministry issued a public call for applications for the position of vice-chancellor at eight of the 15 universities. Simultaneously, it has also implemented selection requirements.

As per the selection requirements, candidates must hold a PhD and have at least 10 years of research and academic experience. They must also demonstrate high moral character, have no affiliation with any political party, and must submit a self-declaration confirming that they have not engaged in plagiarism in their writings.

Adhikari said a separate expert committee under the minister-led panel will be constituted to proceed with the candidates’ selection.

The expert subcommittee will conduct a preliminary evaluation of candidates based on academic qualifications, research experience, strategic vision papers, action plans, and presentations.

The names of the top 10 candidates scoring the highest will be shortlisted and made public. Public feedback and suggestions regarding those candidates will then be collected, after which presentations and interviews will be conducted.

Issuing a statement on Friday 8 May, the minister’s secretariat said that, in addition to reviewing the applicants’ qualifications and vision for leading the respective universities, the expert team will consider public feedback from the academic community before finalising the names.

“Nepal’s universities have long faced criticism over political power-sharing, influence-based appointments, and opaque selection procedures. Now the government is attempting to institutionalise expert-based evaluation in university leadership appointments,” the statement read.

Concerns over method

Education experts, however, say that while there has been politicisation in the appointments, the way the Rastriya Swatantra Party government handled the matter is inappropriate.

“Instead of hard political alignment, where the state openly imposes partisan control, the new government is seeking soft political alignment, where the state reshapes institutions, norms, and participation in ways that subtly consolidate its authority while appearing neutral or technocratic,” Bin Bahadur Bista, former professor at Tribhuvan University and a former education specialist with UNESCO, told University World News.

He said not everyone in the university leadership had political lineage, and it is not certain that competent people will be willing to apply for these positions.

Kamal Krishna Joshi, former chairperson of the University Grants Commission, said the amendment to the law should also have removed the provisions allowing the prime minister and education ministers to become ex-officio chancellors and pro-chancellors.

“Dismissing the politically appointed officials would have made more sense, had the prime minister and the education minister also been prohibited from holding crucial positions,” Joshi told University World News. “The politicisation will not fully stop, nor will the universities enjoy full autonomy, as long as they hold the positions.”