Tribhuvan University has suffered losses of more than Rs 2 billion after professors who went on study leave failed to return. Under TU rules, teachers and staff can receive study leave for up to five years.
The university provides paid study leave with the objective of producing qualified, skilled, and research-friendly academic human resources. However, professors have been found to have grossly misused the leave facility. After news reports on the matter were published, TU formed a three-member committee under the coordination of Dr. Jivan Kafle to investigate teachers and staff who went on study leave and did not return. Krishna Hari Acharya and Deepak Tiwari are members of the committee.
The committee’s investigation found that around 398 professors had misused study leave. This has caused financial as well as academic damage to TU. The university has also faced additional financial pressure because it had to appoint part-time and contract teachers in place of permanent teachers who went on study leave.
Committee coordinator Dr. Kafle said the growing number of those who went abroad on study leave and never returned has caused TU financial loss, educational problems, and moral damage. “The negligent tendency of teachers and staff themselves going on study leave and not returning has sent a negative message to students,” he said. “It has also affected perceptions of TU.”
TU’s Executive Council formed the investigation committee on Poush 25, 2081. According to the report prepared by the committee, there are a total of 398 professors, including 191 who did not return and 207 who took leave but did not complete their studies. According to committee coordinator Kafle, another 50 to 60 files have also been found.
Under the TU Teacher and Staff Service Rules, 2050, teachers who use study leave for more than three years and up to five years must return and serve the university for at least five years. If a teacher uses three years of study leave, the rules require at least three years of service at the university after returning.
After the study leave period ends, if a teacher does not return, teachers and staff are required to refund the salary and allowances they received from TU funds during the leave period, along with 10 percent interest. They sign a written commitment to that effect. It has been found that many received TU salary for up to five years and, after the leave period ended, remained in the United States, Australia, Canada, and various European countries.
Tribhuvan University academic head Prof. Dr. Khadga KC said TU had taken the bold step of bringing out the long-standing and complex issue of study leave misuse. He said, “The committee’s study found that 193 people completed five-year study leave and did not return, and more than 400 took study leave but did not complete their studies.”
According to Dr. KC, TU sent letters asking them to repay the principal and interest as per the commitment made with the university, and 20 people have already deposited the amount. TU has recovered Rs 60 million from them. The commitment states that if they do not return after the study leave ends, they must repay the salary and allowances received from TU funds during the leave period with 10 percent interest. They are repaying the amount in accordance with that commitment.
After TU began follow-up action, more than 50 professors have entered the repayment process. According to TU, professors who do not return appear to be liable to repay at least Rs 1 million each and in some cases more than Rs 5 million. Dr. KC said, “We are still pursuing this firmly. In the first phase, those who do not pay will, in the second phase, have their names made public after legal consultation. If they still do not come into contact within the 35-day notice period, the concerned bodies will be recommended to take action.”
Based only on the service benefits of a teacher at the assistant professor level, the preliminary details of the report state that one teacher receives a basic salary of Rs 48,737, Rs 13,000 for eight grades, Rs 12,348 under 10 percent contributions each to the Employees Provident Fund and Citizens Investment Trust, Rs 2,573 per month for sick leave, a dearness allowance of Rs 2,000, an academic allowance of Rs 1,000, and with festival expenses the figure reaches Rs 61,737, making the annual total Rs 1,017,633. On that basis, the report’s preliminary details state that 397 teachers and staff misused an amount close to Rs 2 billion over a five-year period.
The government has also shown interest in the issue of study leave misuse. Prime Minister Walendra Shah and Education, Science and Technology Minister Sasmit Pokharel, who is also serving as government spokesperson, have been studying the matter closely. The secretariats of the Prime Minister and Education Minister have held discussions with committee coordinator Dr. Kafle. After the Prime Minister and Education Minister showed interest, TU intensified its work further.
Dr. Kafle said the committee has been visiting dean’s offices, campuses, and central departments to trace professors and staff who did not return. He said, “The scale of misuse appears to be even greater than previously estimated, and after the committee was formed, those involved in misuse appear to have assessed the impact this could have on their public lives and have started to come forward to pay compensation in accordance with TU rules.”
According to Dr. Kafle, after directly observing 60 percent of TU’s constituent campuses and offices so far, the team found a significant number of teachers and staff who had taken study leave and not returned to service, as well as many who had taken study leave but failed to obtain a degree.
TU has been providing study leave ranging from one year to five years to teachers and staff working in campus offices under the university for their career development through study, teaching, and research activities. The university grants paid study leave for one to five years with the expectation that the knowledge and skills gained through such leave will benefit the institution as a whole.
Teachers who go on study leave are required to serve the university according to the amount of time they used for leave, and there are also penalty provisions for teachers and staff who fail to do so. TU had sent letters to all bodies asking them to provide details of teachers who did not return after study leave. But when accurate details did not arrive, the committee began collecting the information campus by campus.
“The committee is carrying out the investigation by going directly to the concerned campuses. A large number of teachers and staff have been found to have gone on study leave and not returned,” said committee coordinator Dr. Kafle. The committee said it has been studying all files since 2044. TU had no data on how many teachers and staff who went on study leave had returned and how many had remained hidden abroad. That is why TU formed a committee and started collecting the data.
According to the committee, investigations at TU’s constituent campuses, dean’s offices, and central departments have been completed. He said the data on how many teachers and staff are still hiding abroad will be made public at one time. The committee, which has been given time until the end of Asar, is working intensively.
After six months of investigation across all TU bodies, the committee found that 400 professors had misused study leave. After the committee’s follow-up, professors who did not return from study leave have now started repaying the money rapidly. Committee coordinator Dr. Kafle said that 44 people have submitted applications so far, and among them 20 have repaid Rs 65 million.
He said, “At present, Rs 65 million has already been recovered from 20 people. We are also sending letters to others.”
It is said that around 400 teachers and staff who went on study leave and did not return have now been confirmed, and with some more cases still emerging, the number may reach nearly 500. University rules allow study leave for up to five years. Those who completed up to three years of study leave are required to serve for at least three years, while those who used more than that must serve for at least five years. While going on leave, teachers sign a written pledge on Nepali paper that they will return. If they do not return, the amount they received can be recovered even from their property. However, TU teachers who went on study leave as far back as 2045 have still not returned.
For many professors, the interest due has become greater than the salary they received, and they are therefore reluctant to repay. TU officials are discussing what should be done in such cases. Academic head Dr. KC said TU still faces challenges and loopholes in bringing those who misused study leave within the legal framework and implementing the report, and that support and cooperation from the government, civil society, and the media are necessary to ensure accountability.
The committee noted that the number of teachers and staff who did not return to their campus offices after taking study leave is comparatively higher on the institute side than on the faculty side. The committee concluded that some TU teachers took approved study leave but did not complete their studies within the specified period, and after the leave ended they did not return to their campuses or departments, which defeated the very purpose of study leave.
TU rules state that if a teacher remains absent from campus or office without notice for 90 consecutive days, they can be removed from service or dismissed. Some send resignation letters to TU from abroad but still do not return the money.
Campuses and Offices Investigated
The committee investigating teachers and staff who stayed on study leave and did not return has so far investigated the following campuses and offices:
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Institute of Science and Technology
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Institute of Agriculture and Animal Science
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Institute of Forestry
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Institute of Engineering
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Central Department of Chemistry
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Central Department of Zoology
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Central Department of Physics
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Central Department of Botany
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Central Department of Geology
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Central Department of Hydrology and Meteorology
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Central Department of Microbiology
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Central Department of Mathematics
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Central Department of Statistics
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Central Department of Environment
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Central Department of Science and Information Technology
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Central Department of Biotechnology
The investigation also covered:
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Ratna Rajya Laxmi Campus
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Mahendra Ratna Multiple Campus
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Thapathali Campus
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Mechi Multiple Campus in Jhapa
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Mahendra Morang Adarsha Multiple Campus in Biratnagar
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Post Graduate Campus Biratnagar
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Biratnagar Nursing Campus
Likewise, it covered:
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Purwanchal Campus in Dharan
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Mahendra Multiple Campus
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Central Campus of Technology
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TU Teaching Hospital in Kathmandu
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Ayurveda Campus
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Manmohan Cardiothoracic, Vascular and Transplant Centre
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Prithvi Narayan Campus in Pokhara
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Forestry Campus
Faculty-Wise Breakdown
The investigation found that many professors in the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, the Institute of Science and Technology, and the Institute of Engineering had misused study leave. Of the 398 professors found to have misused study leave:
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114 were from the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
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106 were from the Institute of Science and Technology
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99 were from the Institute of Engineering
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28 were from the Institute of Forestry
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13 were from the Institute of Agriculture and Animal Science
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9 were from the Institute of Medicine
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9 were from the Faculty of Education
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19 were from the Faculty of Management
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1 was from the Faculty of Law
Lawmakers and Others Who Repaid
Lawmakers from the Rastriya Swatantra Party and the Nepali Congress who did not work for the full period after taking study leave from Tribhuvan University have returned their salary and allowances. They are RSP lawmaker Dr. Anand Chand, elected from Kailali-5, and Nepali Congress lawmaker Jagat Timilsina, elected to the National Assembly from Gandaki Province.
Before becoming lawmakers, Assistant Professor Chand was working at TU Patan Joint Campus and Associate Professor Timilsina was working at the Central Department of Management. Chand repaid Rs 4,456,000 on Chaitra 30, and Timilsina repaid Rs 3,350,000 on Baisakh 2.
Others who have repaid the amount include Mitramani Subedi, Himakumari Raut, Reena Shrestha, Pushparaj Acharya, Gyanprasad Gautam, Dr. Ashutoshkumar Singh, Jivanath Lamsal, Dr. Buna Bhandari, Deepak Pudasaini, Saraswati Dawadi, Thirbahadur Budhathoki, Narayan Subedi, Prakash Acharya, Shambhu Poudel, Jagat Timilsina, Balahari Poudel, Birendraprasad Gupta, Archana Nyaupane Timilsina, Shailendranath Adhikari, and Anandbahadur Chand.
TU has placed the money recovered from teachers and staff who misused study leave into the pension fund. In the fiscal year 2082–83 budget, TU has also listed this heading as a source of internal income.
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