Faculty Accuses University of Biased Advertisement
Tribhuvan University’s recent announcement calling for applications for the promotion of professors and associate professors—after nearly four years—has stirred significant controversy.
Faculty members have raised concerns that the call was issued even for faculties where there is no need for promotions, while ignoring departments that have high student enrollment but were excluded from the process.
Allegations of Personal Interest in the Process
Professors have accused university officials of issuing the promotion call based on personal interest. They have warned the university to revise the current announcement and reissue a fair and inclusive call for applications.
Six different organizations representing active professors at the university have publicly expressed dissatisfaction with the current promotion notice.
Concerns About Academic Integrity and Equity
Professors argue that if the current promotion call is allowed to proceed as is, it will have a negative impact on the development of the academic sector.
A joint statement from the professor associations noted, “The current call disregards the existing faculty structure. In some subjects, no quotas have been recommended for promotion, while in others, only a minimal number of associate and full professor positions have been proposed.”
Violation of the Academic Staffing Pyramid
As per academic norms, for every six assistant professors in a discipline, there should be two associate professors and one full professor. This standard is known as the university’s staffing pyramid.
However, the dissatisfied group claims that the current advertisement has failed to follow this principle, further fueling the dispute.
Tribhuvan University TU Notice