TIKAPUR, May 22: Teachers of educational institutes affiliated to the Far-western University have started protests alleging that they have not been paid for the past 11 months. The teachers' associations in all 14 campuses of the university have padlocked the offices of their respective campus chief as part of the protest.
The associations have also threatened to halt all educational and administrative activities if the concerned body fails to release their salary immediately. Ram Prasad Tiwari, president of the Professors Association of Tikapur Multiple Campus said that the university failed to provide their salary despite allocating the amount in the budget.
A senate meeting of the university on September 16, 2018 had decided to release the salaries to all 217 teachers as per the revised salary. However, the university failed to implementation the decision prompting strike from the teachers and professors.
Unpaid community school teachers protest at KMC
The agitating teachers and campus chiefs held a meeting with the university's vice chancellor Professor Purna Bahadur Chand on Friday to seek a solution to the current crisis. As informed by Tiwari, Professor Chand instructed the university to provide the “basic salary” for the time being.
Professor Chand laid the blame on inadequate budget allocation.
“We require Rs 100 to Rs 120 million but the budget is only of Rs 52 million.” Chand stated. The teachers Associations is however unwilling to settle with the given excuse.
Professor Chand reiterated the university's willingness to pay the salary determined by the university senate.
The Far-western University is the second largest university in Nepal after Tribhuvan University with a total of 12,000 students.
