Foreign University Professors Included in the Competition for TU Vice-Chancellor Position

June 7, Kathmandu – The competition for the vice-chancellor position of Tribhuvan University includes a range of candidates from former vice-chancellors to professors currently serving at foreign universities. The recommendation committee announced a shortlist of 10 candidates on Friday.

Among those listed alphabetically is Professor Dr. Amar Prasad Yadav, the former vice-chancellor of Rajarshi Janak University. He was relieved of his post after the government dismissed all university vice-chancellors through an ordinance, but he is now vying for the TU vice-chancellor role.

Professor Dr. Kavi Prasad Pokhrel, former head of the Central Department of Education, is also among the shortlisted candidates. Professor Dr. Krishnaraj Acharya, a professor at the Central Department of Economics, is included as well.

Additionally, Professor Dr. Govind Subedi, former principal of TU’s Kirtipur Campus, is shortlisted. Professor Dr. Tanknath Dhamala, former head of the Central Department of Mathematics and the Department of Computer Science and Information Technology, is also on the list. Dhamala was the top graduate of TU’s 1989 batch and a recipient of the Chancellor’s Gold Medal.

During former Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal’s tenure, Dhamala had also contested for the vice-chancellor position. He was one of the three candidates recommended by the committee at that time, but Professor Dr. Kesharjung Baral was appointed vice-chancellor.

Professor Dr. Taraprasad Bhusal, a professor at the Central Department of Economics and former assistant dean of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, is currently the director of the TU Incubation Center.

Professor Dr. Durgadatta Paudel, a professor at Louisiana University in the United States, is one of the foreign-based academics who applied this time for the TU vice-chancellor position.

Professor Dr. Nanda Bahadur Singh, former vice-chancellor of Mid-Western University, and Professor Dr. Bhola Thapa, former vice-chancellor of Kathmandu University, have also applied for the vice-chancellorship at Tribhuvan University.

Researcher Professor Dr. Ram Prasad Regmi, a professor at the Central Department of Physics, is included among the shortlisted candidates. In total, 50 candidates applied for the TU vice-chancellor post, from which the committee shortlisted 10 based on expertise.

The open call for applications was announced on 25th Baishakh with a 10-day submission window. Following the dismissal of the previous vice-chancellor through an ordinance, the process to select a new vice-chancellor is underway.

Public Feedback on Candidates

The public now has the opportunity to submit feedback on the shortlisted candidates. The committee has requested that comments be submitted by Monday. “We urge everyone to provide opinions via the Google link provided by 25th Jestha 2083 (June 8, 2026), regarding the shortlisted candidates,” the committee noted in their announcement.

Following this, the candidates will make presentations and interviews. Their university-related vision documents and strategic action plans will be evaluated by more than one expert. The names of the members of the expert panel have not been disclosed, although the recommendation committee has prepared a roster of experts.

Members of the committee, including the Minister of Education, Sasmita Pokharel, will not participate in the evaluation of the vice-chancellor candidates. Only the expert panel will conduct the assessment. The committee ensured that experts engaged in one evaluation phase will not participate in other phases.

To guarantee transparency and fairness, committee members will refrain from participating in the evaluation process. According to the ministerial secretariat, scores for candidates will be assigned solely by the experts. After all stages are completed, the recommendation committee will forward names to the chancellor based on the experts’ scores.