25 March, Kathmandu. 19 professors who misused study leave in Tribhuvan University have returned the money. After the fact that professors go abroad on study leave and hide there was published in online news in November 2081, the University formed an investigation committee in December 2081.

After 6 months, the committee went to all institutions of the university and found that 400 professors had misused it. Only 19 of them have returned the money so far. ‘Forty-five people have applied to return the money. 19 people have returned,’ the coordinator of the investigation committee, Dr. Jeevan Kafle said.

If you go on study leave and do not return, you will have to return all the money you have taken with 10% interest. Most of the professors are reluctant to pay back as the interest is more than the salary they have eaten. University officials are discussing what to do about it.

When will the investigation report be made public?

A help desk has been set up to facilitate the return of the funds to the professors who have not returned under the coordination of the coordinator of the inquiry committee. This committee has been given time till June. “By June, we will submit a full report on how many have submitted and how many have not,” he said.

Previously, the report of the investigation committee formed under his leadership was submitted to the officials of the University in May 2082. But the report has not been made public. ‘We are still working on verification. The number is increasing,’ Trivika Registrar Prof. Dr. Kedar Prasad Rizal said.

The University has decided to put the amount raised from the teachers who abuse the study leave to increase the pension fund. In the budget of the financial year 2082/83, the University mentioned that the amount will be kept in the pension fund increase. In the budget, TRI has also kept this title as a source of internal income. However, the University has not been able to collect the amount to be withdrawn.

2 billion more in losses

The university has suffered a loss of 2 to 3 billion rupees when the professors went on study leave and did not return. The study leave given by the University with salary to produce expert teachers has been misused. Due to the increase in the number of those who went abroad on study leave and did not return, the University is facing financial loss as well as academic problems and moral loss.

It is mentioned in the Teachers and Staff Service Rules 2050 of the University that teachers who have taken study leave for more than 3 years up to 5 years must return and serve for at least 5 years. If you take a 3-year study leave, there is a rule that you have to work in the service of the university for at least 3 years.

If the teacher does not return after the study leave, the teachers have also made a confession saying that they will return the salary and allowance with 10% interest that was deducted from the university’s fund while on leave.

It has been found that they eat university salary for 5 years and live in different countries of America, Australia, Canada and Europe after the leave.

The teacher has confessed that if the teaching staff of the university does not return or if they are unable to complete their studies, they will return the salary and allowances they ate while on leave. A confession has also been made with 3 witnesses saying that if the embezzled salaries and allowances are not returned, they will be recovered from the estate. But many professors who are on study leave do not follow any rules.

According to the rules of the University, if a teacher is absent from the campus or office without notice for 90 consecutive days, he can be removed from service or dismissed. The resignation letter from abroad is sent to the university but the money is not returned.

Many professors of the Faculty of Humanities and Sociology, the Institute of Science and Technology Studies and the Institute of Engineering Studies have misused their study leave. There are 114 professors in the Faculty of Humanities and Sociology, 106 professors in the Institute of Science and Technology Studies, and 99 professors in the Institute of Engineering Studies.

Similarly, there are 28 professors in the Institute of Forestry, 13 in the Institute of Agriculture and Animal Science, 9 in the Institute of Medicine, 9 in the Faculty of Education, 19 in the Faculty of Management and 1 in the Faculty of Law.

According to the report prepared by the investigation committee, there are 398 professors including 207 who did not return and 27 who did not complete their studies after taking leave. According to University sources, 400 people were found during the study, but the names of 2 people were later withdrawn.

Interest of Prime Minister Balen and Minister of Education Pokharel

Prime Minister Balen Shah and Education Minister Sasmit Pokharel are studying the misuse of study leave with interest. Prime Minister Balen and Education Minister Pokharel’s secretariat Dr. the coordinator of the investigation committee. Discussed with Kafle.

I had a discussion with the secretariat of the Prime Minister and the Minister of Education. They have said that they will help where there is a complication,’ Kafle said. He has asked the Secretariat of the Prime Minister and the Minister to submit all the reports by June.