Mid-West University is facing backlash from various professional organizations and professors after advertising to appoint 25 teachers on a contractual basis. The Democratic Professors Union, Nepal National Professors Organization, and United Progressive Professors Organization issued a joint statement requesting the university administration to cancel the advertisement and related notice within 48 hours.
The university is also under fire for advertising contract teaching positions before using funds received from the University Grants Commission to improve teacher and staff capacity, provide student scholarships, and manage classrooms. The university has not been able to pay the salaries of part-time professors who are involved in both teaching and research for a year, and it is experiencing a severe financial crisis that makes it impossible to pay the salaries for the months of Baisakh, Jestha, and Asar, let alone provide scholarships for students.
In a joint statement released by four different professors' organizations, serious concerns have been raised about the university's lack of preparedness to implement specific academic programs. The information mentioned that some programs were not in operation at the university and were created overnight without proper planning or preparation. As a result, organizing and standardizing the programs and publishing exams and results on time have become nearly impossible.
The statement mentioned that some courses in the university were hastily prepared without proper planning, causing concern. It also said that exams and results are not being published on time due to difficulty organizing and standardizing the programs. The organizations raised concerns about the introduction of fifteen new programs under the name of MUITT (Mid-West University Institute of Information Technology) and accused university officials of prioritizing private campuses over accessible education for students. Sinharaj Gurung, President of the Unified Progressive Professors Organization, criticized the addition of programs to official campuses in Kathmandu, Kohalpur, and Babai without proper preparation or attention to student needs. The organizations emphasized the need for officials to prioritize the standardization and organization of university programs and ensure timely publication of exams and results.
The call to cancel the advertisement for contract teachers, along with allegations of misusing funds and neglecting essential aspects of the university's operations, has generated strong reactions from the academic community. With the deadline for the cancellation of the contract advertisement approaching, it remains to be seen how the university administration will respond to these concerns and what actions they will take to address the issues raised by the professors' organizations.
