An Interview with Asst. Prof. C.P.Pokhrel

Chandra P Pokhrel is an Assistant Professor of Physics at Kathmandu University. He joined KU when KU was only a year old. He was very sincere, dedicated and hard working and has served KU more than ten years in different capacities. Currently he is working towards his PhD in the area of organic semiconductor at the Kent StateUniversity, Kent, Ohio, US. Recently the BMC had chance to interview him. Here are the excerpts.

BMC: Can you please throw some light on your past association with KU?

Mr.C.P.: When I joined KU, the first batch of I. Sc. program was in second year. This was the time when KU had not taken its shape, and especially important, future of staffs, faculties and KU itself was quite uncertain, even though everybody worked with a strong affection to KU to make it the leading institution for quality education.

BMC: Having worked for this many years, what is your impression about this institution?

Mr.C.P.: This is an institution for which we worked so hard to establish. We were highly motivated to work. No matter what the work load was we just kept working even on the holidays. I especially used to be very eager on listen to VC’s speech. His speech used to be very motivating and encouraging. We saw our future in building KU. In the course of time when KU became an established institution the tone of VC started to change. His philosophy also changed. He saw his position secured if he could fire those who spoke for betterment of KU and hire those who were relatives and “Yes” men. Still the university is very good for teaching and learning because of the good teaching staffs. But there is a lot to do to make it better. For example, there is over staffing in administration, there is no proper evaluation system for promotion and career development, there is nepotism and favoritism, there is need of independent investigation on the financial irregularities and so on.

BMC: KU recently claimed that the hiring and promotion at KU are not based on nepotism; instead there are certain rules that apply. There has to be advertisement, evaluation committees, experts are called for interviews before they promote someone. Someone failing to qualify loses his jobs. Did they follow any procedure?

Mr.C.P.: Everybody wishes they’d follow the rules for hiring, firing, promotion and in everything. This is exactly what we want.

Unfortunately this is not happening. If they had followed the rules there would not have been just their relatives serving in the administration and especially important not only relatives and “yes” men have gotten paid leave, there would not have been corruption and there would have been equal opportunity to every one for career development. You also know that they had terminated the job of very sincere and dedicated teachers who worked for more than seven years. Do you think it is fair? If the teachers were incapable why did not they say no after the evaluation of one semester or an academic year? Why did they take so long time to evaluate their own staff? Why could not they think about the future of students who were taught by incapable teachers for so long if they were incapable? This is all because they are either unfair or they themselves are incapable. So far the question of advertisement, evaluation and interview from expert is concerned; it is applied strictly to the sons and daughter of general people but not for those whom they want. They just make it formality by keeping their people in the selection committee. How much fairness do you expect when there are Suresh Raj, Sitaram, Pushpa Adhikari and Mukund in the committee? What can an expert do even if he wants to be fair when bulk of the score is in their fist? You may know there are some professors who got professorship without going through any procedures like advertisement or interview. There are so many things to say.

BMC: Dr. Sharma doesn't listen to his co-workers. He dictates them, so the principled academicians hesitate to work under him and leave the job sooner or later. Only yes men stay intact with him. Do you disagree with it?

Mr.C.P.: No, I completely agree with this. In my opinion, his biggest weakeness is that he always wants to listen about his praise. He never likes even healthy criticism. I guess either he never had worked in an environment where the opinions differ or he had worked in an environment where there were “Yes” men only throughout his career. That is why he is not friendly to principled academicians and tries to make them compelled to leave the job. Many of such faculties have left KU.

BMC: There is a virtual organization in KU called No-KUPA, isn’t that offensive?

Mr.C.P.: They might have tried to be. KUPA should not worry about the people or organization which is virtual. People working in virtual organization are in virtual world with virtual thinking. Someday they will realize their mistake when their boss ignores them when he thinks they are not useful anymore.

BMC: What is your assessment of current KUPA activities?

Mr.C.P.: It is the need of time to publicize all undue deeds of Authorities who are responsible for. KUPA is not only exposing their real faces to the general people but also opposing their nepotism, favoritism and monopoly. It looks to me that KUPA will prove itself to reform KU with the aim it was established for. At the same time, I also suggest KUPA to be aware of not getting any political color.

BMC: CP Sir, you have been there in KU for a long time. Could you please let us know why the administrators mistreat the teachers in KU?Mr.C.P.: I see two reasons for this. First they are suffering from the disease of condescension, so they feel that “we have established this university, and therefore we deserve the right to do whatever we want”. Second, they want to stick with in KU for life long. For this they tend to possibly fill every post with their relatives only. If it is not possible at all, then it goes to the sons and daughters of general public. If it was possible to fill all teaching faculties from their relatives, there would not have been any outsider faculty. You can see the majority of the non-teaching staffs as their own relatives. It is of common experience that one cannot jump on the neck of one’s own relative but finds easy to do so with the others. Teachers are the only fellows in KU to be mistreated.

BMC: Some of the faculty members openly resent that Dr. Sharma and Dr. Adhikary alone are taking all the credits for the success of KU. Is it ethical for Dr. Sharma and Dr. Adhikary to do so?

Mr.C.P.: It is a good question. Dr. Sharma and Adhikari have a feeling that they are the only persons to establish this University. We must not only accept but also appreciate the fact that they have played the leading role to its establishment. However, one should not forget the contribution of donors, local people and a team of highly dedicated and young teaching and non teaching staffs who have spent their most fertile period of life to result in the success of KU. Sharma and Adhikari deserve credit for what they did. But it is unethical to claim for every success of the KU.

BMC: It appears that Dr. Suresh Raj is interested in dividing the faculties of KU by associating them with the concerned schools only. Is it not possible for all the professors to unite under a common umbrella?Mr.C.P.: He knows very well how to use the principle of “Divide and Rule”. It is within the interest of all teachers in KU to be united under one organization. I hope KUPA will play vital role to unite all teachers for the betterment of students, teachers, staffs and university itself.Every kind of nepotism and favoritism must be stopped in any institution for its smooth functioning. What will be the moral of the teachers if they have to bend down before the VC and Registrar’s son and daughter? The only way to stop it is to raise voices against such a bad thing and uncover their face to the public.

BMC: When you applied for study leave did you get any moral support from the dean of the school?

Mr.C.P.: Thank you very much for asking me this question. I am one of the senior most teaching faculties in the university and I still could not get paid study leave although their relatives and “Yes” men got paid study leave time and again. Requesting a paid study leave I had talked with then dean of school of science Dr. Pushpa Adhikari but he denied to support and forward my application for study leave. Then I talked to chief administrative officer and Registrar also. Both of them assured me that I will get paid leave which I deserve because I am one of the senior most faculties. But later when I came to USA I got a letter of unpaid study leave.The very unfair thing is that there are many peoples who are way junior to me and had got paid leave. Moreover, there are some people who not only got the paid leave but also went to china for higher study after returning from BITS violating the then existing rule that once a faculty returns after completing research should work in the university for at least three years.

BMC: Many former and current academic staffs, like you, are studying internationally. This advantage could be a very huge resource for KU. In what way, is KU taking advantage from you?

Mr.C.P.: An institution is called university when it meets the universal standards or is known universally. This can be done when its faculties are as competative as in other national and internationl institute. Luckly many of the young faculties of KU are getting training in world’s best institutions. KU should make an invironment to harness their knowledge and expertise. Unfortunately present authority is not willing to make such environment but wants them to quit KU so that it will be easier to tackle the “Yes” men and stick in the post forever.

BMC: Thank you very much sir.

Mr.C.P.: Thank you also for giving me chance to share my views. I have expressed my feelings and pointed out the things which I thought unfair without any prejudice with any body. I hope this will help to correct those who feel that they are concerned.