Delay in appointments leaves Shaheed Dasharath Chand University of Health Sciences without leadership

Dhangadhi: The appointment process for the vice-chancellor and registrar of Shaheed Dasharath Chand University of Health Sciences has been delayed after Education Minister Sasmit Pokharel did not allocate time to convene the required Senate meeting.

As a result, the university’s leadership remains undecided, with the necessary Senate session for appointing officials yet to take place.

In April, the government had removed all university office bearers through an ordinance. Following this, a recommendation committee was formed in accordance with the University Act to propose candidates for new appointments. The committee initially included Prof. Dr. Jayaraj Awasthi, Prof. Dr. Lochana Shrestha, and Prof. Dr. Dinesh Kumar Lamsal. After Prof. Dr. Lochana Shrestha resigned, Prof. Dr. Shailu Pradhan was appointed as a replacement.

Sources indicate that the recommendation committee had already submitted names for the positions of vice-chancellor and registrar last week. However, the process has not progressed due to the delay in convening the Senate meeting.

Although the government has recently appointed office bearers in other universities, appointments at Shaheed Dasharath Chand University of Health Sciences are still pending. This delay has directly impacted the institution’s upcoming academic plans.

The university is preparing to launch undergraduate programs in medical education from the upcoming fiscal year. However, stakeholders have expressed concern that the absence of leadership has created uncertainty in the implementation of these plans.