07January, Kathmandu: Tribhuvan University (TU) has decided to hold the elections of the Free Student Union (FSU) on March 19.
A meeting of the TU Executive Council decided on this effect on Friday, according to TU registrar Pro Dr. Peshal Dahal. The Council will form the FSU election central monitoring and coordination committee and the such committee will publish the election schedule.
A meeting of the TU Student Welfare Council and Sports Directorate on January 5 recommended the Council for conducting the election on the given date. According to Dahal, the Council endorsed the Directorate’s recommendation for holding the elections on coming March 19.
The Council had proposed the election date in consultation with all student unions and bearing in mind the TU exam and enrollment schedules. Earlier, TU had sat for talks with all the Students’ Unions presidents regarding determining the election date. It is said the unions agreed on this date. It had discussed the matter with TU office-bearers, department, deans of all nine faculties, and the Controller of Examinations.
Despite frequent attempts to hold the elections, the FSU polls have remained suspended for a long. The biannual election schedule has been irregular since 2065 BS.
The TU has 62 constituent and 1,040 affiliated campuses. Age limit (28 years) and a mixed electoral system have been implemented in the FSU election.
With the provisions of age limit and mixed electoral system coming into force, the FSU election was first time held in TU campuses partially on March 18, 2017.
Among 62 constituent campuses, it was held in nine constituent campuses in the Kathmandu Valley including the Ratna Rajya Laxmi Campus and Public Administration Campus, and in 17 campuses outside the Kathmandu Valley. It was suspended on 13 campuses in the valley and 23 outside the valley.
