Pulchowk moves to terminate missing teachers KOL Report KATHMANDU, June 1 - Pulchowk Campus has decided to terminate the salaries provided to eight of its teachers who had been sent to Canada for studies under government quotas nine years ago and have gone missing since, said news reports. The teachers had gone to study in Canada in 2052 B.S. for three years under quotas provided to Pulchowk Campus, reported the Kantipur daily. But nine years later the college has still not heard from them. The move to terminate their salaries, and effectively their positions, comes after Tribhuwan University?to which Pulchowk Campus is affiliated?asked all the colleges to so do for teachers who had remained absent for long periods of time, according to the news report. ?After they did not respond even when they were informed time and time,? said Assistant Campus Chief Deepak Chandra Neupane, ?the termination has been recommended.? The teachers had been drawing salaries from the college, even when on leave for their studies, said the Kantipur report. According to the report, teachers who go abroad for studies under government quotas retain their salaries during the time they stay on leave for their studies. First the teachers get a one-year leave period and then can get a total of five more years during the whole of their tenure. They can also get three years of unpaid leave. ?We tried to get in touch with at all the addresses we had,? said Neupane. ?? they never contacted the campus once.? Pulchowk Campus authorities said the move to terminate their salaries was being taken after all the total period they could take leave for had run out, the Kantipur reported. The report, however, did not mention whether anyone had been drawing the salaries provided to those teachers up until now. It is mandatory for all those going abroad for studies on government quotas to come back and work here itself for three years. Those not fulfilling this commitment can be made to compensate for the breach. The eight whose salaries are now being terminated also went to Canada making this commitment, said the report. Another eight teachers who had also gone to Canada with them resigned after their leave periods ran out. Increasingly, those going abroad to study on government quotas are abusing the opportunity, the report quoted Pulchowk Campus? Neupane as saying. ?Before this too there were teachers who had gone missing in the same manner.? (yv)