Kathmandu, May 18 -- Retired vice-chancellors from different universities in the country have demanded that the government withdraw the Bill to Amend University Acts, which allows the prime minister to remove officials from the government's higher education institutions.

The amendment bill, which is under consideration at the federal Parliament, authorises the prime minister, as an ex-officio chancellor of varsities, to initiate a process to relieve the vice-chancellor, rector and registrar of their duties as long as one-fourth of senate members agree. The former vice-chancellors say this is an attempt by the executive head to centralise power and that it is a direct attack on the globally accepted principle that universities are autonom...