Prof Deepak Aryal, the newly-appointed vice-chancellor of Tribhuvan University, took the oath of office and secrecy on Wednesday.
Prime Minister and TU Chancellor KP Sharma Oli administered the oath to Aryal during a swearing-in ceremony held at the prime minister’s residence in Baluwatar on Wednesday afternoon.
Minister for Education, Science, and Technology Raghuji Panta, who is also the joint chancellor of TU, and others also attended the ceremony.
Earlier on Wednesday, Chancellor Oli appointed Aryal as the university’s vice-chancellor.
There were 12 aspirants for the position of TU vice-chancellor this time. The TU Vice-chancellor Recommendation Committee, headed by Education Minister Panta recommended three candidates from among them.
On July 7, the committee recommended the names of acting vice-chancellor Prof Khadga KC, former dean of the Faculty of Science Prof Binil Aryal, and former head of the Central Department of Hydrology and Meteorology Deepak Aryal to the prime minister for the position of TU vice-chancellor.
Aryal holds a PhD in meteorology from Tribhuvan University.
He served at Tribhuvan University as a teaching assistant from 1995 to 1997, assistant professor from 1997 to 2009, associate professor from 2009 to 2019, and as the head of the Central Department of Hydrology and Meteorology. He became a professor in 2019, and was appointed to the Nepal Academy of Science and Technology (NAST) as an academician in 2021.
A local of Aryal Gaun in Jorpati, Kathmandu, he is the eldest son of renowned satirist Bhairav Aryal, author of works like Jayabhundi, Itishree, and Dash Avatar.
Sources claim Aryal’s political-ideological background is aligned with the CPN-UML.