Professors of Tribhuvan University’s Central Department of Sociology/Anthropology say that it is best to split the department into separate Sociology and Anthropology units so as to introduce specialisation in academia and research.

During an interaction organised by Martin Chautari in the Capital on Tuesday, Professor of Sociology Tulsi Ram Panday and Professor of Anthropology Binod Pokharel both said that the department should be split as research and investigations into the two disciplines are separate and a split will lead to better specialisation.

Despite the two departments being separated in principle as separate classes, courses and papers have begun, formal split is yet in the offing.

“Sociology has its own branch of study and so does Anthropology but the TU course does not delve into details resulting in surface learning only,” Pokharel said, hoping that specialisation will solve the problem. He added that TU’s Central Campus in Kirtipur is administratively ready and has the resources to host two departments but was sceptical if all 37 constituent and affiliated colleges can

follow suit.

Panday said that although the two disciplines are interlinked, providing the courses from a single department might result in one being more favoured than the other. “Students have themselves demanded a split in the department as they seek specialisation as needed in the present job market,” he said.