Kathmandu, July 14 -- Tribhuvan University (TU), Nepal's largest and oldest university, has recovered only a small portion of the money owed by teachers and staff who took paid study leave but failed to return to work, despite repeated notices and a year-long recovery drive.

Only 62 former employees have come forward over the past year to repay the university, returning a combined Rs134.8 million, according to Assistant Professor Jeevan Kafle, coordinator of the Study Leave Management Implementation Committee.

The committee was formed after an investigation last year found that more than 191 faculty members and staff had taken paid study leave and never resumed their university duties. Another 200-plus employees were found to have taken...