The Meghalaya Tribal Teachers Association (MeTTA) has submitted a dossier of grievances against North-Eastern Hill University (NEHU) Vice-Chancellor Prof PS Shukla to the National Commission of Scheduled Tribes (NCST).
MeTTA addressed their grievances to Nirupam Chakma, an NCST member who had visited the university in July and met students and staff of the varsity.
This dossier of MeTTA’s follows that of the NEHU Teachers’ Association (NEHUTA), which had submitted its around a fortnight ago. Both share a certain amount of grievances.
MeTTA said that Shukla has refused to appoint Pro-VCs for the Shillong and Tura campuses, which “has weakened the strength and functioning” of NEHU’s statutory bodies and entire administration.
The VC has also not conducted the Career Advancement Scheme (Stages 5 or 6) thereby denying promotions of senior tribal professors who have retired without getting their dues. It also said that he failed to conduct interviews under CAS in all stages which are supposed to be done every six months as per UGC guidelines.
MeTTA also alleged that only 12 per cent of new teachers hired by the university were local tribals and the VC has also failed, it added, in giving representation to the indigenous communities in direct recruitment.
The association listed several examples of what it described as dubious appointments of non-tribals – of Rohit Prasad as consultant to the VC (removed from the post following protests), ex-army officer Omkar Singh as Controller of Examinations before being removed and effectively promoted as Registrar, a Finance Officer who “did not have the requisite qualifications and experience”, a Campus Director for Tura even though there is no such role in NEHU’s statutes and an Officer on Special Duty who was past the upper age limit.
Shukla also, unfairly in MeTTA’s book, put tribal teachers under two years’ probation when the standard is for one year with only an extension of a second year in case of unsatisfactory performance.
Since he joined as VC in 2021, Shukla, MeTTA added, has not created any new hostels, quarters, etc while existing ones have been allowed to fall into disrepair.
