The affiliation dispute between North-Eastern Hill University (NEHU) and Captain Williamson Sangma State University (CWSSU) has been clarified by the state government, with Education Minister Rakkam A Sangma stating that colleges seeking affiliation with the new state university must first de-affiliate with NEHU.
This came after the state university’s Registrar wrote to principals of 22 colleges to inform them that their affiliation with the CWSSU had been cancelled.
A meeting between state government officials and NEHU representatives was held and it was decided that colleges must follow due process under the NEHU Act. Sangma cited a precedent where the Regional Institute of Science and Technology (RIST) de-affiliated from NEHU before affiliated with the University of Science and Technology Meghalaya (USTM), allowing students to complete their semester with NEHU.
The controversy began when the minister claimed 22 colleges were interested in affiliating with the state university, prompting NEHU to clarify that dual affiliation is not allowed. The state university currently has 15 departments and the minister emphasised that colleges can affiliate with the new university for the first semester while completing their course with NEHU.
