Shillong, May 25: The All India Save Education Committee (AISEC), Meghalaya chapter has urged the academic council of the North Eastern Hill University (NEHU) to take serious note of the implications of the implementation of the fourth year at the under-graduate level.
AISEC convener Samborlang Dkhar said the synchronization of the proposed fourth year and the existing one-year post-graduation format lack clarity. He suggested that the university should conclude the undergraduate program at three years and continue with a two-year postgraduate structure for the interest of students.
“The introduction of the fourth year at the college level needs an up-gradation of the capacities of the colleges both in terms of faculty positions, infrastructure and library without which students will be the sacrificial lambs,” the AISEC said.
Stating that NEHU should avoid making vague promises and must specify the tangible benefits of introducing the fourth year under the new Fulfillment Year Undergraduate Program (FYUP), the AISEC said it is important to communicate how the change may positively impact students’ career prospects and educational growth.
Furthermore, the council suggested that the university’s postgraduate departments must be adequately staffed and equipped to handle what will be a significant shift in their operational model. “Given that there are hardly any reputed universities in the country which have been running two types of PG, NEHU should wait and watch before it takes the decision,” it added.
