The Meghalaya government has finalised its choice for the first Vice-Chancellor of the new Captain Williamson Sangma State University (CWSSU) but is waiting on the Governor to approve the recommendation.
This was informed by Education Minister Rakkam A Sangma today.
The university will be headquartered in Garo Hills but will have a branch in Mawlai. One hundred of the varsity’s teaching posts will be for the main campus and only six for the Shillong campus, which will function out of the Government Engineering College in Mawlai.
The state government has estimated an annual expense of Rs 45 crore to run the university. The government had resisted the idea of a state university, largely because of the cost involved, but gave in due to the unpopularity of the Common University Entrance Test (CUET).
Being a state university, CWSSU will not require CUET of its student applicants, unlike the central North-Eastern Hill University (NEHU), to which all state colleges are affiliated to.
The government has already initiated the process to obtain recognition of CWSSU from the University Grants Commission (UGC). Once recognition is granted, the university will begin affiliating colleges in the state.
Students who prefer colleges affiliated with the state university will then no longer need to take the CUET.
Meanwhile, Sangma also informed that a new principal, Wertimon Dkhar has been appointed to take over the running of Pine Mount School. Dkhar had been Vice-Principal under her controversial predecessor, Aiom Ksiar Diengdoh.
