The tug of war between teachers and the authorities of NEHU continues over the implementation of National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 from the current academic session.
It may be noted that NEHUTA on August 26 gave five days’ time to the vice chancellor of NEHU Prof. Prabha Shankar Shukla to withdraw the letter dated July 12, 2023 issued to the principals of affiliated colleges regarding implementation of NEP.
The teachers’ body also said that if the letter was not withdrawn by vice chancellor within the stipulated time, it would send a detailed report regarding violation of the NEHU act, statutes and ordinances to the President of India, Prime Minister, Union Education Minister, Union Finance Minister, Governor of Meghalaya and Chief Minister of Meghalaya.
NEHUTA also warned to boycott all meetings of the university Academic Council in future.
According to NEHU Teachers’ Association (NEHUTA) president Prof. Lakhon Kma, majority of the members of the NEHU Academic Council are university teachers who are also members of NEHUTA.
“If we boycott the Academic Council, combined with similar boycotts by the college teachers and principals, who are members of the council, there will never be a quorum and so the vice chancellor cannot conduct the meeting,” Prof. Kma said today.
He also stated that without an Academic Council meeting, as mandated by NEHU statutes and ordinances, NEHU cannot prepare and approve the syllabus of the third semester till the eight semester and the model question papers of the Four-Year Undergraduate Program (FYUP) which will collapse the entire NEP at the undergraduate level and put the careers of students at risk.
“So far, the Academic Council has approved the syllabus of the first and second semesters only of the FYUP under the NEP. Even for the first semester under NEP, the Academic Council has not discussed or approved the model question papers which will make all exam related matters illegitimate and jeopardise the careers of our students in the affiliated colleges,” Prof. Kma added.
It may be mentioned that the Academic Council comprises of Deans of Schools and Heads of Departments and Centres of Studies of NEHU, five teachers of the university, by rotation according to seniority of which two shall be Associate Professor and three Assistant Professors, six principals of colleges admitted to the privileges of the university, six teachers of the colleges admitted to the privileges of the university, two post-graduate students of the university – one from Sciences and one from Humanities and one Research Scholar elected on academic merit in the manner prescribed by ordinance.
The Academic Council also has two permanent invitees composed of the Director, College Development Council, NEHU and Controller of Examinations, NEHU.
Meanwhile, the Meghalaya College Teachers’ Association (MCTA) will hold an open press conference on the implementation of NEP at the Shillong Press Club tomorrow at 4 pm. The open press conference will be live-streamed on the YouTube channel ‘U Sangot: U Pyrta’.
