The general body meeting of the North-Eastern Hill University Teachers’ Association (NEHUTA) yesterday rejected the appointments of Sherwin May Sungoh and Fameline K Marak as Pro Vice-Chancellors of the Shillong and Tura campuses respectively.
“NEHUTA had outrightly rejected these appointments in November 2024 and since then nothing has changed and we out rightly reject it now as well,” NEHUTA stated in a press statement. However, the opposition is not personally directed at the two individuals, with NEHUTA preferring that Sungoh, as the next available senior-most professor, should take charge as Acting VC of the whole university.
The teacher’s association condemned the appointment and the joining of the two Pro VCs since, according to it, they were appointed through the illegitimate action of Vice-Chancellor PS Shukla.
According to NEHUTA, Shukla went on earned leave as per the advice of the central government’s Director of Higher Education from November 15, which he has extended until March 2 and, till date, he has not rejoined work in person at NEHU.
“This amounts to continuous absence from duty in the headquarters at NEHU Shillong for 131 days at a stretch. Moreover, the inquiry committee report on the conduct of Shukla has not been announced by the Union Ministry of Education and, therefore, he has not been exonerated from the serious charges against him,” the association stated.
What is more concerning to NEHUTA is that although staunch opposition to Shukla remaining as VC remains (and was even raised in Parliament yesterday by the Shillong MP), other are supporting him and legitimising what the association described as his “illegitimate actions, violations of NEHU Act and Statutes, Government of India rules and his anti-tribal and anti-Meghalaya stands that he had amply displayed during his tenure.”
Yesterday’s meeting also expressed concern about the current situation in NEHU where there is no Vice-Chancellor in station to look after the affairs of the varsity.
NEHUTA has rejected the appointment of the Pro VCs because the executive council meeting where discussion of appointment of the two posts was held had no quorum. Moreover, NEHUTA stated that the Vice-Chancellor, who was absent from NEHU Shillong, has not followed the proper procedures as laid down under the University’s Statute 3.
