Shillong, May 22: The two-member team from Union Ministry of Education, who came to review the functioning of North Eastern Hill University (NEHU), was apprised of one key demand, once again, from the stakeholders – immediately remove vice-chancellor Prof PS Shukla.
However, the ministry officials –additional secretary Sunil Kumar Barnwal (Higher Education) and director of higher education Subrat Kumar Pradhan – refused to divulge the outcome of their meetings with the stakeholders, including teachers, students and non-teaching staff of NEHU.
Terming it a “good meeting”, Barnwal said, “I had a good meeting with the faculty – all the Deans, Heads of Departments. It was a good experience and the meeting was simply normal and we will work better.”
Terming it a “fruitful” meeting, NEHU Teachers’ Association (NEHUTA) president Prof Lakhon Kma said, “The team has come here to assess the situation of how we are doing with or without the regular VC and certainly now without the regular VC. The NEHUTA has highlighted all the problems (before the team).”
“We have made it clear that his (Prof Shukla) coming back here should not be an option at all,” Prof Kma said.
Asked, the NEHUTA president said both the team and stakeholders of the university are keen to resolve the ongoing crisis and impasse in the university.
According to him, they are working out the modalities but the same are yet to be finalised.
“They (central team) also know that it has become untenable for him (Prof Shukla) to even think of returning to the campus. Therefore, we are positive after meeting them as it seems that they are willing to find a solution so that NEHU comes back to normalcy,” Prof Kma stated.
On the status of the MoE inquiry into the alleged administrative failure in NEHU, Prof Kma said, “We enquired and they (central team) said they have finished the inquiry and we are still studying but it looks like apparently they have made up their mind but what it is exactly they are not sharing with us, but we can read between the lines even though they have not categorically stated.”
He said that Prof Shukla did not attend the meeting and the pro vice-chancellor Prof SM Sungoh was the one facilitating the process and meeting between the central team and stakeholders of the university.
Expressing satisfaction after the meeting, NEHU Students’ Union (NEHUSU) vice-president Ricky Deiburom Rabon said, “The meeting was wonderful and we appreciate the ministry team who have come to the university to hear and listen to our grievances because all this time we were waiting for a good resolution. Yes, we are hoping that we will get a resolution that will be acceptable to all stakeholders of this university.”
“Our demand was like before that we stand firm that no matter what we will not accept Prof Shukla in our university and even local people of Meghalaya have also declared him as persona non grata. Therefore, we will not accept him no matter what,” he added.
