Shillong, Nov 9: Concerned over the current stalemate in North Eastern Hill University (NEHU), two prominent associations of teachers have sought governor CH Vijayashankar’s intervention to end the impasse and restore normalcy in the central university.
The university was brought under total lockdown followed by indefinite hunger strike by NEHU Students’ Union (NEHUSU) backed by Khasi Students’ Union (KSU) NEHU Unit against alleged failure of the vice-chancellor Prof PS Shukla to terminate the “illegally appointed” registrar and deputy registrar.
“The governor, also the chief rector of NEHU, assured us that he would take all necessary measures in order to restore normalcy in the university,” said Prof Lakhon Pakma, president of NEHU Teachers’ Association (NEHUTA) after a delegation of NEHUTA and Meghalaya Tribal Teachers’ Association (MeTTA) met the governor on Friday.
As advised by the governor, the teachers would hold further discussions with the agitating students and teachers before coming back to the governor with necessary suggestions.
According to the teachers, the governor expressed concern over the prevailing situation in NEHU and requested the two associations to identify the specific problems and propose both short-term and long-term solutions. He advised them to submit a comprehensive representation, after which an actionable plan would be drawn up.
Conveying the governor’s concern over the deteriorating health of the students on hunger strike, Prof Pakma said, “He (governor) left it to us to suggest first how to end the hunger strike so that students will go back to their classes and at the same time to look at short-term solutions and long-term solutions.”
Prof Pakma, however, said the students are very firm on their stand, and justifiably so.
Castigating the VC for his “indifferent attitude”, he pointed out that the students had scaled up their demand from termination of registrar and deputy registrar to resignation of the VC now.
He VC should have shown some sense of care for the students, he said.
“VCs may come and go, teachers and non-teaching staff may come and go but university must stay and it should be for the student community,” Prof Pakma said.
Further, NEHUTA president claimed the allegations against the registrar and deputy registrar are not vague.
“They are incompetent yet he (VC) didn’t do anything to address the concerns of the teachers and the students,” he said.
