St Edmund’s College stalemate
SHILLONG: The students of the St. Edmunds College have expressed their concern over the ongoing stalemate in the college between the teachers and the governing body.
Some students who do not wish to be identified on Wednesday said that the college have led the way since 1923 but what is happening in the college in the present moment is the darkest of days that St Edmund’s has ever seen.
“Classes were resumed after a long break on July 1 and in spite of classes starting late, especially for the first semester students who were welcomed with agitations and silent demonstrations. The students had few classes on July 1 but classes were suspended after 11 am. We very well understand that when the college management takes wrong decisions then the teachers are affected and when teachers agitate the students are affected,” the students said.
The students further stated that they are deeply disturbed and taken aback by the baseless termination of Prof. Jeffreyson Wahlang who has been a great mentor to them and also the disrespect meted out to the teachers as a whole by the governing body.
They added that the teachers should not be treated in such an inhumane manner to the extent that their common staff room has been taken away from them and they do not even have a separate Canteen where they can sit and eat.
“It is a shame that such a prestigious college doesn’t have a Student Council,” they said while adding that they approached the governing body multiple times for this issue but they brushed it aside saying they have their teachers and they can always address their grievances to them.
The students demanded a statement from the management about the ongoing issue and they want matter to be addressed by both sides with equal sense of responsibility for the general interest of the students of the college.
MCTA to continue protest
Meanwhile, General Secretary of the Meghalaya College Teachers Association, A Basaiawmoit said that protest will continue as the matter is yet to be resolved.
She however added that the form of protest has not been decided.
For Wednesday’s meeting, members of the MCTA from different parts of the state took casual meeting and took part in the sit-in demonstration.