SHILLONG, Aug 1: The State Higher Educational Council would convene a meeting with North Eastern Hill University (NEHU) vice-chancellor Prabha Shankar Shukla and heads of other institutes to remove confusion over the implementation of the National Education Policy or NEP 2020.
Education Minister Rakkam A. Sangma on Tuesday said the meeting, tentatively on August 10 or 11, was deemed necessary after members of the Hynniewtrep Youth Council and the NEHU Students’ Union called on him to express their concern over the NEHU’s move to implement the NEP from the current academic session.
He said Meghalaya would be left out if it does not implement the NEP as other universities across the country have already implemented it.
Sangma said the UG students would have to wait an extra year to get admission to institutions outside Meghalaya if the NEP is not implemented in the state. Under the new policy, the UG courses would be for four years.
“The HYC wanted to know how the NEHU would implement the NEP on a hybrid mode, which is a valid concern,” he said.
Earlier, HYC president Robertjune Kharjahrin said there is a lot of confusion about the policy since some institutes have decided to implement it while others said they are not ready to.
“People want to know whether or not we are well equipped (to implement the NEP) and whether the NEHU can make a decision without the approval of the Academic Council,” he said.
He said the Executive Council of the NEHU cannot by itself decide to implement the NEP as the approval of the Academic Council is necessary. “We want a meeting of the NEHU Academic Council immediately (to decide on implementing the NEP),” he added.
The HYC also asked the VC to discuss the issue with the college teachers who have been protesting the push for the NEP. “The education minister has assured us of intervening in the matter,” Kharjahrin said.
