By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Aug 27: The Meghalaya College Teachers’ Association (MCTA) had vehemently defended its move to initiate a non-cooperation movement against NEHU over the implementation of the National Education Policy from August 1 despite questions being raised against them.
“Many might question whether teachers, who are merely employees, should obey the directives of the higher authorities but at the same time it is important to be informed of the true genesis of this problem to understand our dilemma,” MCTA general secretary Airpeace W Rani said in a statement on Sunday.
“No doubt, every policy has its merits and demerits. But here we would refrain from entering into this endless debate,” he said.
He said the University Grants Commission had released the Curriculum and Credit Framework for Under-Graduate Programmes in mid-December 2022. The UGC’s framework does not make it compulsory for the universities to implement it from the academic year 2023–24.
“In view of the notification of the new framework, NEHU also constituted a committee to work on its implementation. To consider the recommendations of the NEHU committee, the 27th meeting of the Academic Council was convened on March 28, 2023 to consider the draft Curriculum and Credit Framework for Undergraduate Programmes under NEP 2020, the minutes of which were circulated to the members on April 5, 2023,” Rani said.
He further stated that during the meeting, the representatives of the college teachers as well as the representatives of the principals were present.
However, the representatives of the principals came from small and little-known colleges and hardly contributed anything to the deliberations of the Council, Rani said.
“During the course of discussion, the teachers’ representatives, after realising the substantial increase in the number of courses, flagged the concerns that unless there is corresponding improvement in terms of infrastructure, the adequacy of teachers, and adequate support from the state government, implementing the NEP would be counterproductive to the students,” Rani said.
He mentioned that thereafter, the NEP syllabi for the under-graduate and the related ordinances were hurriedly framed, and draft amendments were made to be placed for adoption by the Academic Council on May 19.
The MCTA general secretary said that in the meantime, the MCTA had meetings with the Meghalaya College Principals’ Council (MCPC), represented by their office bearers.
He recalled that the principals, during such meetings, expressed their inability to implement the NEP in 2023.
Also, the MCTA and the MCPC had joint meetings with the state government, where both groups explained to the state government their lack of preparedness to implement the NEP from the 2023-24 session, Rani said.
“During this time, the admission process for the undergraduate programmes was simultaneously taking place in the colleges under the old three-year degree course in view of the absence of any notification from NEHU,” he said.
According to him, it was against this background that the teachers’ representatives made an appeal to the NEHU Academic Council that NEP 2020 should not be implemented from the 2023–24 session, and their voices were strongly supported by other members of the council from the university during the Academic Council Meeting held on May 19.
The MCTA general secretary further pointed out that upon realising the mood of the Council, its Chairman stopped pushing the agenda for implementation of the NEP in 2023, but he insisted the members adopt the syllabi and the ordinances related to the NEP.
“However, in view of the incompleteness of the syllabi and especially the ordinance, the meeting had to be adjourned. On May 25, a tripartite meeting of the principals, state government, and NEHU was convened,” Rani said.
He further stated that in this meeting, the MCPC again reiterated their stand that NEP should not be implemented in 2023. The lack of readiness of the state to implement NEP was also admitted by Education Minister Rakkam A Sangma and the same was published in the media on June 2, 2023.
According to him, the adjourned Academic Council meeting was again held on June 2 which finally adopted the NEP syllabus and the related ordinances.
“However, the minutes of the meeting were circulated to the members by email only on June 28. It was indeed shocking that the university issued a notification dated July 12, 2023 instructing the college principals to implement the NEP at the undergraduate colleges starting from August 1,” he said.
He said that the stand taken by the principals who are under the umbrella of the MCPC and who are at the forefront of implementing the illegal and unjustified imposition of NEHU is nothing short of “betrayal” and “backstabbing” the MCTA and the students’ future as well.
“The question that remains unanswered is what steps have been taken by the principals after May 25, 2023 to make the implementation of NEP hassle-free? The MCTA would like to hear clarification from the president or secretary of the MCPC in this regard,” he said.
Rani further said that the MCTA is a principled organisation that stands by what it has taken on the issue of the implementation of the NEP in 2023 unless it is satisfied that concrete steps have been taken to address the concerns that it has for the students.
“It is also an association that will not bow down to illegalities and the circumvention of proper procedures. Teachers cannot teach the students to be the light in society when we ourselves succumb to illegitimate pressures and illegalities,” he added.