By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Sep 15: The Meghalaya College Teachers’ Association (MCTA) and the North-Eastern Hill University Teachers’ Association (NEHUTA) on Friday made a common appeal to NEHU Vice Chancellor Prabha Shankar Shukla to reconsider the “premature implementation” and collaborate for a smoother, more thought out transition to the National Education Policy 2020.
“The narrative of the state and students losing out if NEP 2020 is not implemented has conditioned the belief of some sections of the community, particularly the heads of institutions, to unconditionally accept NEP 2020,” MCTA general secretary Airpeace W Rani and NEHUTA president Lakhon Kma said in a joint statement.
The two associations made it clear that if the NEP is not implemented in Meghalaya in 2023, students and parents should understand that the present educational framework would remain robust and valid.
According to them, students will continue to receive their education under the 3-year undergraduate programme, a system that has served generations and remains relevant.
“This framework remains legitimate and will continue to do so for as long as Meghalaya does not transit to the NEP. There are many universities that have not implemented the NEP in 2023. Furthermore, students aspiring for postgraduate studies should be reassured that admission to PG programmes will still be based on CUET. This process remains unaffected by the status of NEP’s implementation in the state,” they said.
The MCTA and NEHUTA also stated that the decision to introduce the NEP in colleges stands on shaky grounds, being procedurally flawed.
“Crucially, it has not received approval from the Academic Council of NEHU. This omission poses a significant question on the legitimacy of the degrees that might be awarded under this precipitate version of the NEP 2020,” they said, while reiterating that neither NEHUTA nor MCTA is against the spirit and aims of the NEP 2020.
“Our concerns lie with the impulsive execution without adequately preparing our esteemed educators and affiliated colleges,” they said.
“The approach towards question formulation, assessment methods, and overall pedagogy remains ambiguous. Additionally, the unforeseen notification has left many of our colleges scrambling, with some struggling to procure essential reading materials for the newly introduced courses. This could exacerbate challenges for parents, with a looming possibility of fee hikes,” they said.
They further observed that the implementation of the NEP will exponentially raise the unit cost of education which will have a huge impact on parents, particularly those from the lower income groups.
“Our primary concern is the potential compromise on the quality of education. Students stand to bear the brunt of these hasty decisions, making their academic journey under NEP less of an enlightening experience and more of a travesty and uncertainty,” they said.