By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Sep 23: The members of the NEHUSU on Monday confronted Vice-Chancellor Prabha Shankar Shukla as he was reluctant to meet them even after giving an appointment.
The VC was to meet the members of the students’ body at 1 p.m. on Friday. They entered his chamber after waiting for two hours beyond the appointed time.
A heated argument between the VC and the NEHUSU members ensued with the latter questioning his alleged lack of seriousness about the issues concerning the students.
The NEHUSU gave the VC a week’s deadline to convene an urgent Academic Council (AC) meeting to discuss the 10-point grading system as recommended by the University Grants Commission (UGC).
NEHUSU president Sandy Sohtun told reporters after the meeting that the union would decide its next course of action if the VC failed to convene the meeting within the given deadline.
When asked if the VC gave any assurance about convening the AC meeting, he said that Prof Shukla was beating about the bush and was unclear about what he wanted to say. “But we were very clear about the need for the AC to approve the 10-point grading system,” he added.
Earlier, the VC told the NEHUSU members that he was ready to discuss “proper” issues and that the Controller of Examination has been working to implement the grading system.
The VC also said the students’ union should not try to pressure him since a decision on the matter had already been taken.
When the NEHUSU members asked why they were not informed about it, he said informing a students’ union was unnecessary as the Controller of Examination had been directed to initiate the process.
The NEHUSU members insisted they needed to be informed since the matter involved the students.
In a letter submitted to the VC, Sohtun demanded the immediate implementation of the Draft Ordinance OC-20, which was approved during the 112th Academic Council meeting in June for the 2022-2024 batch onwards.
“The administration’s failure to implement the approved ordinance despite its endorsement by the Academic Council — the highest academic authority in the university — has jeopardised the students’ future, particularly the 2022-2024 batch,” Sohtun said.
He emphasised that the union’s demand is in the best interest of the students, noting that the current grading system, as outlined in OC-7, is outdated and no longer aligns with the UGC recommendations and guidelines.
“To address this issue and prevent further injustice to the student community, we call for an immediate Academic Council meeting to rectify the situation and uphold academic fairness and integrity,” the NEHUSU president said.