Our Bureau
SHILLONG/TURA, Nov 11: The NEHU Non-Teaching Staff Association (NEHUNSA) has decided to officially extend its support to the ongoing agitation of the NEHUSU and its demand for Vice Chancellor Prabha Shankar Shukla’s removal.
The decision was taken after the general body meeting of the association held on Monday.
NEHUNSA general secretary JP Nongbri said ever since the current VC took over charge, work in the university has been disturbed due to his lack of administrative and academic knowledge.
He stated that non-teaching employees directly involved in administrative duties are greatly frustrated due to the delay in the movement of files, the outcome of which is a delay in processing the regular works in the university.
Nongbri said that it seems that the VC has joined NEHU to learn, which is not expected of the executive head.
According to him, the interview for the statutory post(s) of the University was conducted in Guwahati, whereby the VC cited that it was due to the urgent need to fill these positions. “But to our utter disbelief, the Controller of Examination was allowed to join six months after the offer of appointment was made to him,” Nongbri said.
He further said that the road inside the campus is in a dilapidated condition but no action was taken by the VC despite discussions.
“The quarters allotted to the employees are never maintained by the university and the occupants have to shell out money from their own pockets for any minor/major repairs despite their House Rent Allowance (HRA) being deducted every month. Street lights, which are very important during the night, are not functioning, hence compromising the security and safety of the residents, including the students,” Nongbri said.
The NEHUNSA general secretary said the medical advance, which needs to be granted within ten days as per GOI rules at 90% of the estimated expenditure was delayed for one of employees. He stated that a Deputy Registrar, who was appointed recently, has no knowledge of correct English, despite the university’s medium of instruction being English.
NEHU Tura campus resumes protest
After a hiatus of a few days due to the recently-held Wangala festival, the students of the NEHU’s Tura campus resumed their protest on Monday demanding among others the ouster of the VC as well as the Registrar.
They were joined by the members of Garo Students’ Union and Garo State Movement Committee (GSMC). The students decided to continue their protest till their various demands are met with.
The gates leading to the campus remained shut with the students sitting in front of them to express solidarity with those protesting in Shillong.
“We support the demands of our counterparts in Shillong and seek the removal of the VC and the Registrar who has been illegally appointed. These illegal appointees have to be shown the door. Further, we demand that a Pro-VC is appointed for the Tura campus as we have been doing without one for over 2 years now,” said Amsrang Momin, a PhD student.
The campus is currently being run by a campus in-charge, which apparently was a temporary solution but has become a permanent fixture.
“We also demand that the vacant posts are filled up early. There are problems galore in our campus, including lack of buses, facilities, drinking water etc. Our demand is that the PGSU, which was our students’ body for raising issues and which has remained non-functional for over two years now, should be revived,” added Amsrang.
Chokram Sangma, a 2nd year student of MA in the English department, pointed out that the ranking of NEHU has fallen drastically since the VC took over.
“Just prior to his appointment, NEHU ranked 95 in the country in the list of universities. Since he took over, we have fared deplorably and are currently ranked a lowly 175. The VC needs to step down as his actions are harming the future of the student community in the state,” Chokram said.
Banteilang Kharbani, another 2nd year student in the English department, alleged the Registrar is not proficient in the English language and should be immediately sacked along with the VC.
GSMC co-chairman Balkarin Ch Marak said the situation in NEHU is currently far from ideal for education. He promised to stand by the protesters till their demands are fulfilled.