By Patricia Mukhim
As one amongst the first batch to get a graduate degree from North Eastern Hill University (NEHU) in 1974, I feel obliged to weigh in on the issues that have plagued the University over the decades. NEHU has the distinction of being the first central university of the region hence it should have established its credentials and only soared higher if it was efficiently and effectively administered. That NEHU would arrive at a point where students would have to undertake a hunger strike to press for their genuine demands is enough to inform those outside the University that things have gone horribly wrong and reached a point of no return. It would not be fair to say that the faculty and students did not have issues with former Vice Chancellors although these were men of integrity. There will always be dissonance between heads of institutions and the teaching and student fraternity on certain issues, but these are usually ironed out by a process of dialogue and not by confrontation.
The preamble to the NEHU Act, 1973 says that the University has been created, “to develop the intellectual, academic and cultural background of people of the North East.” Whether this objective has been accomplished is a matter of debate but NEHU did show prospects to be a University with the potential for excellence and that was during the time of Prof Tandon as VC. What are the series of events since then that have plummeted NEHU to the lower rungs among universities. Surely there is a need for soul searching among those at the leadership position in the University. Instead of pointing fingers everywhere else the Academic Council, Executive Council et al should put their heads together, introspect and come up with a list of action plans on how to redeem NEHU from the quagmire it is in today.
However, this is not the only instance of NEHU being in turmoil. Dr SC Banwar the acting VC of NEHU was shot by “unidentified assailants” on October 30, 1980. He died a day later due to gunshot wounds. Five suspects including a senior professor, junior faculty, student and university staff were rounded up but as is the history of crime detection in Meghalaya, the killers were never found and the suspects were released for lack of evidence against them. To that extent NEHU does have a sordid history of being run by people without any idea of the culture and sensitivities of people in this region. Such appointments belie the noble goal of establishing this University which is to help develop the tribal genius and provide the opportunities for research into the rich tribal cultures and histories which would have had no space in mainland universities.
Fifty years down the line, NEHU has produced a clutch of PhD holders many of whom are serving as faculty in the University today. The non-teaching and administrative staff too comprise a good section of local tribals. But till date NEHU has had only one local tribal Vice Chancellor, Prof Barrister Pakem who was an eminent scholar, an upright political leader and a man of integrity. Prof Pakem was a Gold Medalist in his Masters Examination from Guwahati University in 1963 and a Law Graduate as well. He got his Ph.D. in 1972 from Dibrugarh University. Dr Pakem was the first tribal from North East India to become the Vice Chancellor of NEHU and served for two terms from 1992-1998 until he resigned on account of ill health. Prof Pakem was a politician and MLA of Sutnga constituency, Jaintia Hills before becoming VC and held the Education portfolio. People remember him as the best Education Minister.
It took 18 years for NEHU to get a tribal VC and since 1998 the University has not been able to produce a tribal VC who is capable enough to lead the University. The point is not about communalising the position of VC. Merit should be the only criterion for selecting a person for such an important position but when Prof Sherwin Sungoh was among the applicants to the VC’s post in the last selection, how did Prof PS Shukla score over her. What were the special qualifications that made him triumph over other applicants including Prof Sungoh? The fact that selection of individuals to head institutions of importance is shrouded in secrecy is what allows the ruling party and government in Delhi to leverage and dump the people of their choice in most academic institutions today. During the Congress regime, we didn’t hear of such blatant politicisation of academic institutions. Now it appears that the BJP-RSS is hell bent on using campuses and classrooms to spread the saffron ideology. This is a surefire step towards stifling academic independence where ideas take root and free-thinking is encouraged. The present VC Prof Shukla is therefore not a free agent. He has to act according to the diktat of the Education Ministry and perhaps other agents too.
In May 2024, The Hindu carried an article by Philip G Altbach, American author and researcher, Professor Emeritus and Distinguished Fellow, Centre for International Higher Education, Boston College captioned, “The Hyper-politicisation of Indian higher education. The writer states that Indian higher education has always been political. He says politicians started colleges and universities to advance their careers and build support and that state and central government authorities sometimes placed new post- secondary institutions in politically advantageous locations. Many of them were established to cater to the demands of the electorate based on various socio-cultural factors as well. Altbach says even the naming and renaming of universities, especially by State governments are often influenced by politics and that academic appointments or promotions were sometimes made for reasons other than the quality of the professor, vice-chancellor or principal.
However, Altbach qualifies that overall, Indian higher education, especially in the universities, adhered to international norms of academic freedom and professors were generally free to teach without fear of being disciplined or fired for their views. They were able to do research and to publish their work freely, and to speak and write in public forums and the media. And while universities, while often mired in bureaucracy they also occasionally faced allegations of political interference in the recruitment of faculty members. However, they enjoyed relative autonomy when it came to the promotion of existing faculty. Altbach says that since 2014 however academic institutions have been completely politicised. He warns that there is a grave threat to academic institutions, the academic profession and intellectual life in general.
Altbach couldn’t have stated a more bitter truth. We are seeing this happen before our eyes and find ourselves helpless. But that being said, we must hail the NEHU Students’ Union (NEHUSU) and the KSU-NEHU unit for taking the ultimate step of standing up against dominant powers to show that they will no longer take things lying down and that they will fight for the rights of students, for general academic freedom and for the rights of the non-teaching staff who are often voiceless. The students who were on hunger strike have put themselves at great risk to but they have persevered for 15 long days. These students deserve our collective appreciation as a society that is still struggling to come to our own in a country where we are a dismal minority but not a subservient one. The youth have shown great valour in pushing the boundaries of struggle and have demonstrated incredible resilience.
Much has been written about the list of demands of the student community such as Wi-Fi connectivity in their hostels and better hostel facilities which have not been addressed for a very long time. Add to all that the manner in which the Academic Council meetings are being conducted leaves much to be desired leading to walk-outs by professors and students. The internal enquiry committee under the acting VC, Prof Nirmalendu Saha has allegedly unearthed huge irregularities which should be taken cognisance of by the 2-member enquiry committee appointed by the Union Education Ministry.
At this juncture it is important for the people of Meghalaya and its civil society that has supported this struggle for redeeming NEHU from the morass it is in, to remain united in the cause of the struggle. NEHUSU has to remind itself that it is the only students’ organisation in the country that is fighting a battle for democratising the academic space and purging it of all political ideology.