NEHUNSA asks Union education minister to resolve NEHU crisis

SHILLONG, Jan 23: Beleaguered by the unrelenting crisis at the North-Eastern Hill University (NEHU), the NEHU Non-Teaching Staff Association (NEHUNSA) has urged Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan to intervene in resolving the ongoing crisis at the university.
In a letter addressed to Pradhan, NEHUNSA president Wandondor R Synrem stated that the senior-most professor has assumed the role of Vice-Chancellor (in-charge) following the incumbent Vice-Chancellor Prabha Shankar Shukla’s decision to go on leave due to the prevailing situation.
Synrem highlighted that the Vice-Chancellor (in-charge) has limited powers to manage the university’s overall affairs, which has led to a stalemate, particularly regarding the recruitment of staff for positions that have already been advertised.
He pointed out that the strength of regular staff is rapidly declining, with an average of 50 or more employees retiring annually.
The NEHUNSA president stressed that if recruitment is not conducted soon, the university’s administration will face a complete standstill. He appealed to the Union Education Minister to grant special statutory powers to the Vice-Chancellor (in-charge) to facilitate the recruitment process for non-teaching staff.
Considering the delay in addressing the current crisis, Synrem expressed hope that the minister would respond favorably to their request, emphasizing the urgency of the matter.