By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, May 21: Two senior officials from the Union Ministry of Education are scheduled to visit the North-Eastern Hill University (NEHU) on Thursday to assess the university’s operations.
Additional Secretary and Director in the Department of Higher Education, Sunil Kumar Barnwal and Subrat Kumar Pradhan will be holding a review meeting with the NEHU officials.
The timing of this high-level visit is significant, as it comes amid serious crisis within the university over demands for removal of the Vice Chancellor.
In a letter addressed to NEHU Vice Chancellor Prof. Prabha Shankar Shukla, Under Secretary at the Ministry of Education, DK Himanshu, requested the university to make necessary arrangements for the review meeting.
Himanshu also wrote to Chief Secretary DP Wahlang and Director General of Police (DGP) Idashisha Nongrang to ensure appropriate protocol and security measures for the visit.
According to the itinerary, the two officials will reach Guwahati on Wednesday and spend the night at the NEHU Guest House there before traveling to NEHU by road on Thursday at 7am.
NEHU holds AC meet
The adjourned Academic Council (AC) meeting of NEHU was held on Wednesday, where the council unanimously approved the syllabus for the 7th and 8th semesters of the four-year undergraduate (FYUG) programme.
The day-long meeting, chaired by Vice Chancellor in-charge Prof. Sherwin May Sungoh, began at 10:30 AM and concluded at 6:50 PM.
Over 135 members attended the meeting, during which several long-pending matters were approved. These included the declaration of PhD results, syllabus revisions across various departments, affiliation issues (including permanent, temporary, and new affiliations), appointment of supervisors and joint supervisors, examination-related matters, and efforts to ensure uniformity in the grading system.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, NEHUTA president Lakhon Kma described the session as fruitful, especially since it was the first AC meeting held in the past six months.
He noted that several important and urgent issues were deliberated upon. All agenda items were discussed thoroughly, he said.
Kma also praised Prof. Sungoh’s leadership, highlighting that the meeting started on time and ended earlier than expected, despite the heavy agenda.
He added that at the beginning of the meeting, the entire council affirmed that Prof. Sungoh was fully authorized to chair the session in her capacity as the Vice Chancellor in-charge.
Prof. Shukla had earlier issued a warning to the Vice Chancellor in-charge on Monday, cautioning against holding the meeting and threatening consequences if it proceeded.