SHILLONG, June 8: The United Democratic Party (UDP) has urged the Ministry of Education to remove North-Eastern Hill University (NEHU) Vice Chancellor Prof. Prabha Shankar Shukla to resolve the prolonged crisis at the institute.
UDP working president Titosstarwell Chyne said the ongoing issues have severely disrupted the university’s overall functioning. He pointed out that administrative responsibilities are currently being handled either by the Vice Chancellor in-charge or the Pro-Vice Chancellor, further exacerbating the situation.
“This has negatively impacted the academic environment and may have long-term consequences on students’ futures,” Chyne said.
He further urged the state government to intervene toward resolving the crisis.
Recently, Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma had clarified that the final decision on the contentious issues, including the possible removal of Prof. Shukla, lies entirely with the central government, stating that the state government is only playing a facilitating role in addressing concerns raised by various stakeholders.
“We have communicated our views and outlined a potential way forward. We’ve shared detailed concerns from all involved parties and we have been working to move things ahead,” Sangma had stated responding to questions about the Centre’s stance on the demand for Prof. Shukla’s removal.
Reiterating the government’s focus on student welfare, he noted, “The interest of the students is our top priority. Meetings of key bodies, like the Academic Council and the Executive Council, are now taking place, and necessary decisions are being made.”
NEIGRIHMS recruitment row
The UDP urged the state government to intervene in the ongoing controversy surrounding the recruitment of nurses at NEIGRIHMS.
Chyne stated that given NEIGRIHMS’ status as a centrally-run institution based in Meghalaya, the government must take proactive steps to address the irregularities in its recruitment process.
He emphasised the need for the state to engage with the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare to streamline the recruitment procedures.
While acknowledging that the UDP has so far remained silent on the issue, he said the party supports the concerns raised by pressure groups.
“It’s not always necessary for the party to raise its voice on every issue, especially when pressure groups are taking the lead in matters of genuine concerns,” Chyne said.
Recently, the Khasi Students’ Union (KSU) had expressed dissatisfaction with NEIGRIHMS Director Prof Nalin Mehta, accusing him of skirting responsibility by shifting all matters to the Health Ministry.
“Several of our demands could have been resolved by the NEIGRIHMS governing council. Unfortunately, the current director prefers to pass everything on to the ministry,” KSU general secretary Donald V Thabah had stated.
He pointed out that the council could have taken a decision on implementing the 80:20 female-to-male recruitment ratio in favour of local candidates.
Thabah added that the KSU has plans to meet Cabinet Minister Paul Lyngdoh again and formulate strategy to escalate its demands to the central ministry.
Thabah revealed that they had received a letter from NEIGRIHMS addressing their concerns. “We’re not entirely satisfied, as several demands remain unaddressed,” he said.
However, he noted that NEIGRIHMS has agreed to reallocate seven vacant Nursing Officer posts, originally reserved under the Economically Weaker Section (EWS) category, to another category.
