From Our Correspondent
TURA, July 2: The Post Graduate Students’ Union (PGSU) of NEHU Tura Campus has raised concerns over lack of significant administrative posts and financial infrastructure in the Campus, while also appealing to the Pro Vice-Chancellor to initiate steps towards strengthening the administrative and financial framework of Tura Campus in accordance with the NEHU Act and Statutes.
In a letter to the Pro VC of NEHU Tura Campus, the Union said while Tura Campus has seen major advances over the years in its academic production, student intake, and community engagement, it still experiences severe administrative and financial challenges impeding its smooth operation, while adding that these issues were mostly due to lack of important administrative posts and financial infrastructure unique to a campus.
The Union apprised the Pro VC of the lack of full-time officers in key positions like Deputy Registrar and Assistant Registrar, resulting in procedural lags in issues regarding student affairs, academic coordination, staff communication, and document processing. As such, systematic administrative tasks largely rely on remote coordination with Shillong campus personnel, hindering responsiveness and autonomy a regional campus would be expected to enjoy, it said.
“As per Statute 4(1) and 4(2) of the NEHU Statutes, the Registrar and Deputy/Assistant Registrar positions are pivotal in facilitating effective, transparent, and accountable administrative functions”, it said.
While appreciating the Registrar appointment as crucial, it also suggested immediate establishment and appointment of a Deputy Registrar and an Assistant Registrar, who would be posted permanently at NEHU Tura Campus, adding that their presence would guarantee prompt handling of campus-specific issues and minimise dependency on interim or ad hoc arrangements that exists till date.
Further, PGSU also underscored urgent need of a special financial administration department at the Tura Campus, stating that lack of effectively well-composed finance team has caused delayed disbursement of scholarships, departmental outlays, project fund handling, and general budget adherence.
“Not only is this impacting academic as well as research work, but also it imposes undue burden on students who are predominantly from tribal and low-income groups”, it added.
Referring to Article 6 of the NEHU Act which authorises the University to create an administrative and financial framework as required for the proper governance of its campuses, the Union feels that the moment is appropriate to invoke this mandate in the interest of the Tura Campus, so that it can be made to function with administrative autonomy and institutional equality.
Comprehending that appointments and filling of such posts involve proper procedures, such as advertisement, screening, and selection in line with UGC norms and University rules, the Union, however, said its appeal was not to circumvent due procedure, but to seriously request the Pro VC to give priority to initiating these appointments, starting with procedural approvals and formal processes towards recruitment.
To further justify their plea, PGSU also highlighted Clause 5 of the NEHU Act which clearly underlined the establishment of regional campuses such as Tura as a way of decentralising academic governance and advancing education to historically excluded groups.