GUWAHATI, Nov 11: Meghalaya chief minister Conrad Sangma on Thursday showered applause on the teachers, students and staff of University of Science and Technology Meghalaya (USTM) for the “Grade ‘A’ accreditation by the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC), which he said was a “significant milestone” for the institution.
Earlier this month, USTM became the first private university from Northeast India to have been accredited with ‘Grade A’ by NAAC.
“This is a significant milestone for the faculty and the university in its first cycle. It is the leadership and teamwork at USTM that have paved the way for such a big success. With commitment and dedication, ‘A++’ is not far away for USTM,” Sangma said during a visit to the university on Thursday morning.
NAAC is an autonomous body established by the UGC to assess and accredit institutions of higher education in the country. It assesses universities on seven-point criteria, covering factors such as infrastructure, emphasis on research and innovation, curriculum and faculty. The chief minister also unveiled a statue of Mahatma Gandhi on the USTM premises.
The programme was graced by NESAC director, SP Aggarwal, and Prof Prabha Kumar Shukla, Vice Chancellor, NEHU, among other dignitaries.
Congratulating and terming USTM Chancellor Mahbubul Hoque as a “risk taker”, Sangma said that “the university is the future of the new age, and that the future of the nation is in responsible hands.” He said that institutions such as USTM have a big role to play in research and development, which will further contribute to policy making of the nation.
The chief minister also visited the Central Instrumentation Centre in the PA Sangma International Block at USTM.
Earlier, welcoming the gathering, USTM chancellor Hoque reiterated the university’s commitment to the development of science and technology education and research in the region and to make USTM a world class university by the year 2030.
Hoque expressed his appreciation to the Meghalaya government and remembered its help and encouragement extended since the inception of the university.
“A university becomes world class not because of its infrastructure but by virtue of its research background and we are committed to that. I am happy to announce here today that our Pro Vice Chancellor Prof K Murugan, has been recently ranked among the top two per cent scientists of the world by Stanford University”, he added.