By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, May 27: The North-Eastern Hill University Students’ Union (NEHUSU) has urged the university authorities to expedite preparations for the fourth-year undergraduate programme under the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
Addressing reporters on Wednesday, NEHUSU president Menlamlynti Markhap urged NEHU to hasten preparations to implement the fourth-year undergraduate (UG) programme under the NEP, while assuring students that efforts are being made to ensure a smooth transition.
Markhap said students aspiring to continue into the fourth year of the UG programme must first complete their third year and secure the mandatory 120 academic credits.
He said that NEHUSU proposed to the Academic Council, through the Pro-Vice-Chancellor of Shillong Campus, Prof. Sumarbin Umdor, the immediate constitution of a committee to frame the syllabus and work out modalities for the one-year postgraduate programme in line with NEP provisions.
“This is necessary to ensure that students willing to pursue the fourth-year UG programme and subsequently the one-year postgraduate course under the NEP framework do not face uncertainty,” Markhap said.
He hoped that the university administration would act swiftly on the proposal and said students from NEHU and its affiliated colleges should continue their academic pursuits without hesitation.
Markhap further hoped that the university would soon roll out the one-year PG course, adding that the appointment of a new Vice-Chancellor is expected to help streamline pending academic reforms.
He, however, pointed out challenges in implementing the fourth-year degree programme with research components, particularly in affiliated colleges.
According to the existing ordinance, colleges intending to offer the fourth-year degree course with research must have at least two PhD-qualified faculty members capable of supervising the research scholars.
Markhap noted that many colleges in the state lack adequate numbers of such faculty members and stressed the need for immediate recruitment of PhD-qualified teachers to support research supervision.
He said the objective of the NEP is to make higher education more democratic and inclusive through flexible academic pathways, including research, internships, and other skill-based programmes.
“The NEHUSU is committed to ensuring that students do not face any academic difficulties during this transition,” he added.
