SHILLONG : Stakeholders of the North Eastern Hill University (NEHU) have appealed to Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma to urgently intervene and resolve the ongoing administrative crisis at the university, which they say has created a vacuum in leadership and disrupted normal functioning.
Speaking after meeting the Chief Minister, North Eastern Hill University Teachers’ Association (NEHUTA) President Prof. Lakhon Kma said the delegation apprised the CM of the gravity of the situation, highlighting the absence of key administrative officials.
“We met the Chief Minister to apprise him of the prevailing scenario in NEHU. As stakeholders, we have expressed openly that the university doesn’t have any administrative head as of now. There is no Vice Chancellor, no Pro Vice-Chancellor, no Registrar, and no Finance Officer, and this is creating serious administrative hurdles for the university,” Prof. Kma stated.
Prof. Kma urged the Chief Minister to ensure the immediate appointment of an administrative head so that the university can function smoothly.
“We request him to intervene and bring a resolution so that NEHU has an administrative head,” he said.
According to NEHUTA, the Chief Minister has understood the seriousness of the crisis and is likely to take appropriate action.
The leadership vacuum has also affected the salaries of nearly 900 non-teaching staff and outsourced employees, who have not received their December salaries.
“The Chief Minister’s intervention will be really helpful in bringing clarity on whether Pro Vice-Chancellor F. Marak will perform the duty of the Vice Chancellor,” Prof. Kma said.
NEHUTA has demanded strict implementation of statutory provisions, which allow the Pro Vice-Chancellor to act as the Vice Chancellor in the absence of a VC.
“We want the CM to ensure that the university is stabilised and that someone is in charge,” Prof. Kma added.
Elaborating further, the NEHUTA president said statutory rules clearly mandate that the Pro-VC must perform the VC’s duties in the absence of a Vice Chancellor, or explicitly state in writing if unwilling to do so.
“We want the Pro-VC to clearly express whether she will come to Shillong to perform the duty of the VC or prefers not to come. The statutes are very clear on this matter,” he said.
Reiterating the association’s demand for the removal of the present Vice Chancellor Prof. P. Shukla, Prof. Kma said that decision rests with the ministry.
“What the ministry will do with the Vice Chancellor is another part of the story. We want her to be removed, but when they will do it, we cannot dictate,” he said.
“For now, we want all in-house statutory provisions to be implemented in letter and spirit so that there is a functioning Vice Chancellor’s office at the headquarters in Shillong,” Prof. Kma concluded.