SHILLONG:
The North-Eastern Hill University Teachers’ Association (NEHUTA) has decided to report to the President of India against the violation of NEHU Act, statutes and ordinances by the university’s vice-chancellor in regard to implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP).
This came after the expiry of the deadline given by the association to the NEHU VC to withdraw the July 12 notification issued to the principals of all affiliated colleges by Debasish Chowdhury, Officer on Special Duty (OSD), CDC, NEHU which NEHUTA said was “grossly misleading and inappropriate”.
In a statement, NEHUTA president Prof Lakhon Kma said that the emergent meeting of the executive committee, NEHUTA held on August 31, has decided to enforce the resolutions of the general body meeting held on August 26.
“(We have decided) to send a detailed report on violation of NEHU Act, Statutes and Ordinances by the vice-chancellor to the visitor of the university- the honourable President of India, the Prime Minister Office, the Union Minister of Education Dharmendra Pradhan, the Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, other central ministers, the chief rector of the university-the Governor of Meghalaya and Meghalaya chief minister,” Kma said.
He said the association has also decided to boycott all academic council meetings in the future.
Kma also thanked its members for not setting or moderating the question papers of illegitimately implemented first semester undergraduate under NEP as per the general body meeting resolution.
“So far, all NEHUTA members have abstained from setting and moderating question papers of first semester under illegitimately implemented NEP at undergraduate level for different subjects as decided by the general body meeting of NEHUTA,” he said.
Moreover, Kma said that the academic council is yet to decide on the model papers under NEP for undergraduates which is required as per NEHU Ordinance so that there is uniformity in the pattern of question paper setting across all subjects.
“In absence of model question papers, no teacher can set the questions and hence it cannot be moderated. Without these procedures, UG exams for the first semester based on NEP cannot be held,” he said.
Further, Kma said that NEHUTA is worried that NEHU is unnecessary playing with the careers of the UG students by hurriedly implementing NEP ‘illegitimately’ without the approval of the academic council, when it is not yet prepared or is ready to implement NEP in totality in absence of discussions on model question papers in academic council with regard to syllabus of all subjects from 3rd to 8th Semester which is to be prepared, discussed and approved by respective Board of Studies of different departments and their School Boards and finally to be discussed and approved in academic council.
“It is a long process. That’s why the VC cannot unilaterally implement NEP hastily and illegitimately. All these are necessary as per NEHU Statute and Ordinance which require the approval of the academic council,” he said.
“Without these mandatory procedures, NEP at UG in affiliated colleges will be null and void and a disaster of epic proportions which will spoil the careers of our first semester students,” Kma added further.