Academic Council members demand NEHU VC to convene emergent AC meeting over NEP implementation

Members of the Academic Council (AC) of North Eastern Hill University (NEHU) have requisitioned a special/emergency meeting of the AC to the University’s Vice Chancellor and chairman of the AC Prof P Shukla to discuss the alleged inappropriate implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 at the under-graduate (UG) level in the affiliated colleges from the session 2023-24 without the AC’s approval.

The decision was taken after the Vice Chancellor was not keen to convene an emergency meeting of the AC despite several requests made by the teaching communities through their respective associations and other stakeholders, President of the teachers’ association (NEHUTA) Prof Lakhon Kma said in a statement issued here on Wednesday.

He said, “The responsible members of the AC are deeply concerned with the act of infringement on the authority of the AC and violation of the established norms and procedures as per NEHU Act, Statutes and Ordinances.”

“Therefore, the members have requisitioned a special/emergency meeting of the AC to discuss the inappropriate implementation of the NEP 2020 at UG level in the affiliated colleges of NEHU without the approval of the Academic Council as per Regulation RA-5, Clause 13, under Clause (1) (a) and (2) of Statute 42,” Kma added.

Kma further maintained that the AC members are not harping on the roll-back of the NEP implementation but on the urgent need to rectify the procedural flaws after discussion and approval in the Emergency meeting and move forward for the sake of students at UG level in our affiliated colleges.

“In accordance with upholding the democratic norms and protecting the sanctity of the Statutory Body of the University-the Academic Council, the members have requested the Vice Chancellor to convene the special/emergency meeting of the AC immediately based on the requisition as per rule.

More than 100 bona fide members of the AC from Shillong and Tura Campuses of NEHU have signed the requisition of the special/emergency AC meeting which is much higher than the requirement of one-third of the total members of the AC as per Regulation RA-5, Clause 13, under Clause (1) (a) and (2) of Statute 42, Kma stated.