NEHU students want regular VC by Sept

SHILLONG, SEPT 10: Demanding full-fledged vice chancellor, agitated NEHU students adopted a resolution that read ‘No vice-chancellor, no rest’, at a black-flag meeting on Thursday even as they threatened to resort to intensive democratic agitations if the centre fails to appoint a full-fledged vice chancellor within September 30.

“We want to send a clear message to the centre to immediately appoint of a regular vice-chancellor in the university within September 30 failing which we will be forced to take up democratic agitations,” JAC Chairman Pynkmenlang Sanmiet said while announcing the decision at the meeting.

Hundreds of students, pinned with black flags gathered in the meeting held in front of the NEHU central library, organized by the Joint Action Committee (JAC), to protest against the practice of appointing so-called “acting-administrators” for over the past two years.

JAC was formed by a conglomeration three student bodies – Khasi Students Union – NEHU Unit, Meghalaya Post Graduate Students’ Union (MPGSU) and NEHU-Students’ Union.

“Because of failure by centre, the university is presently functioning with only an acting vice-chancellor besides acting registrar and acting controller of examination,” Sanmiet said adding “The practise of appointing these “acting-administrators” has affected the overall functioning of the university  that leads to victimization of students.”

He informed there has been a delay in the declaring the results of the students; thereby affecting them especially and those wanting to pursue further education were rejected when approached for admission in other educational institutions.

Moreover, Sanmiet who is also the vice-president of KSU and NEHUSU said, “The appointment of one person in two, three posts as acting in-charge of departments like examination and registrar is a gross violation of statue act of the university.”

He said the students protest this policy because these acting administrators are not capable of taking decision on many issues concerning the university and the excuse given by them is ‘we are not in a capacity since we are just enacting the position’ which is discouragement to the students.

The centre and the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) has chosen to keep silent by failing to address the grievances faced by the students and the university despite request made since 2013.

He informed that the earlier student body had also submitted memorandum to the MHRD and the government of India on September 15, 2014, but till today they failed to respond to the students plea even as he informed that the JAC had again submitted a memorandum recently to the Government of India, MHRD, Prime Minister, President of India and Chairman of the UGC for immediate redressal of the problem.-By Our Reporter