New Delhi (Agency): Prabha Shankar Shukla, the Vice-Chancellor of North Eastern Hill University (NEHU), announced on Tuesday that principals of 75 colleges affiliated with the university are happy with the implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. His comments come amid an ongoing ‘non-cooperation’ movement led by the Meghalaya College Teachers Association (MCTA), demanding the policy’s rollback.
“A meeting with principals of all affiliated colleges was held on July 21, 2023. Majority of college principals said they are satisfied with the move,” said Shukla. He also stated that none of the college principals have reported any difficulty in introducing the four-year undergraduate courses mandated by the NEP 2020.
However, these claims contrast with the ongoing protests from the MCTA. The teachers’ association has called for the university to revoke the implementation of the policy, which they claim was done in a “dictatorial” manner without “consulting all stakeholders.”
Airpeace Rani, MCTA secretary, noted that teachers are “not satisfied” with the outcome of a recent meeting with the NEHU Vice-Chancellor. Rani stated, “Our demand is simple – revoke the July notification of the university which was not approved by the Academic Council.” He added that many colleges lack the necessary infrastructure and trained teachers to support the new curriculum introduced by the NEP 2020.
Regarding these concerns, Shukla assured that NEHU is committed to assisting colleges in addressing these challenges. The university had already discussed and approved the NEP 2020 in its Academic Council in September 2020 and has implemented it for its postgraduate courses since last year.
With the next Academic Council meeting slated for late October or early November, the standoff between the NEHU administration and the MCTA remains unresolved. While the Vice-Chancellor claims widespread support among college principals, the teachers’ association vows to continue their ‘non-cooperation’ movement, setting the stage for further debates on the issue.
