VC’s service extension opposed
By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: Meghalaya Tribal Students’ Coordination Committee (MeTSCC) expressed its opposition to any extension of the service of Pramod Tandon as Vice-Chancellor of NEHU.
“We totally oppose the idea as this might lead to further agitation in the university,” MeTSCC chairman Kynpham Kharlyngdoh said on Saturday.
Tandon is scheduled to retire on September 12.
“The university’s image is already shattered and it can longer afford to allow another agitation to take place,” Kharlyngdoh, also the president of KSU NEHU unit, said while referring to the last year’s series of agitations against the Vice-Chancellor’s stand on teachers’ allowance.
Last year the students had to suffer a lot due to the stand-off between the VC and the a Joint Action Committee of teachers over implementation of Hills Area Special Allowance (HASA).
Even after the restoration of HASA, the stand-off continued, he said.
Besides, Kharlyngdoh said, extension of Tandon’s service would imply that there is no one from the existing faculties in the university who can take over the responsibility.
While lauding Tandon’s role in uplifting the standard of the university in all aspects, he said the various students’ bodies have supported the demand of the Meghalaya Tribal Teachers’ Association (MeTTA) to back a local aspirant for the coveted post.
“The time has come for local aspirants with strong academic background and administrative experience to hold the leadership of the institution by articulating the aspirations of the people of the State and the region as a whole as enshrined in the NEHU Act,” the MeTSCC chairman said.
The NEHU since its inception in 1973 had only one local Vice Chancellor, (L) Prof Barrister Pakem, he added.
MeTSCC is a conglomerate of KSU NEHU Unit, ‘Achik Post Graduate Students’ Union (APGSU) and Meghalaya Post Graduate Students’ Union (MPGS).
Source: The Shillong Times
