Day of chaos and confusion in Meghalaya, students in a fix over implementation of NEP 2020 in state

Thousands of first-semester undergraduate students in the state are in a fix as teachers of their colleges announced a non-cooperation movement against NEHU

It was a day of chaos and confusion in Meghalaya today, as thousands of first-semester undergraduate students in the state were in a fix as teachers of their colleges announced a non-cooperation movement against the North-Eastern Hill University (NEHU) and have temporarily suspended their first semester classes owing to the confusion with regard to the implementation of New Education Policy (NEP) 2020 from this month.

Meanwhile, some well-known institutions have said that they are ready to embrace the change.

Meghalaya College Teachers’ Association (MCTA) General Secretary Dr. A. W. Rani said that the association is not against NEP 2020 but against the process and the procedure of how it is being put into place.

Speaking to Northeast Live, Dr. A. W. Rani said, “The Association is not against the NEP 2020, but we are against the process and the procedure of how this policy is being put into place. Since we are part of the Academic Council and aware of what happened in the Emergent Meeting of the Executive Committee held on July 29. We also foresee the kind of importance that NEP 2020 will have. So until and unless it is implemented through due procedure, we will not be able to accept this.”

Talking about their decision to launch a non-cooperation movement against NEHU by boycotting the first semester classes under FYUP (Four Year Undergraduate Programme), he said, ” Under the umbrella of the MCTA, there are a total of 22 colleges– 18 in Khasi Jaintia Hills and 2 in Garo Hills. We are also requesting the other teachers of different colleges who are not part of the association to cooperate with us in our movement.”

Dr. A. W. Rani said that they have taken the step after being disappointed over NEHU, vice-chancellor Prabha Shankar Shukla’s indifference to the association’s representation on July 21 to withdraw a notification issued by the institute on July 12 regarding the implementation of the NEP.

Responding to State Education Minister Rakkam A Sangma’s comment on the issue, Rani said, “I have seen the statement made by the Education Minister where he said that as a government, he has got a very limited authority. Making such comment is is extremely irresponsible, because the state government is one of the key stakeholders in the implementation of this policy according to the section 27 of the NEP 2020. The State government cannot shy away. We need all the stakeholders to come together and implement and take the policy forward.”

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