SHILLONG, May 22: The Ministry of Education has decided to dispatch a two-member team to review the ongoing stalemate and functioning issues at North Eastern Hill University (NEHU). This move comes after repeated complaints and protests concerning alleged administrative failures at the central university.
The team, comprising Additional Secretary Sunil Kumar Barnwal and Director Subrat Kumar Pradhan from the Department of Higher Education, is scheduled to arrive in Shillong on Thursday, according to an official communication from the ministry to NEHU authorities. The ministry has also requested the state government to provide the necessary protocol and security for the visiting officials.
The intervention follows an inquiry initiated by the Ministry of Education last November, triggered by an indefinite hunger strike by members of the NEHU Students Union (NEHUSU) and Khasi Students’ Union (KSU) NEHU unit. The students had demanded the removal of Vice-Chancellor Prof. P.S. Shukla, as well as the registrar and deputy registrar, citing mismanagement and administrative lapses.
The arrival of the central team aims to assess the situation firsthand and recommend measures to resolve the ongoing crisis at the university.
