Most college principals satisfied with implementation of NEP 2020: NEHU VC

Shillong: North Eastern Hill University (NEHU) vice-chancellor Prabha Shankar Shukla on Tuesday claimed that principals of 75 colleges affiliated with the varsity were satisfied with the implementation of the National Education Policy 2020.

He also claimed that none of the principals of the affiliated colleges have officially intimated any difficulty in implementing the four-year undergraduate courses in their respective colleges.

His statement came in the wake of the state college teachers' umbrella organisation the Meghalaya College Teachers Association's (MCTA) ongoing 'non-cooperation' movement demanding the rollback of the policy.

"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 (to implement the NEP 2020)," the NEHU vice-chancellor said in a statement.

He said the university has not received any letter from any of the principals of affiliated college intimating their difficulty in implementing the NEP 2020 in respect of the four-year undergraduate courses.

Shukla refuted the MCTA's allegation that the NEP 2020 policy was implemented in a "dictatorial" manner in July this year without "consulting all stakeholders".

The Academic Council had in September 2020 discussed and constituted a task force following which the Executive Council had in October that year adopted the same, the university informed through a statement.

It added that the university has implemented the NEP 2020 for its PG courses since last year.

MCTA secretary Airpeace Rani who is among the delegation that met the NEHU VC on Monday told PTI that the teachers were "not satisfied" with the outcome of the meeting and that the "non-cooperation" movement of the college teachers will continue until the matter is resolved in the next Academic Council meeting.

The next academic council meeting is due to be held by late October or early November this year, NEHU officials said.

"Our demand is simple – revoke the July notification of the university which was not approved by the Academic Council," Rani said.

He added, "Until then, the MCTA will continue with its non-cooperation movement and will not render their service to teach under the new 4-year UG course." According to senior leaders of the MCTA, many colleges are not equipped to teach under the NEP 2020 syllabus and many do not have the required infrastructure and the teachers are not trained.

On this, the NEHU VC has assured that the university will be assisting colleges in all their inadequacies.