KHNAM MLA demands postponement of exams announced by NEHU

Syllad | The Rising MeghalayaSeptember 1, 2020

The lone KHNAM legislator, Adelbert Nongrum on Tuesday has sought the intervention of the Chief Minister, Conrad K Sangma into the need to postpone the final examinations to be conducted by the North Eastern Hill University (NEHU) in view of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

“I request not to entertain (NEHU outgoing vice chancellor) Prof SK Srivastva’s devious suggestions and moreover he is supposed to have a proper consultation with all the responsible and respective concern,” Nongrum said in his letter to the CM.

He said various stakeholders including students have repeatedly complained that the vice chancellor has no conscience and mind to understand the plight of the students, on whom a final examination is forced.

The MLA also alleged that a small segment of teachers, officials and other sycophants of Prof Srivastava have decided to impose an online/blended mode of final examination on students across the state, without addressing issues of connectivity and other difficulties experienced by the students.

“Not only this small coterie of teachers and officials are abusing and misusing the office of the Vice-Chancellor, Prof Srivastava is trying to put pressure on students without any access to take the final examination and complete it within September 30,” he said.

Nongrum further alleged that to add more salt to the injury of the students, the University is asking the students to pay examination fees, when there is practically no income for most of the students and their families.

“The imposition of payment of examination fees also shows Prof Srivastva’s malafide intent of collecting fees even though students are not in a position to write a final examination,” he wrote in the letter.

He also said that the irregularities and injustices committed by Prof Srivastva and his coterie of officials, is a gross neglect and deliberate act of ignoring the needs of students in general and tribal students in particular.

“In effect, Prof Srivastva is indulging in flagrant violation of not only article 244, but also article 252(1), which read together established beyond doubt the ill-motivated action of Prof Srivastva to potentially damage careers of lakhs of students of Meghalaya in particular,” he said.

“I, therefore, request your kind action so that the student community can get rid of such undesired and unwarranted pressure tactics deployed by Prof Srivastava and his cohort.

I also request the state home, education and other relevant departments including SDMA to avert the path of further human pain and disaster added up to the already suffering populace,” he added.

The MLA also slammed the deployment of police forces in the NEHU campus and urged the government not to allow the vice chancellor to create an impression on the Centre that he is not secure in the University.