Students demand NEHU VC to reconsider decision to remove HoD

Syllad | The Rising MeghalayaMay 7, 2020

Students of the North Eastern Hill University (NEHU) have strongly opposed the sudden removal of Prof H Srikanth as the head of the political science department.  

This came after the NEHU vice chancellor, Prof SK Srivastava had recently ordered removal of heads in the two academic departments which include English and Political Science on the alleged non-compliance with filing of some formats related to online classes.

In a letter to the VC, the students of political science department have demand the vice chancellor to reconsider his decision and not to ignore the problems faced by the professors and students.

“This whole situation has left us dejected and left us to wonder whether the university has our best interest in mind. We feel as though removing Prof Srikanth as our HoD utterly ignorant and unwarranted. We would like you to please reconsider your decisions and look into the matter properly,” they said.

The students said despite many are having difficult times regarding internet connectivity, Prof Srikanth along with other professors has been given their all to engage and cooperate with the students.

“We would also like to mention that many of the professors wanted to engage with us through Google Classroom but since many of us have poor connectivity, we requested them to sent materials via WhatsApp. Prof Srikanth has even made a YouTube channel to help us in this regard. So we ask you this as the VC of our prestigious university, why the problems of students as well as the efforts of our professors being ignored. We would also like to point out that even the professors have their problems and hardship when it comes to internet connection and other personal issues,” they said.

Stating that Prof Srikanth did not have proper and accurate information and did not want to submit any wrong or false information, the letter said, “We feel that the attention should be given more to the students and the professors rather than the submission of the official format. We would also like to enquire why Prof Srikanth is being punished for his honesty and disregarding everything he did with his limited power.”

“We would like to enquire as to why Prof. Srikanth was met with this discriminatory action when all he asked for was the required time so that he could collect the necessary data which you asked. It is saddening that you have not paid attention to our problems and a professor who highlighted these issues was removed from his position,” it added.

The students also asked the vice chancellor to take up the matter with the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) as they questioned why main concern is given to the official format instead of considering the problems of the professors as well as the students.

Pointing out that other universities like Delhi University and Jawaharlal Nehru University are not bothered by this report, they further questioned as to why such a harsh action was taken against Prof Srikanth, who has been submitting weekly reports to the administration.

Earlier, the North Eastern Hill University Teacher’s Association (NEHUTA) has condemned the VC’s decision to remove the two Heads of Departments (HODs) which it termed as an unprecedented move.

The teacher body further stated that the online classes have created ‘digital divide’ and it has deprived the underprivileged students of the university from equal opportunity and access to learning materials, widely contended by students’ bodies and NEHU students’ union as well.

“In the most insensitive and high handed manner, the VC by violating all academic propriety and administrative probity removed the two HODs on his purported difference with two Heads of English and Political Science Departments of the University on reporting about online classes in a so called ‘desired’ format,” NEHUTA said in a statement.

It further alleged that while academic council is the authority to decide on any academic procedures, the Vice-Chancellor arbitrarily usurped the power of the academic council to arbitrarily remove two Heads in order to carry out a malafide action.

“It is very unfortunate to see that the Vice-Chancellor is using the time of the lockdown of the university to penalize Heads of Departments and threatening them with consequences for not ‘complying’ to his arbitrary orders and thereby showing scant regard to academic and administrative good practices and statutory provisions. This potentially damages the academic standards and performance of the university as mandatory online courses without logistics and infrastructure of access for students is a poor attempt by the Vice-Chancellor,” they said.

In a letter jointly written with NEHU students’ union to the Union human resources’ ministry, the NEHUTA sought proper intervention not to make online courses mandatory in the interest of students and teachers. 

The NEHUTA has further demanded repeal of illogical and illegal order of removing two Heads of Department at this hour of crisis so that the academic atmosphere of the University is not dented based on some presumed mandatoriness of filling up a clerical format by teachers. The NEHUTA strongly oppose and condemn such orders of removal and demand its repeal forthwith.

“As such draconian and drastic action on the part of the executive and academic head of the University does not augur well for the region and the state, we demand restoration of Heads in their due position and emphasize on taking a path of deliberation and dialogue instead of such high handed administrative action in the context of higher academics. When the nation needs service of academics the most in the moment of crisis, the arbitrary act of Vice-Chancellor is a bad example in maintaining stress free congenial academic environment and to revive it in the right way,” it stated.

The NEHUTA believes that repeal of these arbitrary unstatutory orders would have saved the prestige of the university and the office of the Vice-Chancellor from further downfall.