Shillong: Student groups are demanding a full-time Vice-Chancellor for North-Eastern Hill University. They visited Governor C.H. Vijayashankar at Raj Bhavan on Monday to push for leadership capable of fixing the school's nosedive. The university sat at 15th among Indian institutions in 2016. It now sits in the 151 to 200 rank band for 2025.
The NEHUSU and KSU NEHU unit handed over a memorandum to the Governor. They want someone with administrative muscle and local knowledge. NEHUSU president Melamlynti Markhap met with reporters after the session. "We want a Vice-Chancellor who has a vision to restore the past glory and status of the university. We want NEHU to progress and improve its ranking," she stated.
The drop has been steady. The school fell to 80th in 2023, then slid to the 101 to 150 band in 2024. Student leaders link this failure to poor governance, bad appointments, and a lack of basic facilities. They pointed to the November 2024 hunger strike as proof of long-standing friction over staff and campus resources. The university also faces intense pressure to carry out the National Education Policy 2020. However, shortages of classrooms and teachers leave the school ill-prepared for the Four-Year Undergraduate Programme and the Integrated Teacher Education Programme.
Prof Saroj Kanta Barik became interim Vice-Chancellor on July 27. He replaced Prof Prabha Shankar Shukla. While the Governor heard their pleas, students are still waiting for a firm date on when a permanent replacement will arrive. They insist the selection committee must find a candidate who understands the history and culture of the North-East.
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