NEHU teachers’ body writes to Pradhan, President; seeks new VC, raises concerns over rankings, projects, NEP

The North Eastern Hill University Teachers’ Association (NEHUTA) has written to union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan urging the centre to immediately begin the process of appointing a new Vice Chancellor for North Eastern Hill University (NEHU), Shillong, ahead of the completion of the current vice chancellor Prabha Shankar Shukla’s tenure on July 26, 2026.

In the letter, the teachers’ body said that although the ministry of education had already directed the university in February this year to initiate the appointment process for the next vice chancellor, no advertisement for the post has yet been issued publicly even after more than two months.

NEHUTA strongly opposed any extension to the incumbent vice chancellor and alleged that the university has witnessed severe administrative and academic decline during his tenure. The association claimed that Shukla has remained absent from the NEHU headquarters in Shillong for nearly 540 consecutive days while continuing to draw full salary.

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NEHUTA: NEP concerns, NIRF decline

The teachers’ body accused the Vice Chancellor of promoting nepotism and favouritism in appointments and recruitments, which, according to the association, resulted in multiple legal disputes reaching the Meghalaya High Court. It further alleged that the academic atmosphere at the university has deteriorated and students, teachers and non teaching staff have repeatedly expressed dissatisfaction with the administration.

The association also raised concerns regarding alleged irregularities in construction projects worth nearly Rs 98 crore linked to the Tura campus and questioned the manner in which the work was reportedly allotted. It further criticised the implementation of the National Education Policy(NEP) at the undergraduate level, saying there is still uncertainty regarding the fourth year structure for students currently pursuing NEP based programmes.

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NEHUTA pointed to the steady decline in NEHU’s National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) rankings over the past five years, stating that the university had dropped from rank 59 in 2021 to the 151-200 band in 2025. The association warned that the institution risks falling further unless urgent corrective measures are taken.