Correspondent
SHILLONG, MAY 11: The North-Eastern Hill University Teachers’ Association (NEHUTA) has asked Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan not to extend the term of Prabha Shankar Shukla as vice-chancellor of North-Eastern Hill University (NEHU). His term will end on July 26, 2026.
In a letter to the minister, NEHUTA said the Ministry of Education has delayed the process of appointing a new vice-chancellor. The association said the Department of Higher Education had written to the NEHU Registrar on February 18 to begin the appointment process, but the advertisement for the post has still not been released.
The teachers’ body said it strongly opposes any extension for professor Shukla after July 25, 2026, blaming him for the “poor state of affairs” in the university.
NEHUTA urged the minister to quickly appoint a new vice-chancellor who can improve the condition of the university and restore its reputation. The association said NEHU needs a “competent” leader who can work with stakeholders and guide the university with a clear vision.
The association also claimed that professor Shukla has not attended duties at the university headquarters in Shillong for the last 540 days, while continuing to receive his full salary. It said he left Shillong after protests by students and staff against his leadership and has not returned since. NEHUTA accused the vice-chancellor of violating university rules, UGC regulations, government service rules, and constitutional provisions related to equality. The association further alleged that the academic atmosphere at NEHU has suffered because of misconduct, nepotism, and favouritism in recruitment and appointments, leading to several cases in the Meghalaya High Court.
It also raised corruption allegations related to construction projects worth Rs 98 crore funded by the Union Ministry of Minority Affairs. According to NEHUTA, projects at the Tura campus were given to the Manipur Tribal Development Corporation without following proper government financial rules. The association also criticised the implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 at the undergraduate level, calling it “haphazard.” It said the first batch of NEP students is close to completing six semesters, but there is still no clear plan for the fourth-year programme or its connection to Master’s and PhD courses.
NEHUTA also pointed to the decline in NEHU’s National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) rankings. The university was ranked 15 when the rankings began, 59 in 2021, 66 in 2022, 80 in 2023, 101-150 in 2024, and 151-200 in 2025.
“We are sure that this year, we will be out of the list of top 200 in NIRF ranking,” the association said.