NEFIS airs stand to MHRD
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, July 18 2018: Activists of the North-East Forum for International Solidarity (NEFIS) today held a protest at in front of the office of the Ministry of Human Resources Development (MHRD), along with other organizations demanding immediate removal of Manipur University Vice Chancellor, AP Pandey, and scrapping of proposal to replace University Grants Commission (UGC) with Higher Education Commission of India (HECI).

A delegation of NEFIS activists also met Principal Private Secretary, MHRD and submitted a memorandum addressed to Union Human Resource Development (HRD) Minister regarding the issues.

MUSU, MUTA and MUSA have been agitating for over 40 days, demanding the removal of the VC.

Piling charges against the VC, NEFIS said that the allegations levelled against him include irregularities such as making arbitrary and illegal donations from university funds to student group, ABVP.

He has been found guilty of not conducting meetings with Executive Council and Finance Council as stipulated by Manipur University rules and brazenly violating MU Act, 2005 by neglecting court meetings.

The VC is also guilty of grave financial and administrative irregularities, including appointment to non-existent posts and denial of promotion to a large number of teachers by making illegal changes in the promotion process, alleged NEFIS further.

Condemning the recent proposal to scrap UGC and replace it with HECI, NEFIS said that the proposed Act would ensure that political subservience becomes the basis for funding received by higher educational institutions.

The proposed HECI is tasked with promotion of financial autonomy in higher educational institutions, which would in effect bring in privatization in hitherto publicly funded universities.

In areas such as North-East where already huge disparity exists in terms of lack of public educational institutions such proposals would expedite the launch of teaching shops and would mean debarring majority of North-East youth from higher education, it added.

These issues were raised by the NEFIS team during the meeting with the Principal Private Secretary.

In response, the Secretary assured NEFIS delegation that it had received the earlier memorandum which was submitted by NEFIS and had already instituted an inquiry committee to probe the issue.

NEFIS also reiterated its stand that the continuance of the VC in his post would provide him ample space to influence the inquiry being conducted against him and demanded that he should be immediately sent on leave, till the inquiry is conducted.

The Secretary also assured the delegation that the MU issue would be sorted out soon.

The delegation also raised the issue of HECI with the Secretary and demanded that the proposal be scrapped in the interests of the youth of the country.

It should be known that NEFIS is conducting a signature campaign in Manipur and in several other areas of the country regarding these issues and has also resolved to intensify its movement in the coming days if its demands are not accepted by the Union HRD Ministry soon.

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