The All Nagaland College Students’ Union (ANCSU) submitted a three point representation letter to the chief secretary of Nagaland on Monday detailing the issues faced by the student community.
The union raised three main issues in the letter:
- Construction of boundary fence and re-allocation of land at Kohima Science College (Autonomous) Jotsoma
- Scholarship nodal cell
- Shortage of teachers under higher education, contractual teachers issue and salary
Construction of boundary fence and re-allocation of land at Kohima Science College (Autonomous) Jotsoma
With regard to the land issue of Kohima Science College, the ANCSU pointed to two pending matters – re-allocation of required portion of land and boundary fence construction – which have yet to be settled despite meetings held between the union and the committee set up by the state government to address this particular issue.
“It is learnt that despite the proposal for boundary fence construction being recommended by the then Deputy Commissioner Kohima, the department of Higher Education and state government is adamant in taking up necessary arrangements,” wrote the ANCSU.
Reminding the government to keep its commitment for the two pressing matters, the union stated a failure on the part of the former to address the issue within a month “shall only invite confrontations.”
Scholarship nodal cell
The study body also brought up issues surrounding the Common Scholarship Nodal Cell in its letter to the chief minister.
While appreciating the government for setting up the Common Scholarship portal in response to the ANCSU’s request, the union stated that “some departments are not willing to provide its scholarship details towards the common portal.”
Questioning those departments for their lack of cooperation, the ANCSU also called for a proper cell with concerned officers and staff to be set up so that “transparent and proper disbursement of various scholarship schemes” can be ensured.
“The ANCSU is aware about 18 scholarship schemes available in 13 departments,” wrote the union, and added that it would be “compelled to challenge…in any befitting matter” those departments that do not provide the necessary details to the common scholarship portal within a month’s time.
The ANCSU then raised the issue of teacher shortage within government colleges in the state. Already an existing problem faced by government colleges, the issue has become even more urgent through the introduction of Choice Based Credit System (CBCS) and New Education Policy which requires more teaching faculty, wrote the student body.
“The union is made to understand that there is requirement of over 250 teachers for 15 government colleges, even with the existing regular and 160 contractual teachers under Higher Education.”
The union gave the higher education department and the state government one month to “solve the issue of contractual teachers under Higher Education Department” and also “do away with random contractual engagements except on exigency.”
Shortage of teachers under higher education, contractual teachers issue and salary
Furthermore, the ANCSU also requested the higher education department and the state government to look into the matter of unpaid salary with immediacy. Some contractual teachers have not received their salary for the past four months, wrote the union.
Finally, the ANCSU called for “necessary post creation and recruitment without further delay” as the issue of teacher shortage was directly affecting the student community,
Writing that the state government has been made aware of the issues mentioned in the letter “on several occasions in the past 5 years” the union stated that a month’s time to solve the issues should be sufficient.
“We sincerely pray that the government of the day would take up these issues on priority to avoid academic recession and educational turbulence,” ended the letter by the ANCSU.
