Dimapur, September 7 (MExN): Underpaid lecturers, overage lecturers, late declaration of degree exams and issuance mark sheets are some of the areas of concern which the touring All Nagaland College Students’ Union (ANCSU) have identified during their visit and interaction with the college students and administration.
The ANCSU office bearers, briefing media persons on their last leg of their first phase educational tour that covered all the secular eleven colleges in and around Dimapur and completed at Dimapur Government College, expressed their serious concern with regards to certain issues concerning the college students and the colleges itself.
ANCSU President Wati Jamir categorically said that quality education should be given more emphasis in the government colleges. He lamented that some government lecturers are employed on contract basis which hampers the teaching of the lecturers. However, he said that the government lecturers should be sincere and dedicated in providing quality education to the students.
Coming to private colleges, the ANCSU President said that the pay scale of the lecturers in ‘affiliated’ private colleges have to be as per UGC norms. However, Wati Jamir lamented the fact that lecturers in some colleges are ‘underpaid’. He said that due to this low salary, lecturers tend to work in two or more institutions which directly or indirectly affect the college students.
“These are some of the concern areas which we would like to table to the University,” said Wati Jamir.
The ANCSU have also found that some of the lecturers in some colleges are overage, ie beyond 65 years of age, which is against the norms.
The ANCSU said that some government employed lecturers, after their retirement seek employment in private institutions though they are beyond their age to teach in colleges.
The ANCSU, while having interaction with students, have found that the mark sheets of the last Bachelor degree examination have not been issued till date.
“Two months ahead, results of BA I and II have been declared, but no mark sheets for the BA I and II years have been issued” said an ANCSU executive and added that due to this the students feel insecure with regards to the marks they have secured. No wonder, the Nagaland University, during the past years have also created a lot of mistakes with regards to false marking and committed silly mistakes in the mark sheets.
However, the college students are feeling nervous not only with regard to the late issuance of mark sheets but also with the introduction of a new subject, Environmental Studies (in place of General foundation Course), for which there is no text books and for which no classes have been conducted so far.
ANCSU President Wati Jamir said that as per the Supreme Court’s directive, all the colleges have to introduce an environmental studies subject in their syllabus. However, he disclosed that the ANCSU does not know how far the University is working towards the introduction of this particular subject. Since it is the first time, there are no model question papers for the students to prepare the Environmental Studies subject for their exams.
Besides that, if subject has to be introduced, then it has to be completed within a short period of five months, much to the woes of the students. The ANCSU have also pointed out a lot of concern like the shortage of text books in the markets, lack of an academic calendar for the university, and the issue of scholarship. The second phase of the ANCSU tour will cover the district of Kohima.
Wati Jamir, the ANCSU President said that after their tour, they would study and analyze the findings and put up with the concerned authorities at different levels like the colleges administration and the ‘Principals Forum’ and others. “Putting up the matter with the University is our last option,” said Jamir.
