Siliguri, July 9 -- West Bengal Governor and Chancellor of state universities chaired a meeting with around 20 vice-chancellors at the University of North Bengal on Thursday to review the condition of higher education, infrastructure, financial issues, and academic challenges across the state's universities.
During the meeting, the Governor heard detailed presentations from the vice-chancellors regarding the financial condition, academic status, infrastructural deficiencies, and administrative challenges faced by their respective institutions. Special emphasis was laid on improving the quality of education, increasing student engagement, expanding employment opportunities, introducing skill-based development courses, and promoting entrepreneurship. The Governor also assured the vice-chancellors that he would soon hold discussions with the Higher Education Department to address the issues raised.
However, the biggest talking point of the meeting was that the representative from the host institution, North Bengal University, did not get a chance to raise their concerns to the Governor.
Swapan Kumar Rakshit, Joint Registrar, said: "We had requested the officials accompanying the Governor, through a letter, to allow us an opportunity to speak to him. However, in the end, we were not given a chance to meet or speak to the Governor. The University of North Bengal has been facing a prolonged administrative deadlock due to several key vacant posts, including that of the Vice-Chancellor. We are disappointed that we were not given an opportunity to raise these issues during today's meeting."
However, sources said that a letter outlining their grievances has been submitted to the Governor's Secretary. Sources also stated that there was no discussion on vice-chancellor appointments. Professor Arnab Sen, Vice-Chancellor of Raiganj University, said: "The Chancellor mainly wanted to know the academic and financial condition of every university. He also directed that long-pending convocation ceremonies should be completed in accordance with the law."
Professor Ashis Bhattacharya, Vice-Chancellor of Gour Banga University, added: "We requested the Governor to ensure faster implementation of various government schemes in universities. He assured us that he would personally visit every institution and resolve issues through direct interaction."
On the same day, the Governor chaired another meeting at Uttarkanya to review disaster management preparedness. The District Magistrates of Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri and Kalimpong, along with personnel from NDRF, BSF, and SSB, were present at the meeting. The Governor reviewed the preparedness measures and instructed all concerned to remain ready to handle any emergency situation. After the meeting, the Governor departed for Kolkata.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.