Shillong, July 31: The Hynñiewtrep Youths’ Council (HYC) on Monday asked the North Eastern Hill University (NEHU) to give first preference to qualified indigenous candidates for the post of professors in the Central university.

The HYC also submitted a memorandum to the NEHU vice-chancellor Prof. S.K. Srivastava for his intervention and consideration.

The demand came after the University since in earlier last years, had invited application for hundreds of posts of professors, associate professors and assistant professors lying vacant in different departments.

“Since the interview for the purpose is likely to be held very soon, we would like to insist through our representation that qualified local people have the right to be recruited as teachers in the university,” ,” HYC education secretary Roy Kupar Synrem said.

The HYC also urged the university to do the same for the posts of guest lecturers in departments like Physics, Geography, Linguistics and Journalism & Mass Communications where applications for filling the posts have been invited recently.

Stating that NEHU has been establishment for catering the educational needs of the four North Eastern states – Meghalaya, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh and Mizoram, Synrem however said that three states now already have their own universities.

“In view of this, NEHU has no connection with these states anymore, and its functioning as of now is only within the state of Meghalaya,” he added.