Rank ‘A’ award to USTM by NAAC is a Significant Milestone: Meghalaya CM

Digital Desk: As the first private university from the North East India have been ranked Grade ‘A’ by the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC), the Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma has visited the University of Science & Technology Meghalaya (USTM) today to congratulate and address the students, teachers and the university fraternity stating that “Grade ‘A’ accreditation by NAAC in the 1st cycle is a significant milestone for the faculty & the University”.

On the same occasion, Sangma has also unveiled a statue of Mahatma Gandhi in the USTM premises. The programme was also graced by Dr S P Aggarwal, Director, NESAC, Dept of Space, Govt. of India and Prof Prabha Kr Shukla, Vice Chancellor, NEHU, apart from others. Speaking on the occasion, Shri Conrad Sangma said, “It is the leadership and teamwork at USTM that has gone to achieve such big success as Grade ‘A’. With commitment and dedication, ‘A++’ is not far away for USTM.”

Congratulating and terming Chancellor Hoque as a “risk taker”, he said that the university is the future of the new age, and that the future of the nation is in responsible hands. He said that institutions like USTM have a big role to play in research and development which will further contribute to policy making of the nation. The Chief Minister also visited the Central Instrumentation Centre in PA Sangma International Block at USTM.

Earlier, welcoming the gathering, Mahbubul Hoque, Chancellor of USTM said that he is committed to the development of science and technology education and research in the region and to make USTM a world class university by 2030. Shri Hoque expressed his gratefulness to the Government of Meghalaya and remembered its help and encouragement extended since the birth of USTM. “A university becomes world class not because of its infrastructure; it’s only by virtue of its research background and we are committed for that. I am happy to announce here today that our Pro Vice Chancellor Prof K Murugan, has been recently ranked among the top 2 per cent scientists of the world by the Stanford University”, he added.

Addressing the gathering, Prof G D Sharma, Vice-Chancellor, USTM said that all the stakeholders of USTM have been working hard to contribute for the development of the institution. Prof Prabha Kr Shukla, Vice Chancellor, NEHU said, “Mahbubul Hoque started USTM to fulfill the dream of the North East. USTM can be said to be the future of the new generation of the North East.

USTM has been accredited by NAAC, an autonomous body established by the UGC to assess and accredit institutions of higher education in the country and assesses universities on a 7-point criteria. This covers key factors such as infrastructure, emphasis on research and innovation, curriculum and faculty.