Meghalaya university which grew from 6 to 6,000 students sees dip in enrollments after Sarma’s attack

USTM Chancellor Mahbubul Hoque fears university could fall short of enrollment target following Sarma’s statement that graduates from USTM may be barred from govt jobs in Assam.

University of Science and Technology Chancellor Mahbubul Hoque in conversation with ThePrint

New Delhi: The ongoing admission process at the University of Science and Technology (USTM) in Meghalaya has been adversely hit after a barrage of statements by Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma targeting it, its Chancellor Mahbubul Hoque told ThePrint.

Hoque cited how Sarma reportedly said last week that students from USTM, may be barred from government jobs in Assam. The university now fears it will fall short of this year’s target for enrollments, Hoque said.

Managed by a foundation of which Hoque—a Bengali-Muslim from Assam— is founder-chairman, the private university has been under fire over the past few weeks, with Sarma making several critical remarks against it and its chancellor. He even alleged that cutting of trees and hills for construction work on the USTM campus contributed to the flood situation in Guwahati—accusing the university of waging “flood jihad”.

Sarma also described the university’s main gate structure, which features three domes, as a “Mecca-like structure” and a symbol of “jihad”. He, however, was quick to add that he was suggesting that the gate have a Mecca-like structure, another resembling a church and a third that looks like a namghar (community prayer hall).

But during a visit to Delhi Thursday, Hoque expressed concerns that Sarma’s latest statement, about the possibility of barring USTM graduates from government jobs, might discourage students from Assam—who make up the largest portion of the university’s enrollment—from seeking admission.

“Following his statement, we have witnessed a drastic drop in our ongoing admissions. Although the admissions are still underway, we estimate that there will be a decline of at least around 1,000 students this year from what we were expecting. Most of our students come from Assam because it is the largest state in the northeastern region. Students from rural areas of Assam will wonder what they will do with their degrees if they are deemed ineligible for government jobs,” Hoque told ThePrint.

Last year, USTM enrolled more than 2,200 students in around 50 programmes it offers. Following its performance in National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) rankings, it had set a target of enrolling over 3,000 students this year.

“The pace with which admissions were happening initially, we were pretty confident of achieving the target. But the enrollment rate has suddenly dropped from last week. There are days when we hardly get any admission. The process is still on and we hope it picks up pace again,” Hoque said.

Last Wednesday, Sarma had stated that the Assam government may declare graduates from USTM ineligible for state government jobs. The statement came less than a month after the chief minister said Assam government will fill 35,000 vacancies by April 2025.

Hoque said Thursday that a large number of USTM students compete for government jobs and appear for competitive exams. “In fact, we have a payback policy under which we refund the fees of students who clear competitive exams and enter government jobs. This encourages more and more students to sit for these exams every year.”

While the university does not maintain data of students who clinch government jobs, it has so far rewarded around 400 students for cracking competitive exams like University Grants Commission-National Eligibility Test (UGC-NET) and Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE).

‘Mini India’

Hoque said Sarma has been targeting him because of his “cap and beard,” but emphasised that USTM is recognized as a “mini India” by residents of Baridua village in Ri-Bhoi district where it is located. “I want to point out that 95 percent of our faculty and 75 percent of our students at USTM are from other communities. In fact, students from 39 different communities, including 30 tribes, are enrolled at our university,” Hoque said.

“Though I am Mahbubul Hoque, the people leading the university, such as the Vice-Chancellor, advisors, and heads of various departments, are not from my community. When the chief minister makes remarks about the university, it’s an insult to them, and they feel very angry and disheartened,” Hoque told ThePrint.

FIR against Hoque

On Thursday, the Assam government filed an FIR against Hoque, alleging that he fraudulently obtained an OBC certificate in 1992. In response to these allegations, Hoque said that even the FIR mentioned that the certificate was cancelled in 1996. 

“The certificate was obtained by my late brother without my knowledge over 30 years ago. Once I found out, I had it cancelled. Despite the district commissioner’s office in Karimganj informing the Assam government about the cancellation back in 1996, the state has still filed an FIR against me. We will respond to that. Our legal team is working on it,” he said.

Hoque, who hails from Assam’s Karimganj district, completed his BSc and Master’s degrees in Computer Science from Aligarh Muslim University. Initially, he started a computer centre under the Manipal Group before establishing the Education Research and Development Foundation (ERDF). The Guwahati-based foundation operates various educational institutes in Assam and Meghalaya, including two CBSE-affiliated schools and USTM.

In 2022, Hoque was honoured with the Governor’s Award for Excellence in Public Service.

In just 13 years, USTM has achieved ‘A’ grade accreditation from the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) and maintained its spot among the top 200 universities in the NIRF rankings between 2022 and 2024.

“The university started with only six students in 2011. Today, we are the largest private university in the northeastern region, with over 6,000 students enrolled in various undergraduate and postgraduate programs across 28 departments.

“The Assam CM isn’t attacking just me; he’s attacking a system that benefits thousands of students. Regardless of how far this goes, I will continue to work to strengthen the university. My colleagues and my students stand with me,” Hoque said.

(Edited by Amrtansh Arora)