Students of Churachandpur district joined a mass ‘Rally against educational negligence’ organised by JSB Lamka on Saturday, starting from Lamka Public and culminating at Mini Secretariat via IB road and Tedim Road and further submitted a memorandum to Home Minister Amit Shah through Churachandpur DC.
On the way to the Mini Secretariat at Tuibong, the students chanted slogans such as ‘Education is our right’, ‘We want free and fair education’ and held placards which read, ‘We resent disproportionate access to education’, ‘No education, no hope’, ‘transfer the Kuki-Zo students’ etc.
Parents of the displaced medical students talked about the challenges they are facing after the crisis erupted in the state. They complained that there is no arrangement for their further studies and examination. They had raised repeated appeals to the authorities concerned but to no avail, they said.
Students from NIT Manipur and Nursing College also voiced their concerns about their career. Even after six months, they are suffering with their career hanging by a thread, making them feel like they are left behind with no one to look after them, they said.
Leaders of JSB Joseph said that rally is taken out to protest the injustice against Kuki-Zo students and the lack of action and commitment on the part of the government to redress their problem which include the burning of their documents and personal belongings, while there are no means to accommodate them in their pursue for education.
On the sideline of the rally, CDS Infotec proprietor Mung Tonsing said that prior to May 3, they have been providing online examinations for Central jobs since 2019 in collaboration with Tata Consultancy but they are not getting service since the crisis erupted.
CDS Infotec is the only online centre in Churachandpur which is providing online examination to various central service exams.
He said that he had got no objection from the chief secretary of Manipur but yet to launch concrete action. He urged the authority at Churachandpur to do the needful as having to undergo examinations in other cities is a real challenge for many students with the economy of their parents being in jeopardy after the present crisis erupted.
The JSB Lamka also submitted a memorandum for the Home minister which includes five-point demands like ‘Establishment of a Central University in Churachandpur district, Establishment of technical and other higher educational institutes in the hill districts’ etc.