The All Tribal Students' Union Manipur (ATSUM) has demanded the state government to immediately halt the ongoing direct recruitment process of 750 posts, including 506 posts of primary teachers in six Autonomous District Councils.
ATSUM information and publicity secretary Khaiminlen Doungel said that the decision to demand immediate halting of the recruitment process was taken in continuation of the ATSUM's representation submitted to the chief minister, Tribal Affairs and Hills, government of Manipur, demanding for consideration of Mother Tongue/Local languages as an essential criterion for recruitment of Primary Teachers in all Autonomous District Councils of Manipur.
The demand was also made as recommended by the Hill Areas Committee for deferring the recruitment process till the six Autonomous District Councils Elections are held and constituted, he said.
He continued that ATSUM had submitted a representation on July 10, 2020 but it was deliberately sidelined by the Secretariat Hills department, government of Manipur.
“The state government's decision to conduct recruitment in the absence of a popularly elected body demonstrated the desperate attempt of the state government to degrade the Autonomous District Councils,” he added.
He said that the state government should immediately halt the ongoing recruitment process of 750 posts in the six Autonomous District Councils until and unless the ADC election is conducted and knowledge of the local language and dialect of children is included as essential criteria for recruitment of the primary teachers.
