IMPHAL, September 22: A Joint Coordination Committee of Hill Area Students has threatened to impose a 48 hours bandh on the five hills districts of the state starting from intervening night of September 23 and 24 against the inability of the state government to provide TET form distribution and exam centres in all districts of the state.
The committee jointly formed by Churachandpur District Students’ Union, Tangkhul Katamnao Long, Naga Students’ Union, Chandel, Zeliangrong Students’ Union of Manipur, Senapati District Students’ Union called a press conference today at the ZSU branch office, Namdailong to announce the bandh.
The TET application forms distribution had been creating quite a ruckus in the state as the forms were made available at only RDS, Palace Gate. Aspirants from the interior parts of the state have been complaining that they had to undergo several hardships to avail the forms.
Speaking to media persons, convenor Stephen Disuang said, the failure of the state Education Minister to provide any positive response to several ultimatums and memorandums regarding the demands of the student body has compelled the student bodies to call the bandh.
He continued that incase the government failed to act even after the bandh then the student bodies would be compelled to take further agitations. Aspirants from the hill district will even boycott the test in case the government authorities failed to act up.
The Education department has failed to take education in the hill districts seriously, even though the concerned Minister has been providing several assurances to develop education in the state, he said.
Deliberating further on their demands, the spokesperson said, the student bodies had met with the previous Education Minister regarding the provision of TET centres in every district headquarters of the state.
In the meantime, during a recent meeting with the several student bodies on the issue, the state Education Minister, M Okendro had said that the teachers in the Hill districts schools will not understand the technical know-hows of the TET exam and as such the hill districts cannot have exam centres, he continued.
The student spokesperson further said that if they cannot even conduct a TET exam then how they can be qualified to be appointed as teachers.
Considering the sorry plights of the aspiring candidates, the student body had to announce the 48 hour bandh, he said.
It may be mentioned that following several demands from student bodies to made the forms available in other parts of the state, the authorities had made the forms available at some other places also.
However, the student body joint committee has said that the forms are yet to reach all the district hqs of the state.