IMPHAL, November 30: Representatives of Democratic Students Alliance of Manipur and Co-ordination Committee of Colleges’ Students’ Union of Manipur came out in full strength this afternoon to resubmit a memorandum on the issue of quality Higher Education in the state.
The students took out a rally starting from DM College of Commerce holding several placards on the issue and proceeded towards the CM’s Bungalow.
Imhal West Police however, blocked the rally in front of the Nupi Lal Complex.
Police however allowed representatives of the student bodies to proceed to the CM’s Bungalow and submit their memorandum.
The student rally was preceded by a reception ceremony of the newly elected office bearers of the Hr Secondary School and College Students’ Union.
In the memorandum, the student bodies have appealed to the state Chief Minister to implement the recommendations of a brain storming session of the student bodies on the issues and challenges of Higher Education in Manipur on August 10, 11.
The session was held at the Conference hall of the ICM, Imphal.
Over one hundred teachers and students` representatives from almost all the leading government and government aided colleges of Manipur participated in the session and deliberated upon three important issues of Higher Education in Manipur, namely Infrastrucutre, Teaching and Learning and Governance. “On the morning session of Day 1, all the participants, at the very outset, expressed their feeling of disgust at the ever deteriorating condition of collegiate education in Manipur. Every discussant was of the view that the academic buildings of almost all the colleges of Manipur do not meet the immediate academic and other space requirements as specified by the UGC. Moreover, the colleges do not have adequate civic facilities for essentials like drinking water, regular power supply, adequate number of toilets in good working condition, sewage system, etc.”
“These greatly affect the academic atmosphere of the institutions in general and quality teaching, both in theory and practical courses, in particular. The discussants further expressed their unhappiness at the poor condition of the academic buildings of the majority of the Government colleges.”
They further recommended that the state government must take up immediate measures for providing adequate civic facilities for essentials like water and electricity in an uninterrupted manner to the colleges of Manipur and that the present academic buildings of the colleges must be renovated/ extended/ expanded to accommodate the faculties, lecture/seminar rooms and laboratories.
During the session it was also recommended that ill-equipped laboratories must be strengthened, number of both men`s and ladies` toilets in the colleges must be increased proportionally to the total number of students.
Libraries must be equipped with at least 100 books in different titles on each subject, besides journals, book-bank facilities for students belonging to SC, ST and OBC, internet facilities, facilities of downloading e-books, e-journals and reading materials relevant to the subject.
The students further recommended that the government must fill the vacant post of Director of Higher Education, on regular basis, appointment of Principals on regular basis and that human resource infrastructure of both the government and government aided colleges must be strengthened and that the government must constitute a “Quality Assurance Cell” of heterogeneous composition (teachers, social workers, academic administrators, students` representatives, etc.) to check further deterioration of and improvement on the quality of teaching and learning, among others.