IMPHAL, August 16: The Higher Education office memorandum dated August 5, 2013 imposing a strict ban on all agitations by students among other things is akin to violating the students’ rights and is condemnable in the highest form, said Moirangthem Angamba, Democratic Students’ Alliance of Manipur, general secretary.
A press conference announcing condemnation of the said memorandum called by DESAM today was attended by 20 students’ unions of colleges.
Speaking to media persons, the DESAM general secretary said the point numbers 4, 5, 6, 9, 10, 11 of the said office memorandum should be withdrawn at the earliest and failure to do so would result in the student bodies launching various strong agitations.
It may be mentioned that the office memorandum had among many things said that “No students/representative of College Students’ Union shall be allowed to summit any representative directly to the Higher Education Department Government except through the College Principal concerned”.
Angamba decried that the agitations of the students had risen due to unfulfilled rights as a result of the concerned department remaining silent for so long to the demands for improvement of proper facilities for toilet, drinking water, internet provision, library and appointment of regular principal in the colleges.
DM Arts Students’ Union general secretary Elangbam Sobhamani said that as students want to study in a fully equipped infrastructure and under proper faculties, the government should look seriously in to the matter.
He also condemned the office memorandum which has said, “No students/ representatives of College Students` Unions shall be allowed to submit any representation directly to the Higher Education Dept / State Govt except through the College Principal concerned”.