IMPHAL, November 9: Caucus 2013 – the 4th Academic Programme of All Tribal Students’ Union Manipur (ATSUM) under the theme “Endeavoring for a Peaceful Society” was held on Saturday at Hotel Imphal.
Attending the function as the chief guest, Education Minister M Okendro stated that ATSUM has a big role in bringing back the lost peace, love and bond that ours forefather used to have in the earlier days.
The Education minister further informed that four new colleges will be opened at Tamei in Tamenglong, Tipaimukh in Churachandpur, Phungyar in Ukhrul and Sugnu and at the same time polytechnic institutions will be opened in all the nine districts of the state with different streams in each district.
And the longstanding demands of hills students bodies for opening of B.Ed colleges in hills districts will be opened by the end of this year, added the minister.
Okendro further made an appeal for the reconsideration on the banning of national project in the hill district by a student bodies.
Giving his keynote address, ATSUM president Emboi Serto said that ATSUM’s first and foremost priority and agenda as a students’ body is education and as a result it was organizing today programme.
The ATSUM president stressed on the demands of the students’ body for the upliftment of tribal student in the hills, and added that the union cannot focus only on education and students related issues, which compelled it to take up various issues of the tribals of the state.
The ATSUM president also highlighted on various problem faced by the tribal people’s in the state as there is no good teachers for Maths and Sciences in hills district schools and the need of separate Directorate of Education (S) to look after the hills districts exclusively.
In the afternoon Caucus 2013 a seminar was held in three different session, in the first session topic was Devolution of Powers or Greater Autonomy in the Hills Problems and Options, where Dr. J.
Doungel, head of department, Political science, Mizoram University perticipate as a resourece person and BD. Behring, former MP and S.K. Victor, Consultant MACS joined as panelists.
The second session was held under the topic Education-Issues and Challenges in the Hills and the third session was held under the topic Peace Education with special reference to the tribal society.