IMPHAL, March 3: In a joint press release, Manipur University Tribal Students` Union and All Manipur Tribal Students` Union have stated that it has come to their notice that the recently held PhD entrance examination at Manipur University was fraught with discrepancies and lacked transparency.
Most ST candidates for the PhD program in Manipur University have been denied admission in the department of Chemistry, English and Life Sciences which is in direct contravention to the ST reservation norm of 31% of the University, it said, adding while they are fully aware that cut-off levels for ST/SC, OBC and General candidates may be set to ensure the quality of candidates.
However, MUTSU feels that until and unless such decisions of the Pre-PhD Admission Committee with regard to this and other relevant information for candidates are not shared either through departmental notifications or the University`s PhD prospectus, such so-called criteria for admission or selection to the PhD program are highly questionable in terms of transparency and accountability and as such open to manipulations at the wishes and whims of the members of the committee, it said.
The current practice of revealing the cut-off level and other specific criteria by the department of Chemistry, English and Life Sciences only after the announcement of the result of the PhD entrance test is and can be viewed as insidious attempts to deny tribal students the chance and opportunity to pursue higher studies in the university, it said.
In the press release, the two student bodies said they strongly questioned as to how most ST candidates failed to get the desired mark to cross the cut-off level considered the most crucial in getting selected for Pre-PhD and also questioned why some departments have no cut-off levels thereby affording tribal students an opportunity to pursue higher studies in those streams while some other departments happen to have particularly high cut-off levels and that too with no prior information on the existence of such cut-off marks. It said they were, therefore, forced to ask whether there exist a discriminatory practice that surreptitiously segregate tribal and non-tribal students with a tacit believe that some departments must be considered as avenues for the more developed and apparently advanced community which must be denied to tribal students.
Finally, MUTSU and ATSUM demands that such discrepancies must be given prompt and proper attention by the university authorities, it said, adding they demand that ST seats should be given to the highest scoring ST candidates whether they cross the cut-off marks or not. ST quotas are for the STs alone and utmost efforts should be made that they continue to stay that way failing which strenuous steps will be taken up by the students` unions, said the release co-signed by MUTSU president Thohrii and ATSUM president Muan Tombing.