Manipur: Students protest in hill districts

Tribal students locked Zonal Education Offices (ZEO) in Manipur hill districts on March 10.

ATSUM volunteers seal Zonal Education Offices on Saturday

  Newmai News Network Imphal | March 10     As announced on March 9, volunteers of the All Tribal Student Union, Manipur (ATSUM) today sealed/locked all the Zonal Education Offices (ZEOs) in the hill districts of Manipur.   ATSUM is protesting against the State government’s alleged failure of addressing to the “genuine demand” of the apex tribal student body of the State.   ATSUM demanded for "decentralizing the digitization process of Education (S) department employees’ service books “at the respective ZEO offices and not at the Directorate Education (S) office" in Imphal.   At the ZEO of Churchandpur district, the student organizations based in the district pasted a notification which reads, “As per the directive of All Tribal Students’ Union Manipur (ATSUM) against the storage of employees’ service books in the Central Records Room of the Directorate of Education (S) in Imphal, the ZSF (GHQ), KSO (CCPUR), HAS, (Jt HQ CCPUR), MZP (Manipur) are compelled to seal/shut down the ZEO office from today until next order”.   The Kuki Student Organisation (KSO), Sadar Hills also pasted a notification at the ZEO office under its jurisdiction in Kangpokpi which reads, “As per the directive of the ATSUM, as an act against the storage of employees’ service books in the Central Records Room of the Directorate of Education (S), the KSO, Sadar Hills is compelled to seal/shut down this ZEO office from today, March 10, 2018 until further orders”.   The Tangkhul Katamnao Saklong (TKS) too did the same act by pasting similar notification at the ZEO, Ukhrul which reads, “As per the directive of ATSUM against the State government to centralize the digitization process of Education (S) department employees’ service books in the Central Records Room of the Directorate of Education (S), Imphal, the Tangkhul Katamnao Saklong (TKS), supporting of the ATSUM decision, seals the ZEO office of Ukhrul from today indefinitely”. This notification was signed by TKS general secretary Hashokmi Khongreiwo and pasted at the ZEO office gate after locking the office this afternoon.   Reports from the districts of Chandel, Tamenglong and Senapati also said that the respective federating units of ATSUM sealed the ZEOs in their respective jurisdictions.   The apex tribal student body stated that if the State Government genuinely is for good governance then the “ZEO offices should be upgraded with all the requisite infrastructures and amenities to enable storage of Service Books under the custody of the respective ZEOs”. ATSUM then also said that the tribal student body "does not object to digitization but storage of service books in the Central Records Room of the Directorate of Education (S) in Imphal will bring forth chaos and trust deficit among the employees of remote areas".   ATSUM leaders informed Newmai News Network this evening that the “locking/sealing of ZEOs” in the hill districts is the “first form of protest”.