Newmai News Network Imphal | March 15 All Tribal Student Union, Manipur (ATSUM) and the State Government of Manipur held discussion on "substantial pending issues pertaining to education sector" today in Imphal. According to ATSUM, responding to the invitation of the Education minister to resolve the impasse pertaining to the closure of the ZEO offices of the hill districts, an ATSUM team met the Education minister and his departmental officials at 9 am today. “During the long hours talks most of the substantial pending issues pertaining to education sector were discussed threadbare and resolved conclusively”, ATSUM claimed. It can be noted here that volunteers of the All Tribal Student Union, Manipur sealed/locked all the Zonal Education Offices (ZEOs) in the hill districts of Manipur on March 10. Meanwhile, ATSUM said today that, digitization, “the crux of the issue” which precipitated the crisis was put to rest with the assurance that the digitization process shall be conducted at the respective ZEO office or the Deputy Commissioner office, in the event of absence of requisite infrastructures. It was also mutually agreed that the submission of the service record books shall be extended for three months, henceforth, ATSUM added. ATSUM then stated its team expressed serious concern over the “rampant utilization” of teachers posted in the hill districts and pointed out that utilization is one prominent reason for the collapse of “hill Educational institutions”. According to ATSUM, on urging the government to repatriate all the teachers who were utilized at the hill districts the Minister conceded his helplessness over the issue but assured that immediate recruitment will be undertaken to ameliorate the lacunae by way of introducing district cadre recruitment. ATSUM then stated that the transfer and postings of the newly recruited 280 Assistant Professors will be completed within seven days assured the minister. In the meantime, simultaneous recruitment process shall be undertaken by the higher Education Department for special recruitment drive for ST to fill up all the of backlog posts of assistant professors, wherein age bar candidates shall be given one-time measure relaxation, ATSUM added. According to the apex tribal student body, the long-pending issue of regularization of Ad hoc teachers and 2006 batch contract teachers has seen a significant step forward as verification process shall begin immediately. “One officer of the Education Department was deputed for the process”, it added. ATSUM also stated that the process for the recruitment of MIL lecturers for tribal dialects of higher secondary schools has been completed and recruitment shall be undertaken at the right earnest, assured the Education minister. The tribal student body then stated that the problems afflicting the hill colleges of Manipur will be ameliorated phase – wise as the government is facing financial crunch in this regard. It was agreed that ATSUM will prepare a detail concept note of the problems and submit it to the concern authority who in turn will apprise the HRD and NEC or other competent authority for redressal. Two hill colleges of Manipur viz. Churachandpur College and Pettigrew College, Ukhrul will open B.ed. course from the current academic session, the tribal student body said. “This was in sync with ATSUM’S demand of opening B.ed. course in all hill districts of Manipur. It was agreed to undertake the process phase wise acknowledging to the acute financial position on the part of the state government. Necessary funds had been allotted in the recent budget session,” it added. ATSUM’S demand for provision of funds for construction and renovation purposes has been partially fulfilled as three ZEO Offices Viz. Tamenglong, Churachandpur and Tengnoupal has been allotted necessary funds for the purpose. The Minister had assured that the funds will be released within this month, the apex tribal student body said. Appreciating the Education minister for the “commendable task he had demonstrated and taken for the accomplishment of ATSUM’S charter of demand pertaining to Education sector, other department including Tribal Affairs and Hils and Health department are also reminded to speed up the process to concede to the charter of demands”, it stated. ATSUM then conveyed its gratitude to all its federating bodies for the solidarity it had demonstrated during such trying times while appealing to them to suspend their agitation as the issue has been thrashed out, in the right earnest. ATSUM also expressed gratitude to all unit student bodies and public in the hill districts for their “unflinching support” in the course of the agitation.
