DIMAPUR, NOVEMBER 7 (MExN): On expiry of the 7 days ultimatum served to the Nagaland Chief Minister with regard to the scholarship disbursement issue, the Eastern Nagaland College Students Union (ENCSU) has decided to launch a phase wise protest beginning November 9.
As part of the first phase, the ENCSU in a press note today requested all concerned Naga students irrespective of jurisdictions and affiliations to wear black badges starting from Thursday, November 9.
All the respective presidents of ENCSU federating units, college authorities and presidents of college students’ council across Nagaland have also been asked to cooperate with the union.
The ENCSU meanwhile expressed shock at the clarification issued by the Higher Education Department “blaming the Central Ministry for the Department’s failure” on the present scholarship disbursement conundrum.
It said that the ministry has nothing to do with the delay in disbursement of scholarship, since the ministry had already asked the department to produce utilization certificate on July 4, 2017, which the department had failed to comply “and now rather choose to shift the blame on the central ministry.”
“The department should understand that the ENCSU isn’t asking beyond our share but only a little share that we ought to get and which rightfully belongs to us. The scholarship scheme is not meant for the elite people but it is a grant in aid to the students from the central government and therefore the Department of Higher Education and the Government should refrain from manipulating the scheme every year,” the ENCSU stated.
The ENCSU challenged the department to clarify on the 5 points demand posed by the union “so that the Nagas can judge who is in the right track.” It said that the Naga people, especially present college students, should not to be misled by “half cooked clarifications by the department but rather stand up boldly and demand the department to come out with evidence and facts and figures in black and white so as to deliver justice to all the deserving students.”
It further alleged that the department has been “torturing many students who are yet to receive even the first installment as they had to stand in queue at the Directorate and resubmit the documents.” The union meanwhile wondered “what had happened to the documents submitted by the students during submission of scholarship form.”
