Morung Express News
Kohima | October 12
Rengma Students’ Union (RSU) today confiscated SCERT Social Studies textbooks prescribed for Class VI from all the schools within their jurisdiction for non-inclusion of their tribe’s name amongst the 16 major tribes of Nagaland.
Speaking to media today at Tseminyu, RSU president Zentilo Tep along with other officials alleged that the SCERT had intentional excluded the name of Rengma and Pochury from the list of Naga tribes in Chapter 15 of Class VI Social Studies textbook.
RSU president, Zentilo termed the error as a serious and deliberate attempt to exclude the Rengmas and Pochury from the list of Naga tribes, besides gross violation of the rights and identity of the two communities, Tep said that the RSU and Pochury SU had jointly served a representation to the Director SCERT on September 19, the latter remained silent.
RSU accepted the apology tendered by SCERT through local dailies to the two tribes, however said, that ‘mistake is a mistake’ and demanded for immediate rectification.
Zentilo also justified that the RSU action by stating that they have accorded sufficient time to SCERT for correction and for settling the issue through negotiation, but said that SCERT had not taken seriously to their grievance and did not even bother to called for a single discussion.
Reacting to the SCERT apology statement issued by its director, Vipralhou, recently, assuring that the textbook will be re-printed by including the names of the two tribes and would be ready by December 10, the RSU demanded that the re-printed the book with corrected names should be made available for use within this academic session or else the whole be excluded for this session.
Supplementing his president, Education Secretary, demanded that the SCERT should immediately rectify the mistake or they would not allow the Social Studies textbook to be used in schools.
