The All Manipur Students Union (AMSU) has demanded that the budget allocation for education sector should be increased.
Decrying the lack of adequate budget resources AMSU General Secretary Bikramjit Thongam said, most of the educational institutes are lacking in infrastructure in conformity with changing trends in education sector. This has resulted in students and teachers to undergo many inconveniences, he added.
He also strongly condemned the authorities concerned for ignoring their charter of demands, which was submitted as a form of memorandum almost two months back, into action.
Addressing media at its office in Thangmeiband on Tuesday Bikramjit Thongam said that they had submitted a memorandum consisting of 12 demands on May 24.
However, the state government has not taken up any initiative to translate their demands, which focus on welfare of the education sector, to action and that is highly condemnable, he added.
“Most of the time, the state government does not convert any demands into action until movements or agitations are launched. Their irresponsible act has compelled us to become aggressive, thus inviting us to launch agitation,” he added.
Referring to some of their demands, he said that the state government should increase the budget allocation for the education sector.
Bikramjit also informed that they had demanded the government to improve the condition of Dhanamanjuri University and recruit regular staff of various posts. The University still lacks a regular registrar and controller as well as the other requirements which a full-fledged university should have, he said, adding that a letter was submitted to the previous education minister.
And even as student bodies have been demanding improving the condition of DM University, information has been received about the setting up of Maharaja Kulachandra University by passing Maharaja Kulachandra University Act without passing a bill. Such an act of state government is condemnable, he said.
He also called for implementing the Manipur Private School Registration and Regulation Act 2017 (Manipur Gazette notification No. 2/48/2017 Leg/L 11th September,2017) and make a proper guideline for the running of Private hostels and boarding in the state. Bikramjit further called for filling up the long-vacant positions of regular principal and head at government colleges and schools, as well as the essential school rationalization measures to maintain a proportional teacher-student ratio.
He also said that the current utilization system of teachers in different schools and colleges is not appropriate in the present education system and suggested that it would be good for the government to stop such practice.
He said that students are facing a lot of inconveniences with the increase of fuel price. As such the state government should improve the inter-district transport system (public transport) in order to solve this problem, Bikramjit said.
