Quota: Three students’ apexes serve ultimatum to CM

Dimapur, September 8 : Calling for fair competition and merit, three major students’ organizations have served the chief minister’s office a five-day ultimatum to ensure status quo of the Nagaland Board of School Education (NBSE) results. Every student is equally important, especially those who by the ‘sweat of their brow’ have earned their position of merit, the Angami Students’ Union, the Ao Students’ Conference, and the Lotha Students’ Union reminded in the representation. The note was addressed to the chief minister of the state on Thursday. The three apexes iterated their representation to the state that was submitted on August 24 through the principal secretary-to-chief minister. “...when we were anxiously awaiting response to our previous representation trusting your authority to redress the matter, we are shocked by both the silence and the government’s assurance given to Eastern Nagaland College Students’ Union which appeared in the local dailies on 7th Sept., 2016, which is against our appeal to maintain status quo of the declared result conducted by NBSE and issued by Higher and Technical Education.” The organization stated that the stipulated criteria have been clearly stated and defined in the guidelines according to the government’s notification dated the 30th of May, 2016, in section-III clause (d) of the order. The notification is said to have stated: “In case qualified candidates under backward tribe reservation are not available, then all such unfilled seats will be de-reserved and allotted to candidates under category I while maintaining merit”. However, the organizations stated, “following the order, four seats were de-reserved and selection towards that end has already been declared.” “Therefore, we wish to make it unequivocally clear that under any circumstances the status quo of the declared result must stand as the career of every student is equally important who by the sweat of their brow have earned their position of merit,” the representation stated. “As such, we demand that this ultimatum be addressed within a period of 5 days failing which, we shall initiate all necessary measures to fight for our just democratic rights. We trust that sensibility shall prevail by upholding fairness and justice,” they added.