Students’ groups want Catholic schools re-open in Imphal

Our Correspondent IMPHAL, April 19 Manipur based Democratic Students Association of Manipur (DESAM) and Citizen Rights for Peoples Welfare & Development (CRPWD) have urged to reopen the catholic schools in Imphal from tomorrow.There are around half a dozen catholic schools in and around Imphal.DESAM functionaries speaking to media said that a joint meeting with the guardians of Catholic and Mission schools resolved to urge all the school authority to resume classes from tomorrow. Appealing to the transporters’ body to co operate with the students body, DESAM leader said guardians should bring their students and the local club and womenfolks will hold responsibility for the safety of the children. He also appealed to the concerned KCP (MC), an armed group which reportedly imposing a ban on the catholic schools to clarify their stand in public. Interestingly a day long dialogue on present academic crises in Manipur was held in this regard under the aegis of CRPWD at Manipur press club in Imphal on Saturday with Retired Judge C Upendra and Social activist Leihaothabam Sharatchandra Sharma as the presidium members. The day long meeting which was attended many representatives and ex-representatives of various civil societies and students bodies of the state, unanimously appeals to the state government, management of the catholic Schools and the non-state actors to work for the resumption of normal classes of the Catholic schools by April 20 without fail. It also appeals to the authorities of the catholic schoosl to frame a concrete admission policy which will be of more transparent and free from any kind of controversy on or before December 1, 2015. Besides the meeting also decided to urge the state government to formulate a specific admission and enrolment policy to all private schools in Manipur. The meeting also urged the state government to form a powerful regulatory body to deal with administration of the private schools in the state and also to regulate the fees, salaries of teachers, infrastructure and learning – teaching process both for CBSE and Manipur Boards schools. It also appeals to the state government to expedite the fact-finding enquiry recently constituted by the government over the ongoing school closure, and to urge the government to make the enquiry report transparent.