Tech Edu. department: ANCSU serves ultimatum to CM

‘Department once again lived up to repute of incompetence’  EMN Dimapur, February 17 The All Nagaland College Students’ Union (ANCSU) has given the government of Nagaland 15 days to address the anomalies, mismanagement, and ‘incompetence’ in another diseased education department, the department of Technical Education. The ANCSU issued a copy of a representation addressed to the chief minister of Nagaland on Friday, demanding urgent redress or face action from the students. “We are vigilant when matters that decides the very future and destiny of the students are compromised and sacrificed to fulfil the greed and wiles of unscrupulous persons who at the helm of affairs,” the students’ organization stated. Some of the issues the ANCSU raised for immediate redress included discrepancies, and dubious conduct of exams and distribution of seats for various technical courses by the Technical Education department; manipulate investigation reports; “Since 4th October 2014, the ANCSU has been relentlessly pursuing the irregularity and discrepancies, loopholes in conduct of exams and distribution of seats for various technical courses by the Technical Education department .In this connection, the ANCSU had submitted representations with supplementary findings and Ultimatum requesting for redressal to the government,” the ANCSU stated. “Although the authority was fully seized of the seriousness and the concern of the students’ body, the concerned department was unfortunately, least concerned and held the demands of the students as ‘baseless ‘, going as far as threatening the ANCSU with defamation charges (8th October 2014, Nagaland Post).” However, the ANCSU stated, in spite of ‘threat perception and orchestrated whisper campaigns,’ the ANCSU held firm to the cause to cleanse the system so that the students were not victimized. The students’ community was happy when government set up a five-member High Power Committee under CJ Ponraj, to enquire into the various demands of ANCSU against the Technical Education department within 30 days time. “The ANCSU and the various student bodies were shocked when the report was fully furnished after 5 months where the core issues were not addressed. The ANCSU is of the view that with the retirement of the HPC chairman and the other members of the HPC, certain vested party took advantage of this development to tailor the HPC report to suit their interest,” the ANCSU stated. “This is clearly vindicated by the fact that the 2015 selection of medical seats was a fiasco of the highest order and the erring department has no intention of ever amending their ways.” The ANCSU said it was forced to reject the HPC report and demand a ‘10-year period enquiry’ by the CBI which was put up to the government with 5 point demands. The ANCUS stated: “Instead of CBI, the government had appointed the State Vigilance Department to investigate the issue within 3 months. The final report of the State Vigilance Commission against the Technical Education department has proved beyond an iota of truth that the department was neither working transparently nor for the welfare of the students’ community but for a few selected groups, throughout the years.” As per the State Vigilance report, the statement explained, the Technical Education department “has once again lived up to the reputation of incompetence.” The organization stated: Out of the 30 files “which has direct relevance to the subject matter under the investigation and was requisitioned from the department,” the department could give only 8 files as per the Vigilance’s report. The ANCSU also discovered through the report that the State Vigilance Commission had investigated only a single year thoroughly i.e. 2014 thus, failing in their line of duty. “However, even in 1 year period of investigation, enough evidences were unearthed by the State vigilance against the Technical Education department,” the ultimatum said. Education department Some of this evidence the ANCUS listed were (verbatim): * In 2014, Technical Education department allowed 17 students to sit for the NSPMT, after these the students were offered various allied technical courses. The comment of the State Vigilance Commission says, “The particular notification given by the department. No DTE/TECH-A/17/2014 clearly violates the equality of opportunities for the aspiring candidates. Once a candidate had accepted the seat of the Agri. and allied courses, they should not have been permitted to sit for NSPMT.” * “Communication gap and the lack of the communication with the user department, visa, forest, Sericulture, fishery and horticulture with the technical education department has also been observed which resulted in the confusions like the case of Miss. Watinaro for the horticulture seat last year. Only during the tenure of Madam, Banuo Z Jamir as the chief Secretary a notification was issued vide dated 15th September 2014 stating that the Technical Education department shall be the nodal department for various technical course. Such time it was observed that the Technical Education department could not properly coordinate with the user departments. Such incidence has amply reflected the in-effectiveness and mishandling on the nomination of seats to various Technical courses on the part of the technical education department.” * “It was observed that the present director Shri. A Kathipri was promoted to the post of director. Vide No.HTE/1-23/05(PT) dated 27th July 2011 where as he has signed as director in the forwarding of the meeting minutes of the state selection board vide 20th January 2011. This appears to be either doctored documents to show that minutes had been circulated to all concern departments or otherwise, he was the additional director and head of the department at that point of time. Whether it was a sheer mistake or some motive behind it is not understood but a suspicion has been aroused due to lapses committed in official papers.” * Although investigation was conducted only for one year, the findings of the State Vigilance Commission against the Technical Education department are damning and are of the most serious nature which Justify the allegations of the ANCSU. However, we also question the action and intentions of the State Vigilance Commission as why the investigation was confined for one year only when ANCSU demand was of Ten years. The organization said to have met on February 15 during which the ANCSU Presidential Council resolved to place the following demands to the government for action: 1. Punitive action against the erring officials as per the findings of the State Vigilance Commission report 2. Initiate process for amalgamation of Technical Education department with Higher Education Department without delay 3. Only indigenous tribes of Nagaland be allowed to appear the technical and allied courses for the state’s reserved quota. ‘This ultimatum will expire within 15 days from the date of submission, thereafter failing to fulfil the demand of the students’ community, the ANCSU will initiate its own course of action,” the organization added simply. The ultimatum was appended by President Zhoku Thuluo, Acting Speaker Mughato V Yeptho and General Secretary Benjong Longchar.