ATSUM Begins Sealing and Picketing of ADC Offices in Hill Districts; Demands Complete Halt to Recruitment Process

The All Tribal Students’ Union Manipur (ATSUM) demand to halt recruitment process of 750 posts including 506 posts of Primary Teachers in the six Autonomous District Councils of Manipur is picking up steam in hill districts of Manipur.

Reports are coming in from Chandel where the Naga Students’ Union Chandel (NSUC) has sealed the ADC office indefinitely from September 29, appealing the public to cooperate with the union.

Reports of picketing of ADC offices and Employment Exchange offices have come in from Churachandpur, Kangpokpi district (Sadar hills ADC) and Ukhrul district where ADC offices have been completely sealed by ATSUM student body units.

A placard in Churachandpur put up by ATSUM read, “Halt Recruitment in ADCC! We demand: ADC election and inclusion of local language as essential criteria for ADCC recruitment of primary teachers.”

Also read: Kangpokpi Consultative Meet Resolves to Endorse ATSUM’s decision to boycott Go To Hills; To Stage Protest

A press communique issued by ATSUM on Tuesday demanded to halt the ongoing recruitment process of 750 posts in the six Autonomous District Councils in Manipur stated, “The state government’s decision to conduct recruitment in the absence of a popularly elected body demonstrated the desperate attempt of the state government to degrade the Autonomous District Councils.”

ATSUM further said, “until and unless the ADC election is conducted and knowledge of the local language/dialect of children is included as an essential criteria for recruitment of the Primary Teachers.”

Tuesday’s press communique by ATSUM also stated, “It is worth mentioning that in consonance with the provisions of the Rights to Education Act, 2009, the National Curriculum Framework 2005 of NCERT, the New Education Policy, 2020, and Article 350A of the Indian Constitution which envisaged for facilitating Mother Tongue/Local Languages of children as a medium of instruction in Primary schools, ATSUM had submitted a representation to the Chief Minister, Tribal Affairs and Hills, Government of Manipur on July 10, 2020, demanding for consideration of Mother Tongue/Local Languages as essential criteria for recruitment of Primary Teachers in all Autonomous District Councils of Manipur but the representation of ATSUM to adhere to constitutional provision was deliberately sidelined by the Secretariat Hills Department, Government of Manipur.”

Meanwhile, Leishiyo Keishing, Chairman Hill Areas Committee and members along with MP Dr. Lorho Tuesday called upon G. Kishan Reedy minister of DoNER to apprise him on the HAC adopted Manipur (Hill Areas) ADC Bill 2021 in Imphal.