Imphal: A student body in Manipur on Tuesday locked the Directorate of the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) in Imphal’s Lamphelpat.
Activists of the Democratic Students’ Association of Manipur (DESAM) locked the SCERT directorate with padlock, demanding appointment of a regular director.
The students’ body further demanded publication of a merit list of the candidates selected recently for undergoing Diploma in Elementary Education and Training (DIET).
The SCERT has been functioning without a regular director for around 17 months and various students’ bodies have been pressing the state government to appoint the regular director.
DESAM activists led by its general secretary M Somorjit Luwang locked the office while pressing that the office should remain closed until a regular director is appointed.
Talking to media after locking the office, Somorjit said that the association has been demanding the authorities concerned to appoint a regular director for more than 17 months but the call fell on deaf ears.
He asserted that the SCERT office is an important educational institute as it is responsible for publishing syllabus of students and it is the backbone of the education system of the state.
Also read | Manipur secretariat employees begin ‘cease work’ strike
This is not the first time in which the office was locked by them, he said, recalling an earlier instance of locking the same office in May. At the time, authorities of the state government assured them to appoint a regular director within a stipulated time. However, the same is yet to be translated into work, he lamented.
Keeping vacant the post of director for such a long time showed the dealing of the state government in the education sector, he added.
The student leader further added that SCERT is not only responsible for publication of school syllabus but it is also responsible for providing training to DIET teachers.
NNN
