Southern Tangkhul Students' Union claims SSA lapses
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, July 17 2011:
The Southern Tangkhul Students' Union (Tangkhul Aze Katamnao Long/TAKL) has claimed deprivation of materials entitled to schools under the Sarva Shiksa Abhiyan in various schools located in senapati and Ukhrul districts.
A statement issued by TAKL president Shimthar Jajo said an inspection team of the student body recently conducted a survey of various schools in the two districts during which the SSA lapses came to light.
Listing schools located in Leingangching, Sarkaphung, Thoyee, Riha, New Canaan, Ramrei Axe, Ramrei ATO, Nongdam, Island, Leishiphung, Risophung, Sopleng, Leikoiching, silent, Tungkoi, south Lousing, Happy Land, Muirei, Ngarumphang, Chadong and New Salem as some of the schools covered by the inspection team, the president drew the attention of the Government to ensure all relevant materials are provided without delay.
The student body also demanded punitive action against agencies and officials involved in siphoning off of SSA provisions.
Pointing out that under the SSA scheme scheduled castes and scheduled tribe students of Government schools are entitled to get free of cost text books, stationery items, shoes, rain coats, school bags, uniforms, mid-day meals and computers, the TAKL release maintained that in some of the schools the provisions are limited to only bags, mid-day meal and stationery items.
Moreover, in some other schools only uniforms, computers, shoes and rain-coats were found issued, it claimed while describing as the saddest that there is not a single school which got the complete set of SSA items.
Highlighting Leikoiching Govt High School as the educational institution with the highest number of students at 137 and Island with the least number of pupils (40), Jajo said only 20 pieces of exercise books, 10 text books and a computer set were found to have been provided compared to non provision of stationery items, shoe, rain coat, uniform or text books to Island Govt School.
The very interesting part of this school (Island) is that they got 10 school bags, six bags of rice and 4 kgs dal for a year, said the TAKL release mentioning schools in New Canaan and Sopleng as the only two institutions that received rain coats and shoes.
apart from this, almost all the schools do not have Hindi and Mathematics teacher, it informed while reiterating demand for booking the guilty ones for misusing fund meant for the poor and under-privileged ST/SC students.