MEELAL's demand endorsed
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, June 14 2013 :
A day after Meetei Erol Eyek Loinasillon Apunba Lup (MEELAL) took strong exception to the Cabinet decision which allows students to opt Alternative English in place of any MIL subject for another five years, different communities of hill areas have endorsed the stand of MEELAL.
In a press conference held at MEELAL head office today, representatives of different communities of hill areas decried the Cabinet decision.
Speaking at the press conference, MEELAL President Sadokpam Tomba Mangang said it was unfortunate to constitute a Sub-Committee headed by Chief Secretary to look into the matter of letting the students to opt for Alternative English in place of MIL subject for five more years.
He added that on March 23 this year, Board of Secondary Education, Manipur (BOSEM) issued a notification citing that there would be no Alternative English as a first language subject in Class IX from the academic session 2014-15 .
According to the notification, Tomba Mangang said, students may choose any language from a given list ie Manipuri, Hindi, Assamese, Bengali, Mizo, Paite, Hmar, Tangkhul, Nepali, Zou, Thadou-Kuki, Kom, Vaiphei, Mao, Rongmei, Sanskrit and Elementary Manipuri (only for students whose mother tongue is Manipuri) as first language subject.
English must be learnt as second language paper, he added.
Since its inception, MEELAL has been campaigning to let the students of every community to study their respective languages.
Saying that MEELAL is not an organisation which strives for the development of Manipuri language alone, Tomba Mangang said that MEELAL extends support to the development of all the indigenous languages of Manipur.
Urging the Government to revoke the Cabinet decision, Tomba Mangang warned that MEELAL is ready to launch intense agitation if their plea is not heard.
Chaiba village (Churachandpur district) chief Ningwang Kamei said that he supports the demand of MEELAL as it would enable development of indigenous languages.
Thongkhong village (Churachandpur district) leader Haopu Haokip and HP Thumthung of Riverlane village (Tamenglong district) also expressed support to the demand of MEELAL.