Ugly head of economic blockade : Scripting the TET fiasco
- The Sangai Express Editorial :: October 04, 2012 -

File pic of Senapati town during the bandh called on Sept 24 on TET :: Pix - TSE

Economic blockade is unpalatable to everyone. No arguments over this, period.

Equally, if not more unacceptable, is the 'determined efforts' of the Government to make the hill districts appear more remote, not only spatially but also psychologically.

How else would one explain the refusal to establish centres for conducting the Teachers' Eligibility Test at the district headquarters ?

If an agreement is not reached soon or if the economic blockade announced by the Joint Committee of Hill Districts Students Organisations (JCHDSO) is not rolled back, then the year 2012 is set to follow the trail set by the preceding years.

Remember 2011, 2010, 2005.

Midnight of October 15 is the time set for the economic blockade to come into force and while the possibility of the Government inking an agreement with the student organisations is a big possibility, so many significant points have come to light.

Lack of infrastructure in the hill districts is one reason that has purportedly been dished out by the Government for its inability to open TET exam centres there. There are two lines which can be read into the 'lack of infrastructure' reason trotted out by the Government.

One, it could mean that there are no buildings fit to hold the examination there.

Second, it could mean that there are no personnel at hand to ensure that the examination is conducted in a free and fair manner, where candidates would not be in a position to resort to unfair means or cheating.

This argument however falls flat in the face of the fact that HSLC and HSSLC examinations are conducted at the hill district headquarters every year.

Or is it a case of saying that the candidates who appeared in the Class X and Class XII examinations from the hill districts are second class candidates ?

TET is not a competitive examination. It is a test to screen candidates who can then go ahead to apply for the posts of teachers. Meaning it is not a recruitment test.

All the more reason to argue why a centre which can host the Class X or Class XII examinations cannot be utilised for conducting TET.

If the lack of infrastructure argument is bought, then it is a damning statement on how the Government has pathetically failed to instal the basic infrastructure in the hill districts.

As pointed out in an earlier commentary here, it takes a mere three hours to take the journey from Imphal to Ukhrul, a mere 90 minutes or so to go up to Senapati district headquarters, 120 minutes or so to cover the Imphal to Chandel district headquarters distance, 90 or a little more minutes to proceed up to Churchandpur district headquarters and some six hours to go to Tamenglong district headquarters.

And to think that the Government is not in a position to conduct TET in the district headquarters sounds pathetic. The Government also went wrong on many counts on the TET issue.

Why weren't the other hill based student organisations taken on board when the meeting was held with the Kuki Students' Organisation over the same issue some time back ?

Why did the Government not respond when the JCHDSO had literally urged for an invitation to a talk within three days time on September 27 ?

The Government has pathetically failed and in the process has successfully scripted the fiasco that TET has turned out to be.

Having said this, the JCHDSO too need to come round to the idea that economic blockade does not serve any positive purpose.

Rather it would amount to hitting the guts of the common people and this is not desirable.