Imphal, October 22 2009: The community that has been hit-hard the most economically due to the current Manipur impasse is that of the private school teachers.

Since September 9 some students' organisations have banned educational institutions in Manipur from conducting classes as part of the mass movement carried out by social organisations demanding the resignation of chief minister O Ibobi, state police chief Y Joykumar and the awarding of befitting punishments to the errant police commandos involved in the July 23 shoot-out incident in Imphal.

Private school teachers are worried lot whether they will get their salaries at all.

It is likely that students will not pay school fees for this period of impasse.

A couple who are school teachers serving together in a school in Imphal expressed today with a feeling of bleakness that their only source of income is their salaries.

They have four children with the eldest studying in class VI.

This couple who want to remain anonymous are staying in a rented house.

Even more worse is the feeling of insecurity due to the approaching cold season where expenditure will shoot up.

There are thousands of school teachers in Imphal who are facing the same circumstances as this couple has been experiencing.

The act of the closure of educational institutions has been done by All Manipur Students Union (AMSU), Manipuri Students Federation (MSF) and Kangleipak Students Association (KSA).

These three students' organisations have pledged to boycott classes indefinitely so long as their demands are not achieved.

The three influential students' bodies compare their move with that of All Assam Students Union (AASU) agitation of the early 1980s which resulted in signing a historic accord on foreigners' issue.

The only affective sign of agitation under the aegis of Apunba Lup is from this class boycott call by three students' bodies.

Apunba Lup is a conglomerate body of numerous social organisations of the state.

The torch rallies and other forms of agitation against the July 23 episode have not been witnessed for sometime now.

However, in pockets locals continue to stage sit-in-protest which the locals christened it as "wakat meepham".

Meanwhile, Democratic Students Alliance of Manipur (DESAM), All Tribal Students' Union Manipur (ATSUM), and Kuki Students' Organisation (KSO) have called to end the class boycott.

The ATSUM is convening a public meeting in Imphal on October 24 to discuss the indefinite class boycott imposed by AMSU.

MSF and KSA.

The tribal students' body has invited through newspapers to academicians, intellectuals, guardians, public leaders, teachers etc.

etc.

to share their views in this regard at Adimjati campus on Friday.

It is worth noting that a similar meeting convened by a guardians' body had taken place in Imphal a week ago discussing to resolve the impasse.

Mention may also be made here that last month two national students' organisations viz, All India Students' Federation (AISF) and National Students' Union of India (NSUI) had voiced against the boycotting of classes.

However, these two national students' bodies were sternly warned and silenced by AMSU, MSF and KSA.

Comment