DESAM urges Guv to reform higher education
Source: Chronicle News Service

Imphal, March 28 2025: Democratic Students' Alliance of Manipur (DESAM) has submitted a memorandum to the Governor, urging immediate reforms in the state's higher education system in alignment with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and University Grants Commission (UGC) guidelines.

The memorandum highlighted three critical areas that require restructuring to make the state's higher education ecosystem inclusive, dynamic, and future-ready, contributing to the vision of Viksit Bharat.

In its appeal, DESAM emphasised the need to upgrade teacher education in the state by transforming DM College of Teacher Education (DMCTE), Imphal, into a multidisciplinary institution.

Noting that DMCTE, established in the early 1950s, has been playing a pivotal role in teacher education, DESAM, however, pointed out that to meet contemporary demands, the institution must be upgraded with improved infrastructure, modern pedagogical training, and a cur riculum that incorporates local culture and values while adhering to national standards.

The proposal called for converting DMCTE into an Institution of Advanced Study in Education, integrating relevant subjects and departments to preserve its identity as a state-owned teacher education institution.

DESAM also proposed relocation of its campus to DIET, Imphal East, Koirengei, to facilitate expansion of teacher education programs and produce more qualified teacher educators and institutional heads in the state.

The memorandum further stressed the importance of clustering colleges as per the UGC guidelines to optimise resources and improve academic outcomes.

The UGC's 2022 guidelines advocate for clustering colleges with limited resources and faculty to create multidisciplinary institutions, enabling the sharing of academic and infrastructural resources while promoting research and specialised learning, it elaborated.

DESAM proposed forming clusters of government colleges based on district-wise and subject-wise categorisation.

Currently, the state has 40 government-funded colleges, many of which offer science subjects such as Physics, Chemistry, Botany, and Zoology.

However, due to low student enrolment and faculty dispersion, some departments remain understaffed.

Clustering will ensure better faculty distribution, reduce duplication of programs, and enhance academic synergy, thereby improving overall educational quality, DESAM reasoned.

Another key concern raised by DESAM was the need to rationalise subjects and create new departments to meet the evolving demands of local, national, and global contexts.

The memorandum highlighted the urgency of introducing new academic programs in emerging fields such as Bioinformatics, Psychology, Cultural Studies, Trade and Commerce, Electronics, and Artificial Intelligence.

Additionally, it proposed integrating Philosophy as a core component of the Indian Knowledge System and Statistics as a trans-disciplinary subject under Data Science.

These programs would reflect Manipur's socio-cultural and economic uniqueness while ensuring employability and skill development, mentioned the memorandum, and suggested that redundant or under-enrolled programs be reviewed, consolidated, or repurposed to optimise faculty resources and infrastructure without compromising academic diversity.

DESAM requested the intervention of the Governor and higher authorities to initiate these reforms before the commencement of the 2025-2026 academic session.

The alliance stressed that timely action would ensure that the state's higher education institutions align with the goals of NEP 2020 and contribute meaningfully towards Viksit Bharat.

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