JCHDSO serves 'TET talk' deadline
Source: The Sangai Express / Newmai News Network

Imphal, September 27 2012: The Joint Committee of Hill Districts Student Organisations, Manipur (JCHDSO) has served an ultimatum to the State Government pushing the latter and the authority concerned to facilitate another round of talks within three days on the issue of Teacher's Eligibility Test (TET) .

Tangkhul Katamnao Saklong (TKS), Zeliangrong Students' Union, Manipur (ZSUM), Naga Students' Union, Chandel (NSUC), Senapati District Students' Association (SDSA) and Churachandpur District Students' Union (CDSU) comprise the JCHDSO.

Briefing pressmen at the branch office of the Zeliarong Students' Union, Manipur (ZSUM) here, JCHDSO convenor Stephen Dishuang reaffirming the joint committee's stance stated that at any cost, it would never compromise with the charter of demands regarding TET that was presented to the state Education Minister, Sericulture Minister and other MLAs yesterday.

The first round of talks on TET between the representatives of the State Government and JCHD-SO was held yesterday at the office chamber of Education Minister M Okendro.

However, the talks ended without a major breakthrough.

Stephen also informed that Wednesday's meeting between the State Government and JCHDSO bore no fruit at the very onset and hence the representatives of the committee tried to leave the meeting en masse but on request of Okendro they returned to the table to resolve the issue.

During the meeting, the committee told the Government side that it would agree to hold or continue the next round of talks under one condition that it would never compromise on the issue, the JCHDSO convenor further informed.

The first round of talks between the state Government and of JCHDSO on opening of Teacher's Eligibility Test (TET) form distribution centres and TET exam centres in five hill districts of Manipur had failed to make any breakthrough yesterday.

As per sources close to JCHDSO, the first round of talks over TET issue was held at the office chamber of the state Education Minister here but the two sides failed to make any advance on making available the TET forms and at the same time setting up of TET exam centres in the hill districts.

At the meeting, the state Government side was represented by Education Minister M Okendro, Agriculture Minister Md Nasir and other MLAs while presidents of Zeliangrong Students' Union, Manipur, Naga Students' Union, Chandel, Senapati District Students' Association and Tangkhul Katamnao Saklong represented the JCHDSO.

Education Minister Okendro had told the tribal student committee that there was a technical problem to hold TET exam in the hill district headquarters in the current year, next year onwards will be feasible, the sources had informed.

However, the representatives of the committee had rejected the proposal of the minister telling him they could not compromise the demand.

They had also urged Okendro to defer the sheduled TET exam for some time so as to make all the necessary arrangements during that period to make it all possible to hold the exam in the hill district headquarters.

As the committe failed to budge, Okendro later told them to discuss the matter in another meeting where leaders of the valley student bodies would be invited, resulting in a fresh stalemate over the issue.

JCHDSO had also submitted a representation which mentioned a charter of demands adopted by it to the minister.

The charter of demands urges the minister to make available TET forms in all the hill district headquarters; to extend the last date of submission of form and to defer the date of exam as it collides with the date of SSC exam.

All the graduate and twelve standard aspiring students from the five tribal hill districts of Churachandpur, Chandel, Senapati, Tamenglong and Ukhrul are not happy with the state Government as TET forms are made available in the capital imphal only and they are also appearing the TET exam here.

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