KSO threatens statewide bandh

IMPHAL, September 15: The Kuki Student Organisation today threatened to call a state wide bandh from 5am of September 19 in case the government failed to open distribution centres of Teachers’ Eligibility Test forms in all district headquarters by September 18.

Speaking to media persons today at its office, vice president Mangcha Baite said, “The KSO has decided to declare state wide bandh following the decision of the BSEM's secretary expressing his inability to open distribution centres of TET forms in all district headquarters”.

“The State wide 48 hours bandh will be imposed with effect from September 19 morning 5am, if the wishes of the intending TET candidates and the demands of the KSO are not met on time.”

He continued that the KSO has also submitted a memorandum to the state Education Minister and pleaded for the opening of distribution centres and TET exam centres in all district hqs and that KSO executives had personally met the board secretary and aired their views, however, all the requests of the KSO have fallen to deft ears.

“This has greatly affected the interests of the student community and the aspiring candidates. The distribution of TET forms from a single centre in Imphal has brought immense hardship and difficulties for people settling in the hill areas. It has rendered unnecessary problems to all the people who came to get the TET forms as one has to stand in a long and serpentine queue in the sun or in the rain for hours.

He continued that the problems are more intimidating to the people who came from far flung or remote areas in the hill districts.

“These people have to endure all sorts of hardships such as transport bottlenecks, finance problems, and the trouble of spending 2-3' days in Imphal to procure the forms.”

Pandemonium occurred every day at the distribution centre due to overcrowding and jostling, he said.

“The high pricing of the TET forms at Rs. 300 per form is also not appropriate as the pricing is way out of reach for poor and deprived candidate.”

It has also cast a shadow of doubt among the people as some persons have been doing brisk business out of it.

He further charged that there is also a rumour doing the round that staffs and security personnel are engaged in fraudulent practice by selling the form at Rs 500 per form.

He further added that KSO has already consulted other student bodies of the state and that KSO will not compromise on any of its demands.

The KSO demands are to make TET forms available in all the district headquarters as before; opening of TET examination centres in all the district headquarters of the state; extension of the last date of submission of form and to defer/postpone the date of examination as it collide with the date of SSC exam.