Students on the protest path : Uniquely ugly!
- The Sangai Express Editorial :: February 24, 2021 -

There is something very ugly in its uniqueness.

Unique because Manipur is perhaps the only place in India or even the universe that students feel compelled to take to the streets to demand that normal classes be restored in the face of the strike launched by college teachers for the last three weeks.

Ugly because this is a unique example of a place where everything that can go wrong seems to have gone wrong, in so far as education of the young students is concerned.

The 7th Pay is central to the strike of the teachers and the strike launched by the teachers is central to the students taking to the streets demanding that normal classes by restored.

Caught in between is the BJP led Government.

However the one who is at the receiving end of the stand off between the college teachers and the State Government is obviously the students.

The students have every right to feel peeved.

To many of the young students who would be stepping into college life for the first time with a sense of excitement, after years of school life, the disappointment they must be facing can be understood very well.

A sentiment which only those who have studied and experienced the excitement of stepping into college life for the first time can identify and something which cannot be said for all those occupying positions of power!

The sense of frustration which the young students must be feeling can very well be understood.

First it was the Covid pandemic which played spoilsport forcing many young students to fall back on online classes, where the thrill of attending classes in college will sadly be missing.

And to make matters worse is the agitation launched by the teachers, even as the spread of the virus has slowed down considerably in the last couple of days.

The grouse of the teachers is understandable. The State Cabinet had on August 6, 2020 decided to implement the 7th Pay for college teachers, but for reasons which have not been officially spelt out or made known publicly, the decision is yet to be implemented.

Making things worse is the fact that other Government employees are already receiving the 7th Pay.

It is also a given that the State Government must be financially pressed hard to meet the 7th Pay demand of the college teachers, especially in the back-drop of the Covid pandemic, but a thought ought to be given to' the plight of the young students too.

That students felt compelled to take to the streets to demand regular classes and had to come to a face off with policemen on duty does not paint the education scenario in any good light.

Now the State Government will have to contend not only with the teachers on strike but also students, who have come out on the streets to demand their due.

Does not paint anyone in good light, especially the teachers on strike and the State Government which has not been able to convince the teachers that it is not feasible at the moment to concede to their demand.

That such a situation should unfold when the State Government has launched missions such as School Fagathanshi is unfortunate and it runs counter to the very idea of launching such a scheme.

For starters, the Government will need to reach out to the teachers and convince them that meeting their demand at this point of time is not feasible.

The teachers too should be ready to understand the position of the Government.

In between there should be no stop gap arrangements just to appease anyone.