With elite colleges, central universities, NITs, IIITs, government medical schools as well as affordable tuition fees and living, Manipur has gone from a vibrant education hub to almost a ghost after witnessing a major student exodus following communal violence in the last two weeks. has gone to the city. ,
Over 2,500 outstation students have reportedly been expelled from various colleges, universities and medical schools in the state by the respective state governments. violence The first flared up on May 3. At present, most educational institutions have announced summer vacations till June.
Rayburn College Principal Khen P Toombing said the state has several central universities specializing in sports, agriculture, liberal arts and commerce offering high-quality courses, where students come not only from neighboring cities but also from far-flung mega-cities. Come Study.
Apart from this, it has many government medical and engineering colleges, where students from all over the country are allotted seats on the basis of their rank in the entrance test.
But, he said, the violence has displaced many students; Not only from other states but also from minority community.
“I am not sure that the students who left amid the violence would ever want to come back even if peace is restored. No one has the answer to this question at the moment. What will happen to its educational prospects will be known only when the Center considers that students who have already enrolled and who are in the middle of completing their courses will be accommodated elsewhere,” said Toombing .
The violence resulted from an ethnic conflict between Hindu Meitei people and Christian tribals cookie People, 73 people died.
On the condition of anonymity, a faculty member of a central university said that the psychological impact of violence and fear on students is very deep. “It can scar them for life. I am worried about the reopening of the university and what will happen to all the students who have paid the admission fee or are about to complete their courses. It all depends on how the state restores peace,” said the faculty member.
He said that in special courses and colleges such as Manipur It is hard to find in many big states as well, that too at affordable prices. “But, it can’t be the same again,” he said.
Students from over 17 states including Uttar Pradesh (UP), Maharashtra, Delhi, Jammu & Kashmir, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, West Bengal, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Arunachal Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Sikkim, Nagaland, Meghalaya and Tripura Including others have been saved.
The state is known for its specialized institutions such as agricultural universities, as well as engineering, medical and liberal arts colleges that offer a wide variety of course combinations. A large number of out-of-state students were pulled out from National Institutes of Technology (NITs), Indian Institutes of Information Technology (IIITs), Regional Institutes of Medical Sciences (RIMS), Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences (JNIMS), National Sports University (NSU) and Central Agricultural University (CAU), Imphal.
The clashes reached campuses including Manipur University, where mobs were seen destroying quarters and searching minority community students in their hostel rooms on the night of 3 May. Similar violence was reported from JNIMS, RIMS and other residential complexes where minorities were reported. There have been reports of community students being dragged out of their hostel rooms and beaten up.
Students could hear gunshots, bombings, and houses, vehicles, and churches being set on fire. Many have recounted the fear and horror of what they saw and experienced.
“We could hear gunshots from our hostel rooms. We closed the windows but still the sound was very loud and scary. We heard angry mob shouting and lathi-shooting inside the campus. Being stuck there was a nightmare. I don’t think I’ll ever have the strength to go back there or if my parents will let me,” said a student from RIMS, who did not want to be named.
According to educationist and former National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) chief JS Rajput, with these recent caste conflicts in Manipur, the state has gone back to the internal strife it used to see 20-30 years ago when people moved. Moving to big cities for studies and work.
“Over the last decade, the state has got better infrastructure facilities, many higher education institutions offering specialized courses, which has allowed more academicians to move to the northeastern state for research and teaching. It has a good pool of faculty, which attracts students for specialized courses, which may not be available in larger cities. It will be the biggest loss to the state if it goes back to the situation it was in a few decades back and loses the gains it has made in this sector,” he said.