Seminar on primary education in Manipur hills held

CCPur, August 21, 2014: A two-day seminar on primary education in Manipur hill districts organized by All Tribal Students' Union, Manipur (ATSUM) concluded at Synod Hall, IB road, Lamka in Churachandpur district today.

Dr. Seipu Kipgen Associate Professor of Imphal College, and Dr. R Sanga, Director, Imphal School of Preaching attended the seminar as main resource persons.

In his speech, Dr. Seipu Kipgen said that Manipur is home to different ethnic groups with a variety of tongues and tribes, and the dominant language of the state is Manipuri which is a scheduled language.

Manipur official language Act was enacted by the assembly in 1979, and the government has also issued many orders to implement the statutory provision.

While elaborating that there are 37 communities having their own languages or dialects and all except Manipuri and Nepali are non-scheduled languages, Dr. Seipu Kipgen said that Meiteilon is the state official language spoken by the Meitei and Meitei Pangals as their mother tongue.

Out of the 37 languages spoken in Manipur, 35 are tribal languages, he added.

He also pointed out that out of the 35 tribal languages, only 10 have been approved as Major tribal dialects.

Therefore, measures need to be taken to save the remaining 25 tribal languages which have become endangered, Dr Kipgen told the gathering.

Under Indian Constitution (350A), it shall be the endeavour of every state to provide adequate facilities for instruction at the primary stage of education in the mother tongue in order to develop the language, he cited.

Dr. R Sanga remarked that village level administration is vested in the Village Authority (VA) headed by the village chief under the Village Authority Act 1956 according to an enactment of the Parliament.

Referring to the issue of extension of the MLR & LR Act 1960 to the Hill areas, he told the gathering that land use should be based on mutually agreed upon land lease deed or agreement signed between the village chiefs and all NLUP beneficiaries, which has to be registered with the nearest registration or sub-registration officer.

Representatives of CDSU, ZSF, Tangkhul Katamou Saklong ( TKS),Tangkhul Katamnao Long Imphal (TKLI), Zeliangrong Students Union, Manipur (ZSUM), All Zalianlong Students Union (Assam, Nagaland, Manipur),All Inpui Students Union (AISU), Aimol Students Union, Manipur (ASUM), All Manipur Tribal Union (ANTU), and Siamsinpawlpi general headquarters and Joint headquarters participated in the seminar.

Source: Hueiyen News Service