Within 11 days of the Karnataka government’s order providing special admissions for students from strife-torn Manipur, around 170 students from the region have joined various schools and colleges in the State.
Around 110 children have joined higher primary and high schools and 60 students have enrolled for PU courses and colleges. All students have enrolled in private management boarding schools. With violence continuing unabated, people are migrating to different States for shelter and education. In the light of that, the Karnataka government has eased the process of enrolling students from that State to help them continue their studies.
The State government issued an order stating that if students from classes I to X from Manipur, who seek enrolment in schools following the State curriculum for the academic year 2023-24, do not have the necessary documents and certificates, their applications be considered as special cases. They should be enrolled without forcing them to provide their birth certificate, transfer certificate, or any other document. Schools and colleges should get a self-attestation letter from the student or parents, and enrol them in the same class in which the student was in the previous school.
As per the data available to The Hindu, among 60 college students, 36 are enrolled in Bengaluru city, 22 in Kolar district, and two in Dakshina Kannada. All 110 schoolchildren are enrolled in Bengaluru’s private schools.
A tale of trauma
A student from Manipur who has joined a postgraduate course in Bengaluru said, “I come from a border town in Manipur, which is close to the international boundary of Myanmar. In my family only I have been able to get out and reach Bengaluru safely to continue my studies. The journey was long, it took two days to reach Aizawl airport in Mizoram, through Churachandpur. A group of us had to walk long distances. Finally, I took the flight from Aizawl to Bengaluru. I crossed around 4,000 km and reached Bengaluru on July 6 with some of my friends.
She said that all her documents, including educational certificates, were burnt down in the riots. “I could join a postgraduate degree course here only because there is a waiver from submitting all documents that are usually required. But I am sad that my parents are still there and they are not in a position to come here. I am living in peace here, but I constantly worry about home and what is happening there. But we have some hope that the nation will do something and the people will raise their voices and something will be done for Manipur’s peace,” she said.
Request to Archbishop
Speaking to The Hindu, the principal of a private PU College, where some Manipur students are enrolled, said, “People from riot-hit areas of Manipur met Archbishop Peter Machado and requested him to provide shelter and educational facilities for their children. At the same time, the State government has also extended a helping hand. Finally, more than 20 students have been admitted to our college, without paying any fee. We have also provided hostel facility.”
Meanwhile, the Department of Pre-University Education (DPUE), though had completed its PU admission, decided to give special provision to the Manipur students’ admission in colleges.
Sindhu Rupesh, Director of DPUE, said, “We closed the admission for the PU courses on August 1. But will follow guidelines of the government, especially for Manipur students.” Bangalore University has a separate hostel for postgraduate students of the North-eastern States. This year, they are also planning to provide special admission to Manipur students there.
“We will discuss this issue in the academic council and take an appropriate decision,” said Jayakara S.M., Vice- Chancellor of Bangalore University.
(Identity of the students and names of colleges have been withheld on request.)
