Prolonged violence in Manipur with frequent internet shutdowns, curfews and general strikes is affecting academics and careers of students pursuing higher education in the northeastern state, several educationists said.
With frequent internet shutdowns, students are facing problems in accessing online resources and many recruiters are reluctant to visit campuses in Manipur for placement drives due to curfew and general strike, they said.
KH Johnson Singh, head of the Department of Computer Science and Engineering and in-charge of placement at National Institute of Technology (NIT) Manipur, told PTI, “We have seen a drop in the recruitment drive since the violence broke out in the state. At least 40 companies have come (online mode) this year and 70 students have been selected. “This is much less than what we used to do before the outbreak. We were expecting about 100 students and about 50 companies,” he said. “Recruiters who prefer offline interviews are very reluctant to go for campus interviews. Despite our constant assurances that NIT campus is 20 minutes away from the airport, media images of tire burning, mob violence and shootings in peripheral areas seem to have affected their psyche Students live in hostels within the campus and have round-the-clock access to broadband, he added.
Natasha Ilangbam, Assistant Professor of Mass Communication, Manipur University said, “Our students from every department have limited access to online resources as most of them depend on mobile internet data. The curfew and general strike have severely affected the ongoing classes. Since many students do not have broadband at their homes, it has also affected students’ ability to complete assignments on time.” The internet shutdown has also severely affected career counseling agencies with many senior counselors unable to provide the desired information flow to job seekers. Consultants said that submission of resumes in national companies has also been affected.
Sapam Joychandra, Director, SS Career Counselling, said, “We are unable to conduct psychometric assessment of students which helps in determining the career path for the respective student. Counseling through Zoom, online mock tests and other tools has been affected. Students are unable to submit their resumes to outside companies on time. Broadband availability is very limited and most students depend on mobile data internet services for every kind of update related to their education and career. For my organization alone, there has been a massive 90 percent change in student mentoring activities before and after the violence. More than 250 people have been killed and thousands left homeless since May last year in ethnic violence between the Imphal Valley-based Meitis and the neighboring hill-based Kuki-Jo groups.
Violence between the Imphal Valley-based Meitis and neighboring hill-based Kuki-Jo groups has left thousands of people homeless since May last year.
It started after the Meitei community organized a ‘tribal solidarity march’ in the hilly district against the demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status.
About 53 percent of Manipur’s population are Meitis and most live in the Imphal Valley. Tribals – Nagas and Kukis – constitute less than 40 percent and live in hilly districts.