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Meghalaya : Garo students put Lapang on notice |
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The Garo student leadership has sounded the D.D. Lapang government on the need to end the impasse over the Meghalaya Board of School Education or be prepared for another round of unrest at the beginning of the New Year.
The Garo Students’ Union (GSU), which has been resisting attempts to restructure the board in accordance with the recommendations of a committee, demanded a written assurance from the government that it would put on hold plans to amend the Meghalaya Board of School Education Act, 1973. It said the assurance must come by the second week of January.
The recommendations of the government-constituted committee include the appointment of separate chairpersons for the board headquarters in Tura and the proposed regional unit in Shillong. The GSU and other organisations of the Garo hills see the move to create a regional office in Shillong as an attempt to “bifurcate” the board.
GSU president Andreas Sangma said NGOs of the Garo hills would not settle for anything less than a written assurance from the Chief Minister that the government would not amend the relevant act. He said the talks between the Garo Hills Legislators’ Forum and Lapang amounted to nothing.
Representatives of the forum met the Chief Minister last week to discuss the GSU’s list of demands, including compensation to those injured in the police firing on protesters at two places on September 30 and a quick judicial inquiry into the incidents. The GSU also wants a special development package from the government for the Garo hills.
The Lapang government tabled the Meghalaya Board of Secondary Education Amendment Bill in the Assembly on October 17, but has not been able to proceed further because of the Garo upheaval.
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