Bhubaneswar: July 28: The Odisha Government has made a formal request to both state-run and private universities within the State to extend their support in facilitating the educational pursuits of students hailing from Manipur, either by enabling them to continue their studies or by facilitating their admission into the institutions.
According to reports, the Higher Education Department has issued a communication to all universities, requesting them to furnish information regarding the enrollment status of students from Manipur, the challenges encountered by these students in light of the conflicts in their native region, and the measures implemented by the universities to mitigate these issues.
This decision was made in response to appeals made by Manipur Governor Anusuiya Uikey and Manipur Chief Secretary Vineet Joshi.
In a letter to Odisha Governor Prof. Ganeshi Lal on June 16, Manipur Governor Anusuiya Uikey mentioned that due to clashes between the Kuki and Meitei communities since May 3, curfew has been clamped in many parts of the state and internet services suspended.
“Many of our students pursuing their higher education in different colleges and universities in your state have been experiencing untold miseries to meet their day-to-day requirements coupled with expenditure pertaining to their study-related expenses,” she wrote.
Uikey requested Lal to ensure that the students from Manipur do not encounter any difficulties in their academic endeavours in Odisha, emphasising the importance of safeguarding their education from the negative impact of these unforeseen circumstances.
On June 1, Manipur Chief Secretary Vineet Joshi corresponded with Principal Secretary of Higher Education Department Aravind Agarwal, expressing that students from Manipur faced difficulties in submitting their online application forms for admission to higher educational institutions in Odisha as a result of an internet ban imposed in their state.
Given the anticipated extension of the internet ban, Joshi made a formal request to Agarwal to issue advisories to the relevant authorities of the institutions, urging them to permit students from Manipur to submit their application forms in physical format via postal or courier services.
