ITANAGAR, Jun 15: A team of the All Arunachal Pradesh Students’ Union (AAPSU), led by its vice president (admin) Meje Taku and convenor Tatung Taga called on Education Minister Taba Tedir at his office here on Monday and apprised him of the demands and suggestions the union has submitted to the state government in view of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The team also met Education Secretary Niharika Rai and Additional Education Secretary R Ngowa.
During the meetings, the AAPSU team stressed on “rationalization of admission and other fee structures in all educational institutions, including the privately owned, so that the student community is not unnecessarily overburdened,” it informed in a press release.
“It was previously informed to the union that many private institutions were overcharging fees without actually providing basic facilities,” it said, and added that the education secretary gave assurance that “very soon the education department will issue necessary notifications regarding the fee structures.”
The union also demanded immediate release of the post-matric scholarship, “to which the minister informed that his department is working towards it and assured for early release of second installment within a week,” the AAPSU said.
It said it has been informed by the education secretary that Rs 46 crore has been earmarked and will be released as scholarship.
The AAPSU said Tedir agreed to the union’s demand for holding consultative meetings before reopening schools and other educational institutions.
“He (Tedir) further agreed for proper assessment of the situation and formalization of a standard operating procedure, taking all factors into consideration. It was informed that a draft SOP was already under preparation and notification in this regard would come out soon,” the release added.
Also demanding installation of hand-washing/sanitization points in all schools and other educational institutions, the union urged the education department to “ensure necessary preparedness before reopening of the schools.”
