Officials of the NEISSR students council and NSF.
DIMAPUR, JULY 26 (MExN): A small team of Students Council, NEISSR led by Angam Phom, President, met Dievi Yano Angami, the Vice-president of the Naga Student’s Federation (NSF) at the Kohima head office on invitation of the latter on July 24.
The two teams discussed the findings of a survey on internet access in Nagaland recently conducted by NEISSR Students Council and also their concerns about the University exams schedule for PG final year students considering the risks of exposure to Covid-19 and restricted public transports under the lockdown conditions.
The two students’ bodies agreed to appeal further the Government and University authority together for a review on the decision to hold final year exams at the institutes and also further pursue the Government to ensure improved internet connection throughout the states to enable students’ community continue education and take exams through online systems. NSF appreciated the survey works of the NEISSR students and found the findings very useful in addressing the issues on the strengths of data and in more informed ways.
A press release informed that NSF, as a pioneer student’s movement in Nagaland, have been demanding the State Government to ensure equal and quality internet access throughout the state for the benefit of all students staying home under lockdown conditions since March 17.
More than half of the total students studying in hundreds of schools, colleges and University in the state remained deprived of online education opportunities due to low bandwidth internet connection despite having dedicated a department for providing internet services in the state under the Digital India Mission.
During the same time, concerned with the same issue, the Students Council of NEISSR, having been deprived of many e-learning resources provided by MHRD/UGC through the Institute also initiated an online survey on internet access across 11 districts to establish an empirical benchmark for a campaign: Right to Internet access. The survey reported only 29% of respondents having regular and good quality internet access out of a total of 615 respondents spread all over the 11 districts who were mostly current students in Higher Education Institutions in the state.
The two students’ bodies agreed to further pursue the matters with the Government together for the benefit of present and future generations of students in the state. NSF was represented by Dievi Yano Angami, the Vice president and NEISSR Students Council included Angam Phom, President, and Council members; Manpang Nyiam and Keyiterai.
