AIMS urged to set up consulate general offices with cultural centres in NE for East Asian countries like Myanmar, Thailand, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Vietnam, Cambodia, China, etc to strengthen the policy and facilitate the Northeasterners to communicate with neighbouring countries
TFM Desk
The Apunba Imagi Machasing (AIMS) has submitted a memorandum for reinforcing Act East Policy and improvement of educational institutes in Northeast India to RK Ranjan Singh, Minister of State for External Affairs and Education.
The memorandum was signed by Atom Sunil Singh; Mawung Mingthing and Mayanglambam Khelendro respectively Director, Secretary and President of AIMS.
The Act East Policy is to promote economic, strategic and cultural relations with the vast Asia-Pacific region at different levels by opening formal border gates between Myanmar and India at New Tusom, Huishu, Konkan, Namlee, Kambang Khullen, Nongkam Satang, Molcam, Bihang, etc. It will encourage developing trade and commerce and a closer relationship with the people having the same family across the border since time immemorial. It will also strengthen the cultural relationship between the neighbouring country, said in a press release.
AIMS also urged to set up consulate general offices with cultural centres in North East India for East Asian countries like Myanmar, Thailand, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Vietnam, Cambodia, China, etc., in order to strengthen the policy and also facilitate the northeasterners to communicate with neighbouring countries.
The memorandum further requested to establish a Southeast Asian University to tighten the transboundary relationships with SE Asian countries and develop a New Central University in NE India to study East Asian countries’ language, culture, tradition, geopolitics, international relations etc.
The memorandum also highlighted the importance of improving educational Institutes in NE India and said “Education is a key to development and it is the foundation to increasing economic efficiency and social consistency. It helps to raise the poor from poverty”.
The memorandum also urged for the conversion of Dhanamanjuri University into a Central University which will solve the University’s hindrances and the appointment of a regular Vice-Chancellor of Manipur University (MU) among the most competent and senior-most professors within the professors from MU. The appointment of a regular VC in MU is essential to solving unwanted incidents in future, it further added.
AIMS also requested to construct quarters and hostels in the remote areas of Manipur for the teachers and staff and up-gradation of Indira Gandhi National Tribal University, Regional Campus Manipur(IGNTU-RCM) into a full-fledged central university.
It further said, the urgent need of the hour is to intervene by introducing Burmese language high schools in NE India to solve the barriers faced by the people in the border areas and also to introduce the East Asian languages to the primary school curriculum in NE India, especially Burmese, Korean, Thailand, Japanese, etc., before the train connects Myanmar.
The memorandum further raised the issue of the commencement of cane and bamboo in the school curriculum in India and development of Cane and Bamboo Education and Research Institute in NE India in order to achieve the goal set by PM Narendra Modi to double farmer’s income.It added the need to establish the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) in NE India and upgrade the Institute of Bioresources and Sustainable Development (IBSD) campus in Harorou Campus in the line of Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati (IITG), Guwahati. It also urged the necessity to open the biotechnology department in the National Institute of Technology (NIT), Manipur and Manipur Technical University (MTU).