Shillong, May 2: The A’chik Holistic Awakening Movement (AHAM) on Sunday threatened to launch agitations if the state government and North-Eastern Hill University (NEHU) refused to put on hold conducting the Common University Entrance Test (CUET) for admission into Under Graduate (UG) courses in the state.

In a statement, AHAM president Georgre Prince Ch Momin said that the grievances of the students from the region are true and demanded that the government and NEHU must heed to their plea to refrain from making CUET criteria for admission to UG courses in the state, especially in the Garo Hills region.

He said that the organisation have observed that two-year lockdown has brought down the quality of education in teaching especially because the online teaching is totally new to both the students and the teachers.

He added that another important thing to be observed is that the facility the students of Garo Hills have below average and before the implementation of CUET criteria, the quality of education in all respect should be improved, so that the students of the region can compete with other students of the region.

Momin further reminded both NEHU and the state government that it is unjust to organize a competition between a cripple and a fit and healthy athlete.

According to him, the declaration of CUET in the region was also made in a haphazard manner with the clarity only coming in just two weeks before the last date of registration.

“The organization would like to warn both NEHU and the state government not to play with the lives and the future of the students of the region,” Momin said adding that “The policy of CUET criteria at this juncture would only push the students to take admissions in private universities where the pricing is costly and indirectly pushing the students in poverty to cease their studies and the organization would fight tooth and nail if the students are deprived of their studies.”

Meanwhile, the AHAM also rejected the 7.5 % reservation for ST/SC in the NEHU affiliated colleges and said “if NEHU implements this policy in the affiliated colleges of the region, then it would only invite trouble to itself in future.”

It also argued that establishing one centre for CUET exam in each district would not suffice to cater the student population of the district on one hand and causing more expenses to the students in rural area.

Momin said that they have also decided to submit a memorandum to both the Chief Minister and the Vice-Chancellor, North Eastern Hills University, to repeal the mandatory CUET at least for this year failing which they will organize series of rallies in Garo Hills along with the students of Garo Hills.