A delegation of various NGOs under the umbrella of All Garo Hills Joint Action Committee (AGHJAC) met the chief minister, Conrad K Sangma yesterday in Shillong to seek the set up of an examination centre for various entrance exams.
The delegation said they had a serious discussion with the Chief Minister which had lasted for about half an hour and had demanded the establishment of a common examination centre for National and State level job recruitment and entrance exams for the Garo Hills Region.
AGHJAC comprises various NGOs, including the GSMC, GSU, FAF as well as social activists from the region.
The delegation was led by the Adviser of AGHJAC, Roger Benny A Sangma and Balkarin Ch Marak.
“The CM assured that the examination centre issue will be taken up soon with the concerned authorities with instructions sent to the Chief Secretary to look out for the possibilities of setting up the centre at Tura,” said advisor, Roger Benny.
The AGHJAC stated that due to non-availability of an exam centre in Garo Hills most students were compelled to opt for colleges outside the state.
“Travel to other states to appear for exams like UPSC, SSC, RBI, IBPS, CDS, NDA, CET, etc; is very expensive and unaffordable to many of the deserving students hailing from the rural areas. Average income families are lagging behind due to problems of finances as well as the lack of a centre in the region,” added convenor, Balkarin Marak.
Further exams like JEE, NEET, UGC, NET & CSIR are only conducted at the Common Exam Centre at Shillong, where students from Garo Hills region face hardships due to the long journey.
“Majority of the students from Garo Hills have to reach Shillong a day before the exams and there were instances that many had to look for hotels to stay but some of the students were compelled to spend the night in their private cars due to lack of accommodation,” they added.
The AGHJAC also met Opposition leader Dr. Mukul Sangma at his official residence Shillong and apprised him about the memorandums they submitted to the State government They also discussed with him the various developmental issue concerning the region.
