Mizoram Govt Enrols Over 8,000 Displaced Kids From Manipur, Myanmar, Bangladesh In Schools

As many as 8,119 children displaced from Myanmar, Bangladesh, and violence-hit Manipur, have been enrolled in various schools in Mizoram.

The worst-hit segment of the society in the Manipur violence has perhaps been the children of the state. Kids have been affected not just in Manipur. School-going children from Myanmar and Bangladesh have also been hit by unrest in those regions. The Mizoram government has now taken it upon itself to bring these displaced kids back into the mainstream and has enrolled over 8,000 children in schools of the state.

As many as 8,119 children displaced from Myanmar, Bangladesh, and violence-hit Manipur, have been enrolled in various schools in Mizoram. The state Education Minister, Lalchhandama Ralte, on Tuesday said a total of 6,366 displaced children from Myanmar, 250 from Bangladesh, and 1,503 from Manipur have been enrolled in schools across the hill state so far. "The displaced children were enrolled in different schools as per the government notification and are being provided with school uniforms, textbooks, and mid-day meals, just like the local students," Ralte said.

Ralte stated, "The state government is committed to providing education to the displaced children from the bordering countries and the state. The Mizoram government is a nationalist government that views the Zo tribe as one. Our focus is on the unification of the Zo tribe and this principle is reflected in our education sector. We are not only providing shelter to the displaced children but also imparting education to them." He added that 44 displaced children had registered for the Class-10 Board examinations in 2022, and 31 of them appeared for the same.

Ralte further mentioned that out of these 31 students, 28 cleared the examinations.

"Enrolment in these institutes has shown growth over the past four years, indicating a significant improvement in education in government schools. A total of 1,15,005 students were enrolled in schools in the 2019-20 academic session. This number increased to 1,19,133 in the 2020-21 academic year, and 1,28,927 in the 2021-22 academic year. Efforts are being made to prioritize the inclusion of the Mizo language in the curriculum," the Education Minister said.

Mizoram is currently hosting thousands of people from Myanmar and Bangladesh. These refugees primarily belong to the Chin community, which is ethnically related to the Mizo people. These refugees fled, following a military coup in Myanmar in early 2021. On the other hand, the refugees from Bangladesh's Chittagong hill tracts came to the state after a military offensive against an ethnic insurgent group in 2022.