Displaced children from Manipur can complete schooling in Mizoram: Report

As many as 123 people entered Mizoram in the last 24 hours, and a total of 7,928 ethnic Zos or Mizos, mostly women, children, and elderlies, from Manipur, have fled and taken shelter in nine districts

The Mizoram government, on Thursday, has now announced that it will ensure children displaced by recent ethnic riots from Manipur are able to continue their schooling in the state.

A letter was sent to all district education officers, sub-divisional education officers, and principals of state-run higher secondary schools on Wednesday, in which the state school education department asked all district and school authorities to allow the displaced students to be enrolled in state-run schools and government-aided schools if they seek admission, said a PTI report.

Education department director Lalsangliana said in a letter, "The recent turmoil in Manipur has caused a large-scale influx of internally displaced children into Mizoram. It is therefore requested that all district and school authorities allow admission even if proper documentation can't be provided for the children if and when they solicit admission to schools."

As many as 123 people entered Mizoram in the last 24 hours, and a total of 7,928 ethnic Zos or Mizos, mostly women, children, and the aged, from Manipur, have fled and taken shelter in nine districts of the state, the report highlighted.

The internally displaced people are seeking refuge in not just Mizoram but also other neighbouring states and are lodged in relief camps, while many have received help from their relatives. The Kuki-Mizo-Hmar- Zomi communities collectively known as Kukis or Zo Hnahthlak (Zo tribes) in Manipur share blood ties with the Mizos in Mizoram.

Ethnic clashes in Manipur broke out on May 3, 2023, between tribals and the Meitei community, which constitutes the majority of the population in the state. Close to 9,000 people were displaced within two days of the clash erupting.

A PTI report dated May 5 stated that ethnic violence was brewing for quite some time in the state as a long history of mutual suspicion between groups in the Imphal Valley and its surrounding hills, however, it turned into a simmering conflict with the decision of the state government to grant Scheduled Tribe (ST) status to the Meitei community. 

(With inputs from PTI)