Frustrated by chronic faculty shortages, incomplete infrastructure, and years of government apathy, students of Pettigrew College—the premier and only government degree institution in Manipur’s Ukhrul district—staged a peaceful protest on the college campus on Tuesday, demanding immediate state intervention to restore basic academic functioning.
The demonstration saw strong backing from the Tangkhul Katamnao Saklong (TKS), the apex Tangkhul student body. TKS President Ramreichan Keishing, who led a delegation including TKS education secretary Lummi Awungshi, to join the protesting students, stated that endless administrative delays and unfulfilled promises forced the student community to take a stand.
“Our grievances have been brought to the attention of the authorities again and again, yet the problems remain unresolved,” Keishing told reporters during the protest. “Pettigrew College is not just a building; it is the future of our students. When we neglect the college, we are neglecting an entire generation.”
Staffing shortage
Established in 1965, Pettigrew College serves a student population of over 1,300 across 12 academic departments, drawing youth from far-flung villages across Ukhrul and Kamjong districts, which together account for an estimated population of 3 lakh. However, leaders highlighted that the college is operating with barely half its required strength.
Under National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 guidelines, the college requires a minimum of 86 teaching faculty members. Currently, only 45 teachers are on campus, leaving a massive deficit of 41 teaching posts. Out of 12 departments, only English and History were described as being in a “manageable condition.” Other subjects, such as Environmental Science, have no faculty present on campus—the single sanctioned teacher has reportedly been attached to Manipur College in Imphal, Keishing said.
According to the TKS president, the shortage is even more severe among non-teaching personnel. While NEP norms mandate 46 support staff members, only three are currently in position—a deficit of 43 posts that leaves essential administrative and maintenance services nearly non-existent.
Infrastructure deficit
The physical infrastructure of the campus presents an equally dire picture. To manage 12 departments under the NEP structure, the college requires at least 36 proper classrooms. At present, it possesses just 10 functional classrooms, each accommodating only 30 to 40 students.
To keep classes running, the administration has resorted to makeshift measures, holding lectures in auditoriums, laboratories, libraries, and even open garages.
Stalled key campus projects
Key construction projects at the college have remained stalled for years, leaving students to cope with inadequate infrastructure and overcrowded facilities. The academic block, scheduled for completion by mid-2023, remains unfinished three years after work began, forcing students to endure makeshift learning environments through seasonal heat and heavy rains.
Construction of much-needed boys’ and girls’ hostels remains incomplete, denying affordable accommodation to students travelling from remote border villages.
Located 7 kilometres north of Ukhrul town, the college relies on just two mini-buses capable of carrying 42 students at a time—wholly inadequate for a day-scholar population of 1,321.
An additional college bus, promised personally by then chief minister N. Biren Singh during his visit on 18 October 2023, remains unfulfilled, Keishing added.
Students’ voice
Student leaders detailed the day-to-day hardships created by the lack of investment in basic infrastructure and learning tools.
Solonchon Luikham, debate and extension secretary of the Student Union and a fifth-semester Zoology student, pointed to severe shortcomings in scientific facilities and library resources. “We don’t have a proper lab. We are doing practicals regularly, but since materials are low, we cannot perform fully,” Luikham said, adding that the Zoology department operates with only four teachers.
She also highlighted that while a library building exists, there is no librarian to manage it, and most available books are outdated under the new NEP curriculum. Luikham added that unpaved campus grounds turn into mud during the monsoon season due to incomplete drainage work, severely restricting movement between blocks.
Blessing Vasha, a fifth-semester English student, spoke on overcrowding and the lack of basic dignities on campus. “What we really need is proper construction. When we have exams in the smaller courtyard, it’s very tight, and the number of students is growing,” she noted, adding that functional washrooms, clean drinking water, and operational hostels are urgent necessities for incoming freshers.
Demands to government
Protesting students and TKS leadership issued a clear set of demands to the Manipur state government. They called for immediate recruitment to fill 41 vacant teaching positions and 43 non-teaching posts in compliance with NEP 2020 standards.
They urged the government to expedite stalled work on the main academic block and student hostels with strict accountability for further delays. They also demanded faculty and facility restoration, including reassigning transferred faculty back to the campus, equipping science laboratories with required reagents and instruments, and appointing a full-time librarian with updated curriculum books.
On transport and amenities, they asked authorities to fulfill the chief minister’s pledge for an additional college bus and to construct functional washrooms and paved campus walkways.
