An education emergency in Manipur

Thousands of students from the Kuki-Zou community face uncertain futures as the ethnic violence in Manipur blocks access to educational institutes and cuts academic plans short

- Pritha Roy Choudhury

In the lush hills of Manipur, where educational institutions once thrived with diversity, classroom seats now sit empty. Since May 2023, what began as ethnic tensions between the Kuki and Meitei communities has escalated into a devastating conflict that has not only claimed hundreds of lives, but is silently crushing the educational aspirations of thousands of young people.

“I had to leave my research midway when the conflict started in 2023,” said Mary*, a former research scholar at Manipur University’s department of Zoology who was studying wetlands. Today she teaches at a school in Kangpokpi district, her academic aspirations indefinitely suspended.

Her story is just one among thousands. According to officials from the Manipur University, “about 50,000 students from the Kuki-Zou community were enrolled in various institutions before the conflict erupted”. Nearly half have had to quit their educational plans.

While students from financially stable backgrounds have relocated to cities like Delhi, Kolkata, or Bengaluru, an estimated 10,000 to 15,000 students without such resources have been forced to abandon their academic dreams altogether, one of the officials said.

“Even though things seemed to return to normal within a week or two, life has never been the same for those hit by the violence. For the majority, life goes on as though nothing happened, but for the affected, they're languishing, with many having their careers cut short,” said an official requesting anonymity.

Majority of the population in Kangpokpi district comprises Kukis and Nepali students of Indian origin.

The consequences go beyond lost education. “Many displaced youths have joined village defence groups, taking up arms instead of textbooks,” he added. "It's heartbreaking to see young people who should be in classrooms now standing guard in bunkers."

Disruption in education