New Education for new Manipur 2

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E-Pao! Education - Completely new education for a new Manipur - 2

Completely new education for a new Manipur
— With special reference to the hills —
Part 2

By: T. Vunglallian *

This line of thinking by those in the corridors of power has to go ... at least till the schools and colleges start producing quality students through "quality teaching."

Only then, after reaching a certain good standard of education should "recruitment" be once again opened. That too only after it is justified by good enrolment, performance, reputation and meeting of other quality requirements, needs and demands.)

Suggestion regarding 'Employment'

It is pertinent here to say that there are hundreds and hundreds of well-qualified unemployed youngsters who need – and deserve – Manipur's school/college-teacher-jobs ...A Sedcto so much in need of fresh blood... but cannot get the jobs because the jobs are clung on to by many present incumbents who are just not delivering and are the deadwood killing education in the state!

This writer suggests – for the sake of the future of Manipur –

the lowering of the age of retirement from 58 years to 55/56 years (though exceptional and excellent teachers may be "selected" to serve till 58/60/62 years);
a fairly attractive VRS for any teacher between 40 and 50 years, and
make fresh appointments by strictly adhering to UGC norms for colleges and something new and more in keeping with the times for school education.

This reveals that there is something really wrong and rotten in our education system. Thus, one of the aims of New Education is to bring back that lost pride, the frittered away first choice and enrol first class students from other states, to start with.

So, we have to first set our house in order. Further, it is pertinent to point out here that the two most popular NE cities for education destination, viz. Shillong and Guwahati have, as good as, shut their doors to aspirants from outside their States, by reserving 85% of the seats available for students of their own State! Something we cannot dream of doing today.

Not only that, the problem of high cut-off marks is another hurdle to be crossed by Manipur's students who, invariably, get low marks.

Barring toppers, and thereafter not too many below them, the total marks secured by our HSLC and HSE candidates – especially if one takes away the MIL and Additional (excess) marks – is so low that our girls and boys are, literally, cut off from admissions to top institutions in the country.

This is not to ask for a lenient marking system, but to point out that most of our wards (now studying outside after getting through BSEM or COHSEM from 'clean' examination centres with not very high marks) do secure far higher marks in examinations outside our state!

Therefore, some re-thinking needs to be done on the above and related matters, without lowering standards.

[Suggestion: One way of improving - without lowering standards - is for students to be allowed to opt for arts or science stream from the IX standard itself.

This step would, in one stroke, do away with the immense pressure and tension many students and parents go through – especially those enrolled in government institutions who have never had their science/math teachers teaching them properly... and so are destined to fail!

So, when the known fact is that the math and science teachers will never be there, why not let these "condemned students"- at least - pass by taking up Arts? Thereby, giving them a small measure of hope in life.

With the same stroke too, the much-talked about pass percentage, that today hovers in the lower 30%s, would shoot up to 60% plus. This doubling would be achieved with the added bonus that the no-teacher-compelled-pressures to use unfair means would plummet by itself!

The early option would also result in a boost to coaching/training centres for arts-background students seeking employment in the hugely growing service and hospitality sector.

More importantly, such option at the IX would free scarce resources for a smaller number of serious science stream students possessing the 'proper science-aptitude' and needing the best of an early start in the face of terrific competition the world over.

No doubt, the above would again be at the expense of the 'tribal keen on science' ... which painful issue this writer proposes to tackle through the "two services" approach.]

Today, the call for a radical change in our education system has become all the more urgent because of –

(i) the endless scams that are being unearthed, not by the Department or teachers but, courtesy an underground organization. It is high time to clean education's Augean stables.

(ii) Manipur's infamous mass copying culture, where once upon a time examination centres were like bazaars and melas, began to acquire something of the sobriety that goes with examinations, only after the same underground organization began to put its foot down.

But, as the reach of the said organization isn't the whole of Manipur, many centres are still an eyesore.

While acknowledging the contribution of the UG organization, it is also, commendable that a small handful of centres have cleaned their examination centres, as good as on their own.

However, the point being made is that teachers and the Government – from Ministers to Commissioners to Directors etc. – failed to address the disgraceful decades old issue of mass-copying! It is time to put our shoulders to the wheel ... time to weed our backyard!

(iii) The decades of talk of the need for quality education from the Government, academicians, student associations, parents – in fact, the whole population – remains just that: talk, talk and more talk! It is time to: Talk less, work more.

(iv) The countless and stale rituals of MoUs, dharnas, bandhs, seminars, Rationalization Committees, and State Commissions ... are just turning out to be impotent protests and ignored views repeating themselves over and over again, to no avail. It is time for pro-action and innovation through getting back to – and tackling - the basics!

(v) The numerous mass protests and dharnas by students of some colleges that do not want their teachers transferred out. (In fact, they see to it that the government buckles down.) It is time for the government to open both ears, not open one and keep the other closed, and do what it is supposed to do, with courage and conviction!

(vi) The across the board tumbling enrolment figures and glaring non-performance by government schools and colleges, though temporarily assuaged by the little zing found in little pockets of private enterprise, are very disturbing indicators. As for the brave private efforts ... they are just too little to make an impact.

And frankly, none are that good enough, as yet, to attract good students from other states! It is time to cut our coat according to the cloth ... a time to down-size institutions and pool teachers so that there are no shortages.

(vii) The undeniable truth that many teachers posted in the schools and colleges in the hills of Manipur – more so the science and math teachers – neglect their duties to the point that science and math in the hills are as good as dead!

This is mainly because these teachers do not stay, and do not want to live, in places that they consider too lacking in facilities and amenities ... yet are willing to draw salaries from hill schools and colleges ... for little or no work done! This situation, sadly, is allowed to go on because the heads of the hill schools and colleges are too accommodative and lack strictness/courage and vision.

It is also very true that the heads of these schools do not get any backing from the concerned directorate/department. Because the directorate/ department prefers to bury its head in the sand. Then, woe upon woe, it is known that village chiefs compromise the future of their village/people for short-term gains, by making a monetary arrangement with reluctant teachers (of all communities!)

This atrocious arrangement is, so far, the preserve of schools only ... but it could be born any day in the hill colleges too). It is time for really implementing: "No work, no pay."

(viii) The Economic Imperative: All the above, not unexpectedly, give rise to a huge economic drain, because around 40,000 Manipuri students (a very conservative figure) go outside Manipur to pursue their studies. Because, among other reasons, our schools and colleges are just not good enough.

And so in search of better education Manipur ends up gifting other parts of the country about Rs. 144 crore per annum ...(40,000 students x 3,000/-p.m. sent out x 12 months = Rs.1,440,000,000 p.a.) ... something we of Manipur simply cannot afford!

The above does not include many parent's only paddy field sold, plots on bandhan, money borrowed at exorbitant rates of interest, the emergency medical expenses etc. (See Submissions to Commission).

Read Part 1 | Read Part 2 | Read Part 3 | Read Part 4 | Read Part 5 | Read Part 6 | Read Part 7 | Read Part 8 | Read Part 9 | Read Part 10 | Read Part 11 |

T. Vunglallian wrote this article for The Sangai Express. The writer is a retired Lecturer of Churachandpur College. This article was webcasted on November 14th, 2006.

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