Sorry state of college education : After Class XII, where ?
- The Sangai Express Editorial :: May 12 2015 -

After Class XII, where and what ?

This must be a question haunting a good number of parents, now that the Council of Higher Secondary Education, Manipur has announced the results of the Class XII examinations.

This is in line with what parents, guardians and elders of every family must have faced every year and will face in the coming years.

Nothing new here, but interesting to note that there is nothing much to suggest that this question has haunted or stirred the conscience of the Government.

Given the manner in which the Government has been prioritising issues or matters, it will not be surprising to see that not much thought has been given to the state of education after the Class XII stage here and this is all the more reason why The Sangai Express will continue to hammer home this point.

With the results now announced, majority of the students will now make a beeline for institutions located outside the State.

The destination will be Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, Bangalore, Mumbai, Chandigarh and other places.

This is for students who will be pursuing degree courses, for not all will be eligible or make it to the professional colleges offering medical or engineering courses.

Students pursuing higher education at places which offer better opportunities suits the growing demands of the time but can every parents really afford to send their children outside ?

It also stands that not all degrees will equip the young children the skills required for the job market. No wonder there are numerous unemployed degree holders.

It will make much more sense if only the Government comes to the point that something ought to be done for students who have finished their Class XII exams.

Why not open up colleges which can and will equip the young students with the right skills to survive in this highly competitive world ?

Come to think about it. While it is the duty and responsibility of the Government to ensure that there are enough competitive colleges for the students to pursue their higher education, it also stands that the numerous voluntary organisations here too have a corresponding duty.

Student organisations, and there are a dime dozen of them here, have to come around to the idea that they too have a duty to ensure that the academic pursuit of the young students is not disturbed under any circumstances.

Good to keep in mind that it makes absolutely no sense to use young students as their human shield while pursuing any demands from the Government.

What happened at the Secretariat a few days back, where young students were made to lead a march and confront the police goes contrary to the understanding of quality education, though making the word quality go along with education is hard to accept.

The very understanding of education itself should denote quality.

This is about students who have finished their Class XII exams and more serious thoughts ought to be given to the state of what passes off as education here.

It says something profound that every year thousands of students have to go outside for their higher education, putting a big strain on their parents and guardians.