Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, March 26:
Exposing the corrupt practices in Human Resource Development Academy, the proscribed KYKL today said that it has decided to penalise two lecturers working in Government institutions as well as to issue stern warning on three other such teachers for taking up private/coaching assignments in violation of the ban imposed on such practices by the outfit.
In a statement, the commander of Operation New Kangleipak said that the five lecturers are Th Heramani a Chemistry lecturer in GP Women's College, Th Nilla lecturer of Mathematics in DM College of Arts, L Somorjit, lecturer of Biology in Modern College, M Bidyasagar, Physics lecturer in GP Women's College and Asangbam Samiobanta, English lecturer in Recent Higher Secondary School.
Apart from being Government employees and hence not allowed to take up tuition and coaching assignments, Th Heramani and Th Nilla were also question setters in the just held Class XII examination, said KYKL and added that out of 70 questions (suggestions) given by Th Heramani to the students in the coaching class, 15 were actually asked in the Class XII examination.
This amounts to a case of leaking questions, said the outfit.
For taking coaching assignments despite being Government employees besides being question setters, the outfit said that Th Heramani and Th Nilla should immediately resign from their Government jobs.
The other three teachers were let off with stern warnings, said KYKL and added that if they violate the strictures announced, they would be given the death penalty.
The Deputy Secretary of the Council of Higher Education, Th Ranabir has also been asked to resign from his Government post.
The outfit explained that during the course of the investigation they came to learn that Ranabir was also the Secretary of HRD Academy and the decision to penalise him was taken as he was instrumental in hiring the five Government teachers including two who are question setters to take up the coaching assignment.
The Managing Committee and the Principal of the Academy have also been warned that if such malpractices are detected in the future then the institute would be closed for good.
Asking the teachers to follow the penalty imposed on them, KYKL said that if their diktats are ignored, they would face the death penalty.
The outfit also recalled that some Government employees who were earlier asked to resign from their jobs are still in service by taking security cover.
KYKL has not forgotten this, but is waiting for the opportune moment to strike.
Giving a background of the case, KYKL said that HRD Academy selected 50 students out of the 691 in Class XII to undergo special coaching classes from January 27, 2007 to February 7, 2007 on the basis of their performance in the test/examinations held earlier.
This was a novel method and KYKL was under the impression that this was something worth emulating.
However a closer look exposed the rot that was within the Academy, said the statement.
There are reasons for the KYKL to ban Government teachers from taking up private tuitions and coaching classes, said the statement and observed that in States like West Bengal and Assam, their Assembly had passed resolutions to ban private tuitions.
Banning tuitions and coaching classes by Government employees meant that students can go to Government schools, where everything is subsidised.
The growing culture of private schools has proved to a big drain on the economy of the people, said KYKL and added that if quality education can be received at Government schools, it will help curb unnecessary expenditure.
A number of families have gone bankrupt while sending their children and wards to private schools leading to a major socio-economic crisis.
The pauperisation of the middle class families has led to moral degradation and moral crisis in society, it observed.
Calculating the cost of educating one's ward in private schools, KYKL took the example of HRD and explained that at present there are 857 students in Class XI (Science).
The admission fee is Rs 2,530, monthly fee is Rs 285 and another Rs 200 is charged per student as tuition fee.
The total amount from the admission fee is Rs 21,68,210 (2530 x 857), the total monthly fee collected by the school is Rs 4,15,645 (285+200 x 857).Annually this works out to Rs 49,87,740.The bus fee per child is Rs 375 and the total amount received for the bus fee per month is Rs 3,21,375 and this works out to Rs 38,56,500 annually.
The total amount received by the school from all these stands at Rs 1,10,12,450, said KYKL.
On top of this there are 653 students presently studying in Class XII (Science) in the Academy.
Such a huge amount is being spent because of the wrong culture of sending children to private English schools.
This amount can be saved if children are made to attend Government schools, where the cost of education is subsidised.
The aspiration of KYKL is root out corruption from society, said the outfit and added that it does agree with the concept that corruption will automatically go away once the alien rule is uprooted.
The history of world negates this concept, said KYKL and added that the corruption is today a global phenomenon.
Even Indira Gandhi acknowledged this, said KYKL and added that blaming the scourge of corruption entirely at the door step of India would be over simplifying the issue.
Mizoram which is also under Indian rule and Sikkim do not have corruption on the scale witnessed in Manipur and Nagaland, it observed.
Such a high prevalence of corruption could be due to some factors having to do with culture, philosophy, world outlook and social structure.
The question of gaining sovereignty or freedom will not be gifted by any foreign country or by a few armed revolutionaries, said KYKL and added that fighting corruption and carrying forward the revolutionary movement should go hand in hand.
Corruption renders the people immobile said KYKL and added that a society crippled by corruption can never produce selfless, fearless and sacrificing peoples.
As long as the people are caught in the whirlpool of corruption, no revolutionary movement will be successful.
Despite this belief KYKL is yet to tackle corruption in other Departments other than the Education Department, said the statement and explained that education was the first chosen target for everything depends on education.
Today, corruption has become the accepted trend in Manipur.
The most corrupt are today accorded a place of respect and dignity by society, the corrupt are seen as icons to be emulated, they are being seen as role models and amongst the politicians, the one who is the most corrupt is generally seen as someone efficient who can get things done.
In such a scenario, drastic action has to be resorted to fight corruption in education, observed the outfit and stressed on the need to start a counter culture to fight corruption.
The outfit also urged all those in the teaching profession to change their mindset for they are the torch bearers of society.
Posing a series of questions, the outfit asked HRD Academy why they had to resort to corruption.
Why are they lacking self confidence, it asked and added that even without corruption the HRD will continue to excel.
KYKL also urged the authority of the Academy to change their mindset.