The Current Education System In Manipur

Mohammed Irfan Gufran *

Introduction:

With over 13,00,000+ schools and over 315 million enrollments, India has the largest education system in the world. Due to educational reforms, since the 80s pre-school and primary schools have been made available to all children in India. According to the Right to Education Act 2009, schooling is free and compulsory for all children in the age group of 6 to 14 years.

Most schools in India pay attention to academics and pay less attention to extra - curricular activities; the Indian education system follows a 10+2+3 pattern. The Indian education system is quite different from foreign nations. In western countries, the syllabus is considered to be quite and based on practical knowledge, while in India the focus in on theoretical knowledge and rote score.

Students are expected to read all the chapters and bring good grades in the classroom. The marking system in Indian schools starts with primary classes, putting the burden on young children; the competition is increasing day by day. Parents want their children to perform better than their peers and teachers want their class to do better than other classes.

Higher education has expanded over the years in Manipur, both in terms of the number of institution and enrolment of students. From only one college in 1946 - 47, today higher education is imparted through 9 universities and more than 90 colleges including 7 women colleges but concentrated mainly in the valley districts.

Of these 86 colleges affiliated under Manipur University and 1 constituent college (Manipur Institute of Technology). 5 colleges has affiliated to Dhanamanjuri University. There are 2 colleges of teacher education along with 2 Medical (RIMS and JNIMS).

In terms of enrolment also, there has been a massive expansion in higher education. From only 60 students in 1947 - 48, it rose to 35,424 in 2001 - 2002. The share of girl students to the total enrolment has also increased considerably, form only 2.01 percent in 1950 - 51 to 44.3 percent in 2001 - 2002.

Education System:

The progress of higher education in the state in terms of quality is not encouraging. Majority of the students in the colleges of Manipur appears to have anticipated at the time they entered the college that their higher education after secondary school stage would help them to better their employment prospects. They continue their study without any definite objective.

Many of them don't have keen interest in higher learning. They come to the colleges in the hope of getting jobs for which only such education would qualify them. The number of competent teachers is not many. There are a number of parts - time teachers in the colleges. The norms set ont by the U.G.C. are ignored in recruiting the part - time teachers.

The gap between the students and teachers, and students to students has also widened in Manipur. The academic interactions between teachers and students and among students themselves have been very limited. In such situations, even the serious minded students do not have much of a chance of developing their potentialities.

The present higher education system in the state is not up to the desired standard. The quality of education in the colleges has deteriorated due to the mushroom growth of private colleges. These colleges are without adequate infrastructures and proper facilities. There are reports of irregular admission procedures, recruitment of incompetent teachers and financial hardship to make payment of teacher's salaries etc. in these colleges. There has been mismanagement and corruption, and lack of proper academic atmosphere except in few urban colleges in the state.

It is unfortunate that the number of children in Government school is decreasing due to mismanagement and too much of political interference during the last two decades. It is crystal clear. The 2 education system is plagued by regional imbalance. Unless more effective measures are taken on priority basis for proper planning of schooling facilities, elimination of regional disparities and equalization of educational opportunities among all sections of the population will not be feasible.

For implementation of the various programmed for qualitative improvement of school education, it is necessary to note the present position in respect of enrolment indicating inter - district disparities, accessibility of schools to children, infrastructural deficiencies, non - availability of qualified teachers in village schools, attendance and drop - out rates.

The enrolment ratio for girls in Manipur has improved very much in comparison with that of the past decades. Yet, in rural and hill areas, the enrolment of girls and children of poor and illiterate families is still not encouraging. In fact, one of the main hurdles holding up progress in the universal enrolment is the presence of a number of illiterate persons.

Although the literacy rate as per 1991 census is 60.96% as against all India literacy rate of 52.16%, in real terms the number of illiterate is on the increase due to high rate of growth of population. The present literacy rate of Manipur is 74.04%. The literacy rate of Male is 86.49% and female is 73.17%. Teaching profession has become the last resort in the job market for the competent and well qualified persons.

The census of India, (2001), depicted that four valley district and two hill districts of the state attained literacy rate above the national level whereas the remaining three hill districts attained below the average. However, high literacy rate in the state does not drive economic development because the method of importing education was not relevant to the global competitive education and it lead to high rate of educated un-employed persons in the state.

The state has limited number of professional and vocational educational institutes. Moreover, the system of imparting education in general colleges are out - dated and the environment of education is polluted by numerous stakeholders in the state. Since the state failed to provide constructive education, students are starving of quality education and it leads to wider burden to the economy of the state.

Quite a few people who have neither the competence nor the aptitude for teaching have come into the profession over the last decades making mockery of school education in Manipur. Sufficient number of high quality teachers is generally not available at the time of recruitment for various reasons. This is another set - back for school education in Manipur.

On the other hand, there is little or no opportunity for the new recruits to attain the best possible professional preparation. There is no continuous orientation of in - service teachers. The conditions in which they are working are also less than satisfactory. In the circumstances, there is low motivation and low quality of teachers working in the schools.

Even though the size of rural and hill areas population is much bigger than that of urban population, the rural and hill areas are getting much less in respect of allocation of essential infrastructures including qualified teachers.

According to the report of the comprehensive survey of education in Manipur (NCERT) 1972, about half of the teachers working in lower Primary Schools in Manipur were only middle schools class pass during the year 1972 - 73. Some of them had not even passed middle schools of the total number of middle still working in the schools of the total number middle pass teachers, 64% were teaching in the schools of rural and backward areas.

Further, the report revealed that under - matric teacher working in Government primary schools constituted 58.79% as against 33.31% in aided schools and 47.30% in purely private schools, and about 53% of the under matric teachers were untrained. Even today, the number of under - matric teachers working primary schools is about 40% of the total primary teachers.

The percentage of untrained teachers at primary, junior high and high school stages are still not satisfactory including schools under autonomous district councils. There were many incidences in which students eclipsed teachers in classroom teachings. Funny scene used to occur anywhere. In ultimate analysis, it is the teacher who is the kingpin of the teaching learning process. It is his or her quality, motivation and relationship that he or she establishes with the students and the innovative ways that he or she adopts in his or her teaching which would influence the quality of education.

The teacher input may actually more than compensate various inadequacies and deficiencies such as lack of attention by parents, their illiteracy, and absence of some physical facilities in the school. Indeed, there is positive relationship between teacher behaviour and pupil achievement. This would require professional development of the teachers. Orientation course of short duration for all in - service teachers would be essential to enable the teachers to perform their duties effectively.

There is inability to maintain proper academic calendar. The frequent bands, strikes and boycotts are the main hindrance in maintaining proper academic calendar. The most disturbing situation is the lack of proper academic atmosphere in the colleges and attitude of both teachers and students. If there is boycott of classes or a half - holiday, both students and teachers seem to enjoy and take advantage of the situations. They do not come the the colleges on these days. Even department/faculties are closed.

Another disheartening situation is that some selections or groups of people threatened to call a band on a particular day only few students and teachers come to the colleges and few departments or faculties are opened on such days even it is call off or postponed in the last minute.

There are also lack of student's knowledge and skills necessary to cope with the demands of their courses. Discipline, commitment and basic knowledge etc. are lacking. Lack of proper and adequate academic atmosphere, parental and government support and existence of corruption are some of the reasons for these situation. Therefore it is not surprising that many parents send their children outside the state for their studies.

The parents and teachers play an important role in sensitizing students about their educational and career choices. Students are to be informed of the modern avenues and changes from time to time. There is a need of a closer and consistent contact with the students and motivate them. No substantial efforts could be seen in this regard in the colleges of Manipur.

There are no formal counseling centers in the colleges and no information is being disseminated to the students properly about their educational and career choices. Instead, different aspects and scopes of various subjects are being rendered to the students, that also only in some few colleges. Most of the parents also do not even bother where and how their children past their time. Thus the students themselves appear determine their educational and career choices.

The present higher education system has contributed to the problem of unemployment in the state. There has been increase in the number of graduates in the faculties of science, arts and commerce. There is lack of professional and technical institutions. State government cannot provide employment to all the graduates coming out from the general colleges. The state has also no large - scale industries to absorb these educated youths. These create a serious unemployment problem in the state.

Conclusion:

Manipur is a plural society with a mix of many distinct groups. The problem of education has been very much prevalent in the state day after day, month after month and year after year. Smooth running of educational institute is a far cry.

The crisis of education in the state has many agencies; the blame starts from the highest level of political leader, they direct the blame upon the negligence of the concerned department, the concerned departments blame each other within their own department, teacher blame the 4 concerned leader of a state government and irregularity of student, student blames teacher, concerned department and the leaders of the state government, and the state government blame a concerned department of the Union government for allocating limited finance in education sector.

Likewise, the blame never end, it goes on and on. Action against the guilty person has rarely happened since most of them are involved directly or indirectly in downgrading the system of education in the state. The few Good Samaritan could not reform the falling system of education without the support from the state bureaucrat and political godfather.

Therefore, the system of education in the state is very far behind from the rest of the states in the country where educational technology played a significant role in global competitive education which lead forth to socio - economic development in the society.

A number of suggestions or solutions to the problem of higher education and graduate unemployment can be made. These include the qualitative improvement of the college curricula, restricting the intake into the degree courses, introduction or opening of professional and vocational subjects or courses, setting up of career counseling units equipped with the latest information bulletins about the development of the prospective careers etc.

Parents and teachers should be the effective and motivating forces of the students besides guiding them. For teacher appointment process also, UPSC or the MPSC type of examination can be introduced in the state of Manipur so that the deserving candidates can be appointed as teachers. There is also a need for improvement of the present system of higher education in the state. This can be brought only when students do their own academic activity, strict adherence of proper academic calendar, proper regulations to increase expenditure and adequate attention of government on education.

Slogan: "Quality education is an Instrument for social change"