Present trends of Education in Manipur

Adhikarimayum Jolly Devi *

Education is the only source of bringing an individual, a society, a state, a nation, a world into the way of culturing one's mind and society to represent for the whole. In Manipur, education will be the only soul for peace and prosperity.

To make a good citizen, a child has to be educated formally as well as informally. For formal system of education, the government and private educational institutions plays a great role to bring up many good citizens. However, the government institution remains a little backward comparing to the private schools.

But nowadays, many government schools were conform into the levels of private schools. Many programmes were introduced to make a child interest and to motivate learning.

For such Aim and Objectives, government is supplying mid day meal in many government schools. For educating the students many trained and qualified teachers were also needed to be appointed to be able to come upto the level of private schools educational system.

However, government schools remains a little backward but in the higher education level, it is many steps ahead from private institutions. The Manipur University produces many talented and qualified students.

Manipur university becomes a central university and it is one of the most reputed universities in the entire northeast India. Many new subjects were being open in it such as Biotechnology, library science, Mass communication , biochemistry, Manipuri dance etc. Many qualified teachers were needed to give the students the proper knowledge.

Students is receiving many informal educations also. This informal education leads into two ways-merits and demerits. Knowing an environment around him serves in giving a child merit kinds of informal education .

But, due to the present scenario of Manipur such as bandh , blockade, corruption, kidnapping, abusing at somebody's residence by bombs etc make a everyone feeling terror in one's own sweet home. Such terror is making a child educating one type of education ,i.e, 'Education of terror'.

The present trends of corruption in the state gives every student the feeling of depression and thinks of formal type of education as useless if he cannot get any job according to his merits.

Manipur university even though remain one of the reputed university but being a lone university in the state could not give admission to the entire students of the state.

Many students who can afford higher education in other states leave the state but there are also many who could not achieve higher studies because the neither get admission in Manipur university due to low seat intake nor they could afford to study in other states. This are the present problems faces by the students.

Frequent strikes , bandhs becomes a hindrance to the education . It affects in the academic calendar. Strikes for around three or four months is a great lost to the students and for the states too. Education should be untouched in every problems if good citizens has to be developed. A good foundation has to be made if we have to build a palace.

Nowadays, the teaching of 'Meitei Mayek' is being taught in all schools instead of 'Bengali letter'. It is good to know our own culture and language is being use but its seems that there will be a setback to 'Bengali letter' which we had been considering as our aged old Manipuri language, which served for us from many decades back.

The valuable works of many intelligent literary figures of Manipur were being written in Bengali letter. This valuable literature and histories of Manipur might be lost in coming decades. Children who are growing up now wouldn't be able to read this Manipuri literature. It will be good if Bengali language should also be teach along with 'Meitei Mayek'.

Manipur will glow day by day if proper and good education is given to the children. For this, a peaceful Manipur need to be made first. Just like a women need to have a rooms of one's own if she has to write literature according to the famous feminist critic, Virginia Woolf. Manipur need to have peace if proper education has to be developed.