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Today, I am compelled to begin this piece of writing by admitting myself that I have got a strong dislike to those who have set on fire their own house, their own property while making some demands.
Incited by the urge to make trouble in every possible way, some Government school buildings in the hill districts of Ukhrul, Senapati and Chandel were burnt down in a well planned and well time manner in the intervening night of July 3 and 4.
Arson, bonfire of such types have become a part of agitation these days. We have seen a progression in protest and strike from tyre and effigy burning at the street to burning of Government properties which are public properties. And the protesters, the strikers jump at
the loss of Government properties with frenzied cries. We get elated at our own loss.
In mid 2006, in the game of creating crisis as a part of the demand of affiliation to Nagaland Board of Secondary Education, a hill based students’ organisation supported by many NGOs of the Nagas had done much damage to many Government schools located in the four hill districts. In the present case of burning down of school buildings the same students’ body denied their involvement in the act of arson.
So the incident of July 4 might be the act of some miscreants who do not attach much importance to learning and reading. They neither know the sanctity of a school nor the importance of it in their locality.
Now coming to the question of affiliation of schools to the other Board of Secondary Education outside Manipur. In my humble opinion, the state Government or the Board of Secondary Education, Manipur have no authority or controlling power over it.
When some individuals establish a private school or institution, affiliation of the same to any Board or society must be exclusively the private matter of the school and the affiliating authority whether it is NBSE or CBSE or any other Board within the country.
There may be under-standings between state Education Board and other boards (Assam, Nagaland, Mizoram, Arunachal Pra-desh or any other states) not to encroach upon its territories.
In the last HSLC examination, of 2007, the Nagaland Board had permitted students from Manipur to appear in the Examination. In spite of strong denouncement from the Government, BSEM and intellectuals, private schools in the hills had made their students appeared in class-X examination under NBSE.
There is no law which go against the establishment of education institutions and affiliation of the school to any Board or authority of their choice. So the state Government did not physically bar the students from going to Nagaland. But the real picture emerged at the time of examination days and after was that the students faced many difficulties at the time of examination.
Some thousands of students of private schools from the hill districts of Manipur willingly (or by force) went to Nagaland to appear their H.S.L.C. Examination there. During the journey to Nagaland, we have heard that the bus in which the students were going was blocked at some points by some Naga groups. We have also heard that the students from our state were treated as unwanted guest there.
When the result of the examination was announced, the pass percentage of our students who had shifted their loyalty to Nagaland was not encouraging at all. At the same time, many students who came down to the valley in Imphal for their plus two studies faced many undue problems for a migration certificate from the NBSE and obtaining a fresh eligibility certificate from the COHSEM.
If the students who are residing in Manipur, who want to study their further studies in the state, why should we force them to sit the H.S.L.C. Examination in Nagaland and again allow them to come to Imphal for their class XI.
In the coming years also this question of affiliation and sitting of H.S.L.C. Examination under NBSE will be there in the hill districts of Manipur.
Let me repeat again my earlier point, any one can establish private schools and any private schools can have their loyalty and affiliation to any board of their choice. So targeting Government schools and damaging school properties have nothing to do with the issue. Destroying public properties like school buildings is not a justified end of the agitators or the protester.
The Education Minister has visited the schools that received the wraths of the miscreants and assured the repairing of the school just before the re-opening of the summer vacation. It is a very positive step.
The Government which is often blamed by us not having risk a penny for the development works in the hill districts are now having to sanction money to restore the school buildings that has been idiotically or malevolently destroyed.
But the big problem lies under is that we can’t guarantee these schools, after repairing or rebuilding are hundred percent fire proof. If the schools are targeted again with more destructive intention than before, then there will be a series of burning, repairing again and again burning.
A problem is never solved on its own level. Being complex it must be understood in its total process. To try to solve a problem on only on physical level leads to further conflicts and confusion. The need of the hour is to make a permanent and lasting solution to the existing problem.
But consciously or unconsciously we refuse to see the probability of solution on every problems because we don’t want to let go our problems solved. We talk of ideals, of peace from the pages of the Bible, the Gita and the Koran but we are always trying to lay the foundation stone of war and hatred.
Thus by our own doings we are poised with a raised axe pointing it towards our feet and that axe instead of cutting the desired tree strikes on our own feet.
My earnest appeal to those who feel hap-py and elated at the bonfire of school buildings is that you are trying to deprive of your own sons, daughters, brothers and si-sters their education their future, for which only you have to lament in future.
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* Oinam Anand writes regularly for The Sangai Express.
This article was webcasted on July 19th, 2007.
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