Imphal, January 03 2010: The VIIIth foundation day of the Democratic Students' Alliance of Manipur (DESAM) was celebrated at the ground of Eureka High School at Khongjom Sapam in Thoubal district today.

The Vth general conference of the student body was also held on the occasion.

Director General, State Academy of Training and Principal Secretary, Government of Manipur, P Sharatchandra, IAS was the chief guest, president of DESAM, LC Santosh presided, Director, Center for Myanmar Studies, Manipur University, Prof W Nabakumar, Selection Grade Lecturer of YK College, Wangjing, Dr Soibam Birahari and president of All Tribal Students' Union Manipur (ATSUM), Thomas Taisa were the guests of honour at the foundation day celebration cum general conference of DESAM held under the theme "Education as Prosperous to Our National Challenges" .

Prof W Nabakumar, while addressing the huge audience, opined that human resource and cultural resource need to be enhanced for uplifting a society to development.

Once a country which produced natural resources such as petroleum, coal, etc.

in abundance used to be considered as a developed country, but now it is the country which has more human resources that is regarded as highly developed, Prof Nabakumar said.

He further said that the society of Manipur today is in an unpredictable state of meta-transitional period, and the people are facing a great deal of challenges.

The people need to identify and know these challenges, and face them.

The kind of education system which can bring changes in the thinking and reasoning of the people and which enables them to face all these challenges is needed, Prof Nabakumar observed.

He further observed that education should have four parameters, namely 'learning,' 'knowing,' 'thinking' and 'reasoning.' However, the present education system being adopted in the state has no 'thinking' and 'reasoning.' What the present education system gives the children are only to gain knowledge and study to secure high marks in examinations.

He said, when the kind of education which has 'thinking' and 'reasoning' is given to the children, they will be able to judge what is wrong and what is right in their actions by using the knowledge and wisdom that they got from the books.

It is because of lack of reasoning in education that the so-called educated administrative officers are committing wrong acts through pen, teachers who do not teach the students have no hesitation to draw monthly salaries, the rulers are doing wrong things, etc.

If education with reasoning is given, everybody will work with morality.

It can not be said that human resource is enhanced by producing a great number of BA and MA degree holders, he said.

Prof Nabakumar further said that only when there are a number of people who have reasoning and thinking and are able to judge the positive and negative sides of their actions, a society will be rich with developed human resource.

The chief guest of the occasion, P Sharatchandra, IAS said, life is a journey towards a goal.

In order to reach the goal, one needs to work ceaselessly without waisting time.

Education is the wealth of the society.

We need to have a developed education system so that we can join the world community's race for development, he said.

Former president of DESAM, L Romesh said, if we have to have an alive society, we got to fight.

A society that does not fight will be extinct.

Incidents of human rights violations happen because we live in an undeveloped society.

It is because of being an undeveloped society that there are a lot of omissions, and corruption.

In order to rectify all these omissions, we need to try to give a good education system to the students, he said.

Praising DESAM for its role in building a bond between the hills and the valley, Thomas Taisa of ATSUM said that the people of the state which is witnessing a conflict sitution are living in a complex sitution.

The ruler are trying to divide and rule the people, Thomas Taisa observed and added that we all need to join hands to get our rights.

Eight selected dutiful teachers were honoured and given Chingu Maichou Khongnangthaba (Chi-ma-kha) awards on the occasion.

The teachers who were honoured are Moirangthem Chourajit of Tentha Khunjao Primary School, Head Master of Tharoijam Primary School, Mutum Iboton, Chabungbam Ibopishak of Gokul Junior High School, Potsangbam, Head Master in-Charge of Poirou Khongjil Junior High School, Mutum Rajendra, Aribam Dembajit Sharma of Jirighat High School, Jiribam, Principal of Progressive English School, Lamding, Pukhrambam Nimai, Thoudam Devchandra of Maria Montessori Senior Secondary Schook, Koirengei and Principal of Little Master English Higher Secondary School, Shamurou, Nongthombam Melei.

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