Imphal, June 04 2009: With the contract system resulting in lack of quality control and inordinate delay in executing civil works of the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) Project being taken up in Manipur, the State Government has decided to do away with the system and instead involve local villagers so that they can perform the works and enjoy the wages and at the same time instil in them the spirit of participation in the developmental process.

According to an official source, a decision to this effect was arrived at during an executive body meeting of the SSA chaired by the Chief Secretary last month.

To bring about efficiency in the implementation of the project, the meeting decided that instead of taking up the civil works through contracts, the villagers of the project area would be involved in carrying out these works in an innovative way through which they can enjoy the wages and have the pride of direct participation in the developmental process, the source said, adding that to put this into practice, Village Education Committees would be set up.

These Village Education Committees would be under the supervision of the Deputy Commissioners concerned and the Engineers of the DRDA would be extending technical support to the civil works to be carried out, the source explained.

Irregularities have been detected in the implementation of SSA project in the past and as a result the State had not received any fund for the project last year, the source said, adding that the new system would be put in place after correcting these anomalies.

From the next session onwards, publication of the required books would also be done in Manipur and the examination results of the students would be in grading system, the source disclosed, adding that initially the books for class I to VIII would be published.

In consideration of the difficulties being faced by the students in facing not less than eight examinations in one session, the number of examinations would be also cut down, the source added.

Maintaining that violation of the Central guidelines of the project may invite non-release of the fund for education, the official conveyed that after the Centre raised question over the distribution of books that are to be made available to the students free of cost in the middle of the academic session, necessary measures have been taken up to ensure distribution of the books before the start of the session from next time.

Along with this, steps have also been taken up to bring together all the agencies related to education in the State like School Education, SSA, District Council Schools and SCERT under Education Commission, the source further disclosed.

According to another source, in an all India survey report on education prepared by a Delhi-based NGO, the rate of school dropouts among children of 15 to 16 years in Manipur is 12,9 percent for boys and 14 percent for girls.

The survey report also pointed out that the number of students enrolled in private schools is more than in Government schools this year and the quality of education imparted in private schools is better even if there are more Government schools with proper infrastructures.

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