RUSA and Higher Education in Manipur

Sanoujam Dhiren Meetei *

Education Minister Moirangthem Okendra with Union Ministry of Human Resource Development discusses Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA) before the 62nd meeting of the Central Advisory Board of Education (CABE) held at Manekshaw Centre, Parade Road, New Delhi on October 10 2013
Pix - HL/ MIC

Among the various resources, human resource is the most important resource. And education is the only means to impart and enhance the human resource.

Education must be the backbone of a society for the society to develop. However, the backbone of Manipur is having ache for the last few decades.

Higher education in the state is facing serious problems; especially college-education. It is true that there is a knowledge-gap between college-education and university-education in the state. This is due to shortage of infrastructure which may be due to shortage of fund of the state Govt.

Consequently, it causes migration of students to the other states for higher education. And therefore, huge amount of money is drained from the low-economy state. Besides the migration of students to the other states, more seriously, well qualified persons from the state have also migrated in search of job as faculty positions.

Recently, the Govt. seems aware of all such situations and shows interest towards the quality of education in the state, especially higher education. Fortunately, with the implementation of a scheme, RUSA (Rastriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan) by the central and state Govt., there will be no further shortage of fund in the higher education system of the state. Consequently, an opportunity to have a quantum jump in the higher-education-system lies before the state Govt.

The prospect of RUSA lies on teaching-learning process, greater inclination towards research, etc. Therefore, recruitment of well-qualified-faculties will be the stepping stone for the scheme to success.

This can also help prevent the migration of students and help in economic development of the state. The state Govt. may be desirous of well-qualified faculties since the future funding of the scheme from the Centre depends solely on performance of the preceding years.

Well-qualified-faculties are the main infrastructure of an education system and quality of education mainly depends on it. With the present motive towards quality education of the state Govt., the scheme can prevent the migration of students and well-qualified-persons as faculty to other states.

The scheme RUSA may be a grand success as SSA (Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan) in the primary level and RMSA (Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan) in the secondary level. The transparent recruitment policy followed by the state Govt. for selection of SSA and RSMA teachers are applauded by the people.

Similar transparent recruitment policy is expected for the scheme RUSA too. This will, only, ensure to get the objectives of RUSA viz. access, equity and excellence or quality in the higher education of the state.