Imphal, Aug 02: The contentious text books issue, which arose after the All Naga Students' Association, backed by the Naga Students' Federation raised the demand to affiliate private schools in the four Naga dominated districts of Manipur to the Nagaland Board of Secondary Education will be discussed by the Union Human Resources Development Ministry on August 9 at New Delhi.

Disclosing this, a well placed source said that officials who were present at the 4th North East Zonal COBSE Conference held at Guwahati on July 13 this year will attend the meeting.

The State Government will be represented by the Deputy Secretary of the Council of Higher Secondary Education, Manipur, Babudhon Sapamcha and Secretary of the Board of Secondary Education, Manipur, Ph Nandakumar Sharma.

The Secretary (Education) of the Union Human Resources Development Ministry will meet the team of COBSE, North East Zone during the meeting, said the source.

The text book issue was discussed during the Guwahati meeting on July 13 after the representatives from Manipur raised the matter.

A copy of the proceedings of the 4th North East Zonal COBSE Conference held at Guwahati which is in the possession of The Sangai Express said that the Manipur Board and the Manipur Council raised the issue.

The proceedings read, "The Manipur Board and the Manipur Council raised the issue of certain groups pressuring schools in Manipur to follow the books of Nagaland Board.

In this connection, Prof DV Sharma apprised the members that he has already taken up this matter with the Ministry of HRD, Department of Secondary and Higher Education, New Delhi, at appropriate level.

It being an issue of inter State relationship, it would be better to leave it to the Government of India for intervention at appropriate item.

Boards/Councils may follow the directives of their respective Governments, in this connection." The resolutions adopted after the deliberations include apprising the issue raised in the meeting to the Education Secretary of the Government of India for his urgent intervention in this regard.

Following the demand raised by ANSAM and backed by NSF to affiliate the schools in the hill districts of Ukhrul, Senapati, Chandel and Tamenglong to the Nagaland Board of Secondary Education, a large number of text books prescribed by the Board of Secondary Education, Manipur were consigned to the flames.

A well placed source disclosed to The Sangai Express that the SPF Government may take some tough decisions with regard to the text book issue before the matter is discussed at New Delhi on August 9 by the Union HRD Ministry.