Looking for education beyond : Headaches after Class XII
- The Sangai Express Editorial :: May 26 2015 -

It has been the same story year after year. Same old script for the past many decades.

The pathetic part is, there is nothing much to suggest that things will take a turn for the better.

With the Council of Higher Secondary Education, Manipur, the Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations and the Central Board of Secondary Education announcing the results of the Class XII examinations, thousands of students will make a beeline for destinations outside Manipur to pursue their higher education.

Give or take a few days time but this is that time of the year when numerous parents and guardians, not to speak of the students themselves, are put to days of tension and anxiety.

Results declared but for majority of the parents and students this does not take away the tension and anxiety.

Not everyone will get into Medical, Engineering of any of the other professional courses on offer and many will have to go in for the three year degree courses.

Given the state of education at the college level here, thousands of students will have to move outside and this means heavier load on their parents and guardians.

This is a point which has been repeated numerous times in this column, but The Sangai Express will keep on harping on this point, for the issue here is about the future of young students and the seeming indifference of the Government and numerous power players here.

For the rich and well to do parents it may not mean much to send their children outside to study but the same cannot be said for most of the parents.

Education with a price, a heavy financial price.

Moreover this is no guarantee that a well paying job will be waiting at the end of the journey-that is after obtaining one’s degree.

The state of school education here is okay, thanks to the growth of numerous private institutions but so far there is nothing to show that some attempts are being made to make the colleges here compete with others located in other parts of the country.

Career choice or choice of subject or subjects.

This is another question that parents, guardians and elders of the family have to contend with when their wards go outside to pursue higher education.

Moreover what exactly is education ?

Not everyone really understands what education denotes and this could be one reason why so many bright, hard working youngsters fizzle out when the time of reckoning comes.

The Government may not have much to do with this, but it will certainly help if some efforts are made to guide the young students and parents on the numerous career lines that are on offer.

The services of experts may be roped in from time to time to give some meaningful talks to the students, teachers and parents every year.

Unfortunate it is but majority of the parents and elders too have not been able to shake off their fixation with either medical or engineering.

That there are career options other than these two is a fact that has just refused to sink into the consciousness of numerous people.

This is one reason why Manipur has not been able to climb out of the rut it finds itself in.

Let the students study, let the teachers teach, let the parents guide and remind the young students of their primary duties.

Yet at the same time let the Government wake up to the point that they do have a fundamental duty to provide the right ambience to the young students.

A point which all the civil society organisations and student organisations too should take note of.