Seven teachers, no students : Reducing education to a farce
- The Sangai Express Editorial :: August 29, 2012 -
Seven teachers in a school with no students ! This is not fiction but a reality which came to light during a drive conducted by the Manipuri Students' Federation a few days back.
A case of getting free lunches at the expense of the tax payers' money, and no, one cannot blame the teachers for the mess that has been unearthed.
At the other end of the spectrum there are cases where schools have been left in the lurch due to want of teachers and clearly the farce that passes off as education in the State is complete.
The much vaunted and hyped rationalisation of transfer and posting of teachers has refused to move out of the realm of lip service. The mess that the education system has spawned has also had its ripple effect, other than directly impacting on the students.
This was writ large on the visage of the large number of students who had to return home, following the perceived threats on their personal safety in cities like Bangalore, during the great exodus of the North East people.
With the Government seemingly caught in a blind alley when it comes to augmenting the system that passes off as education here, the only option that is left to a large number of parents and guardians is to either send their children to the private institutions/schools here in Manipur or to institutions outside the State.
This, of course, is an option available only to parents who can afford it. The economic divide cannot get more cruel and unfortunate than this.
The moot question is who cares ?
An annual affair it is, to bemoan the pathetic showing of the Government schools every time the result of the Class X examination is announced. Yet nothing seems to move.
Education Minister M Okendra seems to have his heart in the right place, but as noted in this column earlier, it will take more than having the heart in the right place to stem the rot.
Perhaps the services or suggestions of ‘professional educationists’ guided by the universal principle that tapping human resources is the key towards development and progress, may just be what the doctor ordered.
The idea of going public in inviting suggestions and opinion, which the Education Minister has done, is a step in the right direction and it would be interesting to see the suggestions that may have reached the address given earlier.
A sound education system, well prepared to equip the youngsters to compete with the best in the world is what Manipur needs today.
For starters, rationalise the posting and transfer of teachers. Model schools, which were launched amid much hype some years back can only serve the interest of a limited number of students.
The need is to go in for a more broad based approach. It is here that the suggestions and advice of ‘professional educationists’ will come in handy.
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