Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, June 02 2010:
Expressing serious concern the protracted delay in providing text books to the students of Government and aided schools under Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) for the academic session may affect their career, Democratic Students' Alliance of Manipur (DESAM) has demanded that the required text books should be made available to the students with one week.
Addressing a press conference in this connection at its headquarters here this afternoon, education secretary of DESAM Pukhrambam Premchandra pointed out that under the scheme of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, which the Ministry of Human Resources has introduced with the main objective of ensuring free and compulsory, text books are to be provided among the students of class I to VIII in Government and aided schools.
However, for the current academic session, the required text books have not been made available to the students even it is already June.
This is very unfortunate, Premchandra said.
He recalled that the State Project Director of SSA had already written an official letter to the Secretary of Board of Secondary Education, Manipur on March 12 last for supplying 3,72,331 text books for students of class I to VIII in English medium, 43,223 text books for Manipuri medium students and 1,080 text books for students of special category (Model Schools) .
However, DESAM has found out that required text books have not yet been made available to the students on account of clash of interest between the two authorities as well as the failure of printing the text books in time by the publishing firms, Premchandra said, adding that the delay would affect the career of the students and DESAM would never accept it.
He demanded that the required text books should be made available to the students within a week's time.
General secretary of DESAM Angamba, who was also present at the press conference, categorically stated that the conflict between the State Mission Authority of SSA and Board of Secondary Education, Manipur should in no way cause any problem among the students.
So, the text books should be made available to the students by any means.
To ensure that no such clash of interest happens in the future, only the committed publishing firms should be allowed to print the books, he added.