Manipur Public School on verge of extinction
Source: Chronicle News Service

Imphal, August 18 2022: Once considered a premier educational institute of the state, Manipur Public School is now on the verge of extinction due to acute financial distress resulting in pending of salary payment to teaching and non-teaching staff as well as failure in taking up infrastructural development of the school.

According to an alumnus, the school was established by Manipur Public School Society in 1978-79 .

It was considered one of the top schools of the state and had produced several quality students.

It is rather emotional to see the situation the school is facing today, the former student said while adding that failure in performing their functions by the executive committee, finance committee, academic committee and school management committee may be the reason for the downfall.

As the school was established by a decision of the state government, the government provides plot, fund for establishment, non-recurring grants and annual grant-in-aid, which help in running the school.

Teach ing and non-teaching staff of the school enjoy official quarters and pay revision benefits similar to government school teachers and at the same time they are also utilised in election duties.

The school is run through the annual grant-in-aid and fees collected from the students.

As the government has not increased the annual grant-in-aid amount from the existing Rs 2 crore for the past many years, the school is facing financial deficit every year.

Failure in fees collection from students during the Covid-19 pandemic for two academic sessions increases the financial burden and now the school is in need of immediate attention from the government for survival, the alumnus added.

According to a staff member of the school, the government released Rs 2 crore for 2022 23 and all the fund have been utilised in pay ment of pending salaries for the staff up to March 2022.Considering the situation,' the school will need a special policy of the government for its survival.

The school will need at least Rs 4.66 crore for the financial year 2022-23, which include Rs 3.40 crore for payment of salary up to March 2023 for 72 staffers and Rs 1.26 crore for payment of pending gratuity for 12 retired staffers, he said.

Another staffer mulls conversion of the school as a full-fledged government school or privatisation while absorbing the dedicated staffers into the education department as a way out of the present predicament.

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