Bifurcate BOSEM : Pvt hill schools SHIPS rallies on language issue
Source: The Sangai Express

Kangpokpi, November 04 2015: A democratic and peaceful rally of various private schools student within Sadar Hills was organized here today to press forward the demand for revocation of State Cabinet's resolution on the language issue.

The rally was organised by Sadar Hills Private Schools' Association (SHIPS) as per a resolution taken by the Hill District's Recognized Private Schools Association (HIDIPSAM) to lodge their discontentment over the alleged insensitivity of BOSEM towards the grievances of the hill districts recognized private schools and to draw the attention of the Chief Minister to immediately address the various grievances of recognized private schools in the hill districts of the State.

Around 3000 students from different private schools within Sadar Hills congregated this morning at around 10.30 at Brig Thomas Ground, Kangpokpi to take out the rally.

The rally began at around 11 am from Brig Thomas Ground and proceeded towards the ZEO office via Autonomous District Council, Sadar Hills and advanced to ADC complex and a memorandum was submitted to the SDC (HQs) to be forwarded to Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh.

The rally then turned back towards Brig Thomas Ground.

The rallyists held placards which read, "BOSEM change your system", "Don't trample our rights", "Retain Additional Language", "Don't impose language", "Give us free choice of subjects", "We don't want Meitei Mayek", "Make education a free zone", "Appoint regular Chairman of BOSEM", "Separate Board for the hills", "Respect tribal rights", "Resign Education Minister", etc.

SHIPS General Secretary, NG Haokip said that scrapping Additional English from the syllabus is a wrong policy of the State Government since it will amount to imposing two or more languages on a student and added, "When it is very difficult to learn two languages, learning many languages will be a big mistake and prove to be a big burden on the students" .

Even when the Government cannot provide language teachers to Government schools, how can private schools manage or employ language teachers in all language subjects ? asked NG Haokip and added that there are more than 32 tribes in Manipur and only a few of them have text books.

He said that until the State Government creates a separate Hill Board exclusively for the hill districts or bifurcate BOSEM into Hill and Valley section, the hill students will suffer on various issues.

Meanwhile, the SHIPS memorandum said that hill districts schools have continuously highlighted the issue of Additional English and demanded that it remains like CBSE and other State Boards.

Scrapping it will inconvenience the hill students as they have to take their mother tongue or Manipuri.

It is impossible for a private school or even a Government school to appoint language/mother tongue (MIL) teachers for all subjects and also for other States' languages since more than 13 different communities from all over the State coupled with students from neighbouring States like Meghalaya, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, etc come to study at the private schools in the hill districts, it added.

It further said that making Meitei Mayek compulsory in the Board's syllabus is viewed as an agenda to propagate the language of a particular community in the name of education, which the Hill District Recognized Private Schools Association will never allow.

While Meitei Mayek is open to all students, students of recognized tribal languages are restricted from taking language subjects of their choice, further said the SHIPS memorandum and added that students of recognized tribal languages should be given the freedom to choose from any of the recognized languages including Additional English.

It also alleged that BOSEM permits transfer of students from hill to the valley schools while transfers of students from valley schools to hills schools are restricted.

Apart from other various miseries, the hill districts recognized schools also continuously face numerous hardships in transacting official works at BOSEM office even for a minor issue.

Principals or heads of the schools have to spend in terms of thousands of rupees for travelling depending on the distance in a volatile situation in the State, it further alleged.

"Therefore, we demand creation of a separate Hill Board exclusively for the hill districts or immediate bifurcation of BOSEM into Hill and valley sections and immediate appointment of more tribals to make the institution proportionately represented and issues handled more efficiently", it added.

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