After Class XII : Outside Manipur :: Abysmal state of higher education
- The Sangai Express Editorial :: March 24 2015 -

The Class X and Class XII examinations conducted by the Board of Secondary Education, Manipur and Council of Higher Secondary Education are over.

On the other hand, the exams conducted by the Central Board of Secondary Education are coming to an end soon.

The results will be out soon and while some students will come out in flying colours, others will not be so fortunate. There will be celebrations and heart burns as well.

Important exams, no doubt, but it would do well for everyone, especially parents to keep in mind that these exams are not the be all and end all of everything.

Like in the previous years, this year too, thousands of students will go outside the State to pursue their higher education and while this may reflect the seriousness with which students and parents go about with the business of education, it also raises a serious question over the state of higher education in Manipur.

In most cases, it is more a case of parents and students constrained to go outside Manipur for want of any educational institutes, worth its name here.

A point which has been raised here more than once but important it is and hence the repetition. To be blunt, there is just no college worth its name here anymore.

This was not the case earlier when DM College was an institution of repute not only in Manipur but the entire North East region.

Why has situation come to such a pass ? A question which should have been raised and deliberated upon much earlier.

Still no indication that things will improve and students can stay here and pursue their higher education at par with their peers in other parts of the country.

A shame it should be for everyone that thousands of students have to go outside every year for their higher education. If not for the private institutions, school education too would have met the same fate.

The onus should lie with everyone. Teachers have conveniently forgotten that their primary duty is to teach and mould the character of students.

Parents have forgotten that they too have a share of the responsibility in the education of their children.

Students too need to realise that being students does not necessarily mean that they should be morale policemen.

For the well off and financially well placed parents, it may not be that much of a problem in sending their children outside Manipur for their further studies.

However not all parents are well off and hence cannot afford to send their children outside the State for education.

What about their children ? Does this mean that children of parents who are not moneyed will have to put up with the hog wash that passes off as education here ?

This is the age of competition where there is no room for mediocrity. This is the age of excellence.

And education is all about excellence. Are the institutions primed to impart the education that will stand the students in good stead in the future ?

It is late, but parents, guardians, the elders of society, teachers and the students themselves should come together and study how things have come to such a pass.

The Government too needs to be told that they need to live up to the universal understanding of education.