Education : Central to all Make MU shine
- The Sangai Express Editorial :: August 27 2018 -

As stated many times earlier in this column, there are no winners and the biggest loser will obviously be the 6th Semester students who stand to lose an academic year if they have set eyes on moving to a university outside the State.

And central to this is the primacy of education.

Here it becomes important to study whether the right ambience has been created for the young students to pursue their academic career or rather whether there is an atmosphere that encourages students to seek knowledge.

A look at the reality should tell a story of its own.

As repeated and questioned many times in this column, why do thousands of students move outside the State once they finish their Class XII ?

For those who crack NEET and JEE it is a different matter but not all get into medical and engineering schools.

Yet thousands prefer to migrate outside the State and pursue their higher studies, which does not come cheap.

Why do parents and elders prefer to send their children outside the State to pursue their higher education ?

This is a question which should have figured in the consciousness of everyone, particularly those in the teaching profession and student leaders.

However no one seems to have approached this topic with the genuineness it deserves and the situation is far from conducive for young students to pursue their higher studies here.

This is a serious matter.

For those who are well placed, it may not be much of a burden to send their children outside the State for their higher studies, but not all parents are financially well off but yet feel that they have a duty towards ensuring the best for their children.

It is also right to question where Manipur University stands in comparison with other universities in the country.

Forget about the whole country but where does MU exactly stand in comparison to say Gauhati University, North Eastern Hills University or Tezpur University.

How does it fare when compared to Nagaland University ?

These questions should have bothered the teaching community of Manipur University a long time back, but obvious that not much thought has been given to this point.

What is the quality of research work at MU ?

Has it been able to attract the good minds, if not the best, from any part of the country ?

The answer should be obvious to all and perhaps the first corrective measures should come from the people who are calling the shots at the varsity.

For starters, politicking should stop. All should have the best interest of the university in mind and not let their narrow, selfish agenda become central to all the issues in the varsity.

The coming days will perhaps reflect whether any lessons have been learnt from the 85 days stand off at the varsity.

It is this which all right thinking and conscientious people of the State will be watching keenly.

The politics at MU should not go down to the level of pulling the rug from anyone and punching below the belt.

Enough harm has been done.