The crumbling Manipur University: Is there an agenda?
- Imphal Times Editorial :: June 07 2018 -

Fortunately, there are some products of the Manipur University who continue to remain there as either Assistant Professors or contract faculties.

But, to be précised among the faculty members most are scholars who completed their higher education from universities outside the state or abroad.

Saying so, much improvement to the society has come after the establishment of Manipur University in 1980.

Be it in politics, economics, societal status or Human Rights issues, Students or faculty members from the University were the one who brought up the issues in the right directions.

It is their hard works that suggestions on how development could be brought up could be delivered not only to the government but to the common people of the state.

University, where students learnt their higher studies could be another temple of the society similar to the State Assemblies or the Parliament which has been considered as the temple of democracy in a country like India.

ProfDrew Gilpin Faust of the Royal Irish Academy, Trinity College, Dublin in his magnificent speech on the role of University had stated that Higher education generates broader economic growth as well as individual success.

Having understood its importance the numbers attending universities in India doubled in the 1990s, and demand continues to surge.

India’s Human Resource Development Minister has stated that India needs 800 new institutions of higher education by 2020 in order to raise the age participation rate—the percentage of college-age population enrolled in institutions of higher education—from 12.4% to 30%.

In our state too Manipur University, which has been paying a significant role in the running of the University has been upgraded as a central University and, the government having felt the need to establish more Universities now passed Bill for setting up of two more Universities.

Indira Gandhi National Tribal University is already functioning and Dhanamanjuri University is also likely to start functioning soon.

At a time when the government of the people, by the people and for the people have started taking up good initiative giving priority to the improvement of the higher education, it is most unfortunate that the Manipur University is now in crisis, crippling the academic atmosphere and putting at stake the careers of the students.

What is more unfortunate is the silence of the state government as well the Governor of the state over the recent development.

Manipur government may not have its complete jurisdiction over the matter of University which is now a central University but the Governor of the state id the Chief reactor of the University.

Any uncontrolled situation in the university which involved the Vice Chancellor should be intervened timely.

And the state government too should not remain a silent spectator to the issue which is going on in the University, for it is the state government that will finally get bad name for everything that is happening to sabotage the image of the University.

Now, Imphal Times had exposed the genesis of the uproar in the University in our yesterday issue and it is not that people inside the University who are stakeholders did not know what has been happening but were not courageous enough to voice against it.

In Manipur University , students are not allowed to take extra sheets for writing examination.

They are provided limited set of answer sheets containing only 22 pages.

No reaction so far has come to the report of the Imphal Times either from the Vice Chancellor Office or from the University faculty’s side as everything reported is true.

If Imphal Times report stands true than its time that the state government interfere either by sending report to the concern authority for removal of the Vice Chancellor, or if in case the report is felt as unfounded made up one Imphal Times welcomes all sort of legal action as the team is ready to face it for the cause of the University.

Now, considering the fact that is going on is being sideline by the state government, there is a reason for believing is the authority (government) has some agenda on the University?

A matter much needed to ponder by each and every citizens of not only Manipur but by all Indian citizens.