SSA textbook fiasco rears its head again
Implementation of RTE a big joke in state
Source: Hueiyen News Service

Imphal, March 31 2012: In a clear case of depriving the fundamental rights of the students guaranteed under the Rights of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act(Right to Education Act-RTE), the state government and its education department have yet again failed to ensure the text books which are supposed to be given free of cost to students of class 1 to VIII under under Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) scheme even though it is already into two months of commencement of the academic sessions for 2012-13 .

The students of class I to VIII are supposed to get the prescribed text books published under SSA before the commencement of each academic session.

But for the last many years, the state government and its education department have been falling short of its commitment towards ensuring free and compulsory education to students of class I to VII.

The Board of Secondary Education, Manipur (BSEM) has been assigned with the task of printing the prescribed textbooks and it in turned hire various firms both within and outside the state for bringing out the text books in time for commencement of the academic session.

However, inability of ensuring the text books in time to the students has always plagued the education system in Manipur.

This time, even though printing firms based outside the state have completed printing of the text books assigned to them in time and the same submitted to the Board in time, many of the local firms have lagged behind.

According to information received by Hueiyen Lanpao, among the 22 local printing firms hired for the purpose, as many as 12 local firms have not yet completed printing of the text books.

As a result, the Board of Secondary Education, Manipur has not been able to provide the required text books to the students.

So far, among the local firms, Kangla Printers has supplied only 44,590 text books out of the total 67,000 text books assigned for printing, Emoinu Offset Printers, Governor Road has supplied only 4,980 text books as against 63,000 text books assigned for printing; CT offset Printers, Governor Road has supplied only 9678 text books out of 36,000 text books to be supplied; KL Offset Works, Chingmeirong has been able to provide only 5,356 text books out of the total 33,000 text books to be supplied; Dbross Offset Printers has supplied 24160 text books out of the total 25,000 text books to be printed; Saratchandra Offset Printers, Keishamthong has supplied only 4,000 text books out of 7000 text books assigned for printing; Linthoi Offset Printers, Keishampat has supplied only 5,040 copies of the text books out of 13000 copies to be printed and Panthung Computerised Printers has so far supplied 3800 copies out of the total of 8000 copies assigned to the firm for printing.

However, local firms like Mec-duff Offset Printers, Khurai Lamlong Bazaar; Indrani Offset Printers, Thangal Bazaar; Yengkhom Offset Printers, Keishampat Junction and Sun Offset Printers, opposite Khuman Lampak Bus Parking have not supplied even a single copy of the textbooks assigned to them for printing by the Board.

Comment