CESM clarifies on screening test
Source: Hueiyen News Service

Imphal, January 25 2015: Reacting to the various news reports and allegations by Joint Student Coordination Committee (JSCC) about the imbroglio with Catholic Schools namely, St.

Joseph's School (Sangaiprou), Little Flower School (Sangai-prou), Catholic School (Canchi-pur), Nirmalabas (M.G.Avenue), Catholic Edu-cational Society, Manipur (CESM) has categorically stated that it is a sad situation that this year too, the four mission schools are in the limelight regarding the Admission process.

In a statement, CESM Director clarified that the mission schools in the plain and hills of Manipur are doing their best to impart education to all irrespective of caste, religion and gender.

All Catholic Schools in the country come under the Catholic Education Commission, CBCI (Catholic Bishops Conference of India).

The Government of India, National Commission for Minority Education Institutions, have declared the above schools thus "managed by the Catholic Educational Society, Manipur as minority educational institutions within the meaning of sections 2(g) of the National Commission for Minority Educational Institutions Act 2004.Consequently, the aforesaid schools are minority educational institutions covered under Article 30 of the constitution of India.

The Director said CESM is of the opinion that non-compliance of the Supreme Court verdict for Minority Education Institutions may amount to contempt of court.

Article 21 A Right to Education states� "The State shall provide free and compulsory education to all children of the age of six to fourteen years in such manner as the State may, by law, determine." "State" in Article 21A of the Constitution would not include private unaided educational intuitions or private individuals.

In T.M.A.Pai Foundation (supra), the majority of the Judges have held that private unaided educational institutions impart education and that the State cannot take away the choice in matters of selection of students for admission and clause (5) of Article 15 of the Constitution in so far as it enables the State to take away this choice for admission of students is violative of freedom of private educational institutions under Article 19(1)(g) of the Constitution.

Under Article 30(1) of the Constitution, all minorities, whether based on religion or language, shall have the right to establish and administer educational institutions of their choice.

Religious and linguistic minorities, therefore, have a special constitutional right to establish and administer educational schools of their choice and this Court has repeatedly held that the State has no power to interfere with the administration of minority institutions and can make only regulatory measures and has no power to force admission of students from among non-minority communities, particularly in minority schools, so as to affect the minority character of the institutions.

So, CESM is trying its best to follow the Supreme Court ruling.

We would like to appeal to the general public to read us right and help us work better for quality education, the CESM Director added.

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