SMDC flays Cabinet decision
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, October 11, 2013: The All Manipur School Management Development Committees Association has registered its objection to the Cabinet decision for the formation of Monitoring and Supervision Committees (MSC) above the SMDCs in every district.

A statement issued by the joint secretary of AMSMADCA, Md Islauddin said the decision was clearly an infringement on the norms of SSA/RTE Act which was aimed at meeting their petty political ends.

As per the reports in the local dailies, MLAs of all the 60 ACs of the State will be the Chairmen of such MSC and the ZEOs concerned are to be the Member Secretaries.

The statement said that the Education Minister had misled the Chief Minister and all the Ministers by saying that SMDCs are not properly functioning.

The truth is, so far SMDCs have not been entrusted any work under SSA right from the inception of SSA/RTE Act except some incomplete works started by the then Village Education Committees/Ward Education Committees.

Blaming SMDCs every time by the Education Minister is nothing but a direct and intentional ploy to ridicule their presence in order to merit only his vested interest, it said.

Instead of encouraging SMDCs to execute properly, all the tasks and works entrusted to SMDCs under different interventions of SSA, the Education Minister always sidelined the important role of the SMDCs which is constitutionally mandatory.

Such above decision will only invite litigations and unwanted tussles in future course of SSA functioning and will surely hamper in its proper functioning, it said.

Needless to reiterate that SSA is to be implemented under an Act and without any political interference by emphasizing the philosophy of the ownership of schools by the community (communitisation) through constitutional safeguards and mandatory bindings, it added.

The Education Minister should also clarify to the public the reason for slow progress of the already approved KGVBs and Residential Schools in terms of declaring their DPC results for the recruitment of their staff as well as the construction works even though the required total funds amounting more than 26 crores were deposited to the Engineering Wing of Education by violating SSA noms, it demanded.

Because of the unwanted political infringement upon the SSA functioning and violation of its norms, a total fund of more than Rs 283 crore approved under SSA for the State have not been utilised since early 2012 which subsequently prevented further fund flow/ approval from the Centre for the year 2013, which is a great loss for the people, students and the State at large.

It is a clear fact that Education Minister himself is the one who has been continuously and incessantly disturbing the beautiful Children's Educational Programme of Universalisation of Free and Compulsory Education under the SSA/RTE Act in the State, the statement charged.

If the demand is not withdrawn, the Assn is ready to initiate a litigation for Contempt of Court referring to the earlier High Court order as well as to file a new Writ Petition against this formation of MSC in order to defend the SSA norms from the much unwanted selfish motive of political interference in its smooth functioning, it warned.

Comment