MSF demands action against rogue private schools
Source: Chronicle News Service
Imphal, July 31 2021:
Expressing concern over admission process being initiated by some private schools even after the government issued an order against such practices before declaration of results of the Board examination, Manipuri Students' Federation (MSF) has appealed to government to take necessary action so as to punish schools found defying the government order.
According to an MSF statement issued by its publicity secretary Melem Biju, director (Education-S) L Nandakumar issued an order on July 26 prohibiting admission process before declaration of examinations conducted by BSEM or relevant boards and directed schools which had already initiated admission process to stop immediately.
As COVID-19 pandemic severely hit the state including the education sector, class X examination popularly known as matric examination to be conducted by Board of Secondary Education Manipur (BSEM) for the year 2021 was cancelled and the board announced to grant promotion to all the students registered for appearing in the exam.
But taking advantage of the announcement, some prominent private schools of the state initiated process for admission into class XI and even conducted written selection test while there were reports of some private schools completing the admission processes.
Students who are to get admission in these private schools are in fact those belonging to economically sound families while students from the economically weak families, who are struggling for two square meals a day, are facing uncertainty of even continuing their education owing to the pandemic situation it observed.
Saddened by prevailing education scenario more particularly over lack of concrete decision of the government, MSF said that befitting lesson need to be taught to those acting at will as if there is no one to stop them.
It would be right to stop self-styled activities of some private schools immediately as such activity is indeed is dishonour of the government by some private schools.
MSF then urged government to take necessary steps to punish private schools which violated the government order even to the extent of cancelling recognition so that such activities are not repeated in future.
The MSF statement further said that self-styled activities of some private schools had been continuing since the past many years and this has been one main reason for degeneration of government schools.
Meritorious students and their parents do not want to pursue education in government schools due to wrong policy of the government and hence a policy which could attract good students and their parents to study in government schools need to be brought out in the line with national education policy, it stressed.