It is not good enough that one has the intent for reforms. It has to be backed with practical issues and solutions. We have earlier expressed our reservations on the intention of the government to accommodate each and every student who is seeking admission in the premier higher secondary schools of Imphal. The three schools TG Higher Secondary School, CC Higher Secondary School and Johnstone Higher Secondary School are now overflowing with students, but the academic session could not be started according to the schedule as the required infrastructure was not yet in place. To accommodate more students you need more classrooms including furniture, more teachers with adequate qualification and of course more teaching aids and equipment. And it takes time and money. It would have been more practical if the students seeking admission in the premier schools were accommodated in other schools by infusing more strength and quality. In a school, the leader is very important. A school would naturally begin to perform is either the Headmaster or Principal is good. He or she is the one who is going to instill discipline and extract the best out of the teachers. It was not simply because of the fact that the said premier schools were centrally located or had good infrastructure. These schools have had very capable leaders in the recent past and it is because of the foundation laid down by these esteemed leaders that these schools are achieving. The Education Minister needs to take this account which framing policies on educational administration. We were indeed impressed by the introduction of Manipur Education Service which will certainly clear the school education directorate of teacher deputationists. As a matter of policy, the intake of the said cadre would be 50 percent from direct recruitment and another 50 percent from the in-service teachers who has to go through a limited competitive examination to be conducted by the Manipur Public Service Commission (MPSC). The second step was the publication of a tentative seniority list for the teachers. Thirdly, appointment of regular headmasters and principals for the schools at every level as a sense of regularity and permanence is essential for qualitative improvement in the schools. Education is of utmost importance to us. We are indeed glad that the Education Minister has called for suggestions from the general public by opening websites and email accounts of the minister which is a way of opening up. The general public and the civil society groups more particularly the students’ organizations should take maximum advantage of the opening that the minister has offered. Yet, we must say there has to be a processing unit for all the suggestions that are supposed to pour in from different sections of the society. By processing unit, we mean an education commission or a high powered committee equipped with adequate terms of reference and powers, which will revisit the education system in the state if at all it could be called a system, while also processing the inputs or suggestions received from the public. Education, more particularly that of school education, is something which need special understanding and a multi-disciplinary approach. There is no dearth of educationists and committed intellectuals in the state. All it requires is a forum for facilitating their collective wisdom to benefit the students of the state. It requires brainstorming sessions between experts from multi-faceted fields of study and praxis. Last but not the least, an effective transfer and posting policy for the teachers setting certain criteria or parameters has to be in place for effective administration of the school education system. Such a policy would come in handing in warding off political pressure from different quarters.
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