Did Union Human
Resources Development Minister Mr. Arjun
Singh say something to the delegates of Naga
Students' Federation and something very
different to Chief Minister O Ibobi on the
same issue, is the question that is worth
raising now.
The Telegraph, which is arguably, one of the
most respected newspapers in Manipur, in its
July 23 edition, carried a lead story which
said that Mr. Arjun Singh had assured the
NSF team that the Centre will allow the
private schools in the four hill districts
of Manipur to be affiliated to the Nagaland
Board of School Education. The news story
created ripples across the State, for the
news had become hot topic even before the
edition of The Telegraph had reached Imphal.
When The Sangai Express first contacted the
State Education Minister, Mr. L Nandakumar
on the news story, the Minister said that he
had not yet received any intimation from the
Centre on the issue, though he made his
stand clear in stating that the HRD Minister
should not interfere in the issue. Chief
Minister O Ibobi too stuck the same line on
first being contacted affirming that he had
not received any intimation on the issue
from the Centre.
However, there seems to have been some
development, as the Chief Minister's office
rang up the newspapers houses late in the
evening of July 23 to convey the message
that the CM had already talked with Mr.
Arjun Singh. The Chief Minister was
categorical in stating that the HRD Minister
had made it clear that he gave no such
assurance to the NSF team though he did
admit meeting them. So the question now is
who is telling the truth, The Telegraph or
Mr. Arjun Singh?
As professionals engaged in the calling
called journalism, we firmly believe that no
newspaper worth its credibility would
deliberately twist a story to sensationalize
it. The Telegraph which has a large
circulation in Manipur and a number of avid
readers, has reached this stage in the State
through its unbiased reporting all these
years and it is a little difficult to even
remotely suspect that it may have misquoted
the HRD Minister. Something more needs to be
done than just the verbal assurance given to
Mr. Ibobi by Arjun Singh.
This is not the first time that conflicting
reports over the text book issue have hit
the State. Readers will well remember the
contradictory reports given by the Secretary
of the Board of Secondary Education, Manipur
and the Chairman of the Nagaland Board of
School Education soon after the North East
zonal meet of the Council of Board of School
Education at Guwahati some days back.
Contrary to
what the BSEM Secretary had earlier told the
press in Manipur the NBSE Chairman refuted
the report stating that no resolution was
adopted over the text book issue. The BSEM
Secretary however stuck to his guns with the
Secretary of the Council of Higher Secondary
Education, Manipur corroborating his stand.
It is unfortunate that text books, which are
purely about education, have been
politicized to such an extent. It will not
take a genius to say who will be the loser
in the long run. |
