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Front Page >> Opinions > Story
 
Whose Books, Boys And Girls Are They Anyway?

By Donn Morgan Kipgen
‘If there must be trouble, let it be in my day, (so) that my child may have peace’
— Thomas Paine.

People, if we all have some sincere thoughts as an atheist like Thomas Paine did, a good half of socio-educational burden would be much the lighter and more the progressive. But it is not to be in this trouble torn State of Manipur where everything is diplomatically politicised and 'ethicized' disregarding their potential disastrous side-effects. Whenever a controversial issue comes up, it's always the 'Them Against us' distasteful case scenario. So much so that even the right-thinking educated citizens have been more often than not deeply influenced in the wrong sense. They all know the damn truth but fallibly choose to remain silent, thereby compromising the future academic interest of their very own children. One important reason for this 'see no evil, here no evil and speak no evil' attitudes of the rich and the powerful is the open fact that they had packed off their own children to outside states, so why worry about the crumbling state educational system! Nobody seems to be interested in revitalizing and reorganizing the pathetic educational system here in Manipur.

It's an undeniable fact that things would not improve by themselves for the next generation, especially the academic establishment, without the patriotic and impartial efforts from all and sundries. The crossed news is that the hitherto unknown Government schools in the northern hill areas of Manipur are going to be given an untimely burial without officially notifying the next of kin. The brighter and warmer news is that all the meager books printed by the Board of Secondary Education Manipur (BSEM) have been used by the Naga Students' Federation (NSF) as mid-day oil-lamps since those socio-academically neglected areas are still in a modern day dark age. These midday oil-lamps visibly brought to light the existence of as many as 163 private schools in four Naga inhabited hill districts of Manipur had already been booked by the Nagaland Board of School Education (NBSE). The ever changing BSEM's syllabi have been red-carded by the NSF in order to bring in the more stable NBSE's syllabus as supersub.

It could have been avoided if only the state government paid due attention to the much justifiable and constitutionally rightful demands for setting up an Additional Directorate of Education in the hill areas over the past 8 years by all tribal students organizations. Instead, successive governments of Manipur closed down and merged government schools in the hill areas, thereby reducing or denying the constitutional rights of poor students. Besides, the majority of government schools in far flung hill areas of Manipur have only 'weekly visiting teachers', worst still, there are no free distributions of text books to poor students as guaranteed by the educational policy for ST/SC/OBC students.

Well, it is no surprise that the more enterprising NSF-NBSE combo took a fuller advantage of these negligence and no-deal political policy of the Manipur State administration. This wake up call by the NSF is timely and jolting reality for all right thinking Manipuris when it comes to the overall hill area development which never took wings. This embarrassing issue is much more than school's syllabus fiasco for the state government; it is a real big deal which is a fiasco for the state government, it is a real big deal which is a federal concurrent list shadow boxing and certainly not an all's well State List problem as foolishly thought by O Ibobi's Administration. The HRD Ministry's assurance is a big big joke if it is really true.

Though an unlawful act, the public burning of BSEM's text books by much aggrieved Naga students bodies was morally understandable since the avalanches of hardship endured by tribal students and parents in government-forsaken hill areas. Frankly speaking, the NSF had a point to prove, and boy, prove they did loud and clear, if you take out the political aspect. The MEELAL activists had successfully proved their point by carrying out the greatest academic felony in the history of Manipur- the unbelievable burning of the State Central Library. All the 'suspects' are now freemen and their demands met with.

A retired US Air Force General, calling at the way from Washington DC had to be informed by 'yours sincerely' that all old newspapers, magazines and other official records which are needed by the US Government, especially the US Marine Corps and USAF, were burnt down along with the State Central Library and sub-archive by civil organization.

In order to save the overall image of Manipur, the answer had to be. 'Oh, it’s just a violent protest gone wrong. I'll write all the declassified information in my weekly Here & There column of The Sangai Express, every Saturday, so please do download the articles from my website and do send the copies to the White House since it was President Franklin Roosevelt who authorized the mission officially”. Such kind of fiery act of madness cost Manipur a precious place in world history. We all really do need to hope that the highly inflammable text books issue aftermath the NBSE's silent audacious inroad into Manipur be peacefully settle out without further ado. Yes, indeed, the NSF had openly committed a serious breach of protocol but they had done what ought to be done though they had carried out right thing in the wrong manner.

Whatever unlawful job it might be, the NSF has done the Good Samaritan job for the state-forsaken tribal students. Necessity is the mother of improvisation and innovation. A good citizen needs to properly analyze the root causes of all controversial issues before resting the final judgment lest wrong impression. The present standoff is definitely not about the well-being or fatherly concern over the future interest of hill-billy school boys but about jurisdiction and politically-motivated strike back. Since when did the state government take full interest in all hill areas educational system? And who cares about budding but poor tribal school kids since Independence Day in 1947? None, except some highly charitable and learned scholars like Oliver Goldsmith's school's head-master a full generation ago.

At present, the numerical existence of government aided schools and their staff members is an open mystery. Most of the government school buildings in all hill areas could be mistaken as unprotected historical monuments, a State's heritage of educational blunders and total negligence. Even the very few better ones have some very few students without necessary books and some very teachers from valley areas made a weekly visit to sign their official autographs so they could withdraw their 'free earn' pay in Imphal. Of course, the hill-billy students would have no idea whatsoever about the old or new BSEM's syllabus, nor would the 'visiting teachers'. Moreover, school text-books in Manipur keep on changing because some learned author lobby hard with money and political influences to have their books to be used as official textbooks. Forget about the syllabus and book-less students, even the Col Devlin's Para-commandos could not catch up with ever changing text-books prescribed by the BSEM. Only a guided artillery's imaginative rounds could land nearest to the real fact. The State's educational system is a murky business. This is exactly where the NSF swift but silently cash-in to take full advantage. And to top it all the NSF, like the KSO (GHQ) has no jurisdiction.

But NBSE does have. Hence, NBSE cannot directly or officially interfere with the works of the NSF across the State line, except as a responsible fatherly negotiator. By all means, the NBSE could help the NSF in conducting matriculate examinations for the 163 private schools in question within the State of Nagaland. The Constitutional Right to education has to be honored and respected either ways. Contrary to the HRD Minister, Arjun Singh, confusing assurance, education is, in fact, a concurrent list's subject. He has taken the CM of Manipur for a real ride. Perhaps the HRD Minister has a sub-titled copy of the video film called 'Mantri Dolansana'. Yes, indeed, making of a school or college syllabus is a State list's subject. Since the ongoing stand-off is a cross-border issue, it is a federal subject under the union list. Or why else would the Central Government take keen interest with Union HRD Minister as the referee/Umpire?

The HRD Minister might have told the CM of Manipur: 'Look I have clean bowled the NBSE and NSF, don't you see? On the other hand, he might have but don't worry, it's off a no-ball!' That's the game centre plays. For the sake of our future generation and educational progress, lets' hope the war of words be settled now quickly and sanity prevails. And let's not add political flavor or color to the innocent blooming flowers of our nation's hopes. When it comes to books and students' controversial issue, there are no winners, but all losers in the end. Please, take notice, dear citizens. There is no use playing a game which is not a child's game. Period.

(Courtesy: The Sangai Express)  

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