By: Seram Neken
Each and every initiative of the state government in Manipur should be preceded by considerations of topographical and ethnic balancing. Manipur is a composite nation that can not be treated at par with other societies. Interests of all varied inhabitants must be respected for ensuring distributive justice to the different sections of people. The issue of TET (Teachers Eligibility Test) needs to be examined objectively at the present juncture. Whether the conduct of such an screening test at the state headquarters amounts to injustice towards the candidates in the nook and corner of Manipur ? Is there any rationale in resorting to blockade of people’s lifeline for demanding decentralization of the examination ?
Government’s mistake started right from the time of issuance of application forms. It would have done justice to the citizens by availing of the forms in the nook and corner right from the beginning. Form issue and form submission needed decentralization in all district headquarters, taking into account the topographical inconveniences. Only after hue and cry from the hills, the government came down on the knee by extending the form issue and submission facilities to district headquarters. Now, comes the demand for decentralization of the TET examinations in district headquarters. Even economic blockade has been announced in this connection. It is highly imperative to provide opportunities for availing of forms and their submission in the possible nook and corner of the state. However, it is not of the essence that the screening examination should be compulsorily decentralized.
Every examination does not necessarily require decentralization. Being a candidate, competitors are also meant to bear certain inconveniences for being in a haphazard topography. Competitive examinations are centralized in selected premises where there is conducive environment. Thousands of students proceed to the capital city of Delhi for appearing UPSC conducted examinations. In the state also, MPSC conducts examinations in Imphal only. Even though there are decentralization of colleges and institutions for teacher training, the Manipur University centralizes the final examination at its campus to ensure fairness.
Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) is a screening test of teacher aspirants for bringing out quality teachers. It is just like the Bachelor of Education (B Ed) examination conducted by the University. Quality teachers are highly necessary for bringing about quality students. Excellence of private school students over the government institutions has been mainly due to presence of quality teachers in the former. In spite of low payments, service insecurity and work overload, private school teachers always yearn to produce outstanding pupils to illuminate their institutions. Majority of government school teachers recruited amid corruption and bribery are quite unfit to nurture good students.
TET is a mechanism to explore quality teacher aspirants and create a guild of potential teachers. Even if there is involvement of corruption in teacher appointment, TET will limit the opportunity to a few qualified aspirants. It’s a considerate move on the part of the state education department. Even though we can not eradicate grafting in appointments wholly, we have mechanisms to minimize this evil. TET will help prove it in education sector, if conducted in complete fairness. All sections of people in Manipur need to encourage this endeavor by tolerating inherent inconveniences due to topographical features. Every programme has its merits and demerits, as it always has drawbacks and benefits too. All those who love quality education needs to dwell on the benefits by supporting the government. It’s the ardent duty of the citizens to support the state in good efforts for its future.
Manipur is not a large state. The problem facing the candidates to proceed to the capital for appearing the examination can be minimized by the government by arranging accommodation and hospitality of the candidates from very remote areas.
Even transportation expenses may be reimbursed to them. Manipur has been a land of strikes of all sorts for the last few decades. Fast-unto-death in the valley and Economic Blockade in the hills seem to be extreme options for the agitating people of the state. Whatever be the ends, the strikers need to rethink the mechanism to be adhered to before resorting to extreme steps.
Being a notorious jargon to each and every inhabitant of the state, economic blockade is an extreme step on the part of agitators. It has affected all and sundry with utmost pain and suffering. The government who has been well aware of the ill-effects of the highway blockade must ponder over every earlier possibility of amicable settlement with our hill brethren. Straight exception of the government to the demands of the hill people seems too insensitive to cordiality. Moreover, the strikers’ resort to economic blockade for such matter amounts to problematizing the issue. Resorting to such a stir for a small demand will affect the normal life of more than two million people of Manipur. For gaining certain good, we have made certain sacrifices. Everything at hand under any circumstance is not possible. Making an issue out of a non-issue is unfortunate.