IMPHAL, June 20: Following the release of a notification from the Principal Secretary (Education) on April 17 last regarding the recruitment for 80 teachers under the Sarva Siksha Abhiyan, the process for recruitment had followed. However there is a growing apprehension that four from the handicapped quota had been wrongly recruited.
The statement was made by opposition MLA, Dr I Ibohalbi Singh during the discussion on Demand No 10 on Education moving the Motion for Disapproval of Policy Cut.
The MLA had said that the qualification requirement for the said posts includes that the candidate should be 10+2 pass – recognized by the Rehabilitation Council of India and questioned how the four candidates were wrongly appointed.
On the other hand, even though the state Education Minister M Okendro and the state Chief Minister who is also the leader of the House continued to provide clarification, they did not provide any clear clarification on the question put by the opposition leader.
The MLA continued that the SSA and RMSA are like stop-gap arrangements and further asked if the state has a policy to bring quality education in the state.
He continued that the education department has become an un-regulated department, and the UGC guidelines seem to be only for the infra-structural development.
He further observed that as the country has a National Accredited Assessment Council, the state should have its own Manipur Accredited Assessment Council.
He continued that until now the revised pay of the VIth Pay has net been introduced for sections of the teachers, whereas the VIIth Pay will be introduced in the near future.
The MLA said that now the department is known as Human Resource Development though it was known as Education Department earlier; and further added that in developed countries like Japan, it is even known as Human Capital Formation.
The notion of traditional education which was prevalent in Manipur before 1949 when it was still a nation-state is now totally gone, he said before asking how it had gone extinct along the way.
He said that now with the opening of coaching centres in every part of the state, it looks like Education is a privatised sector and further urged the government try hard to bring a visible change in Education.