IMPHAL, May 13: Loop-holes and flaws in the State’s education system cannot be completely corrected immediately but one can certainly expect positive changes, asserted Education Minister Th Radheshyam who once served the State Police Department as an IPS officer.
Talking with The Sangai Express at his office (RMSA) yesterday, Radhe-shyam stated that it would be quite difficult to correct the flaws which have been plaguing the State’s education system for the past 20/30 years immediately.
Nonetheless, the Government would work relentlessly to rectify the flaws and loopholes one by one. Incidentally, Radheshyam is the eldest of five siblings born to his parents and his father used to serve as a school teacher.
On being enquired if he has any specific agenda regarding the general comment that the State’s education system is rotten and hopeless, Radheshyam admitted that the problems besieging the State’s education system are varied and many. With around 35,000 employees, Education Department has the second highest number of employees after Home Department.
With the exception of those which were set up during the British colonial period and when Manipur was under monarchy, all educational institutions of the State including those located at the State capital do not have adequate infrastructure.
Some influential people were using Education Department as a convenient place for giving jobs to their near and dear ones. Many unqualified people have been working in the department.
There is a culture of adhocism and contract system. Almost 50 per cent of the cases pending at the High Court of Manipur may be related with Education Department.
Earlier, majority of the employees appointed to Education Department belonged to Imphal valley and many of them were reluctant and even refused to go to hill districts and far off rural areas.
A conference would be held with ZEOs and Headmasters/Principals of Government schools so as to bring positive changes in the State’s school education system. Apart from collecting histories of each school, suggestions of Headmasters/Principals would be elicited. A similar exercise would be carried out for higher education too, informed the Education Minister.
The Government would look into the problems of teachers and maximum efforts would be invested to provide necessary infrastructure. The Government would also work to facilitate disposal of all the pending cases.
Fresh appointment of teachers would now entail an undertaking under which the teachers must serve in hill areas at least for some years.
Pledging that the existing problem of proxy teacher would be resolved, Radheshyam said that around 1000 employees currently posted at the Education Directorate and similar places while they are posted elsewhere would be removed after leaving only the minimum required number of staff.
On being enquired about interference by Ministers and MLAs in transfer and posting of the department’s employees, Radheshyam informed that he has taken up the matter with the Chief Minister and his ministerial colleagues. Acknowledging the growing importance of information technology, the Education Minister confided that pension process cannot be initiated even after more than seven months of retirement of many employees because their termination orders have not been issued.
Nonetheless, concerned officials have been instructed to ensure distribution students’ scholarships in time.
For regulation of private schools, the Law Department needs cooperation of parents, he stated while seeking cooperation of all parents. To a query regarding sudden switching of profession from being a police officer to a politician, Radheshyam stated that as a police officer he was serving the State’s executive organ while as a Minister he is now a part of the decision making body.
Source: The Sangai Express
