The directives of the Union Ministry for Human Resource to implement provisions provided under the Right to Education Act, 2009 to all the territories of the country by March 2013 is perhaps an astounding as well as theatrical statement. The decision which was taken up after due considerations and deliberations with the higher officials in the education sector seemed to have a complete lack of understanding of the ground realities and present existing conditions of Government run elementary school located particularly in the state of Manipur. The paperworks and simultaneous introduction of Sharva Shiksya Abhiyan (SSA) and later Rastriya Madhyamic Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA) is perhaps a sincere approach of the government to improve the state of affairs of primary and elementary education system in the country. The progress reports of the two programme might have provoked those policy makers of education reforms to consider it the right time for implementation of the Right To Education Act. But has any of the policy makers at the top ever got down to the grassroots level to find out the reality of how successfully these two scheme – the SSA and RMSA being implemented?
Manipur joins the world in the campaign for Global Action Week for Education taken up under the initiative of United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goal. As a part of the campaign initiated by a body call CALL- Manipur various discussion on what went wrong to the education system in the state has been going on. The campaign indeed is beyond the Right to Education Act. But the state of Manipur is still is not getting any fruitful measures besides having the RTE.
The Act definitely is a boon for all the countrymen however, simply an announcement to garner applause from the general public without understanding the ground reality to the conditions of some of the schools (Govt.) particularly in the state of Manipur would surely be considered a political gamble and an empty ploy to garner more votes during election time.
During the course of discussion it is found out that something, somewhere the system has failed.
Neither the community nor the government seem to be taken interest for promotion of the government school in the last one or two decades.
Interestingly, a new government has replaced the former one and the Education Minister of this government is showing serious concerns over the deteriorating condition of the government school.
As per expert, the education system itself is a failed system, as there are no pre primary schools for students. Syllabus, recruitment of teachers, and utilisation are carrying out not for the students but for their own benefit. Above all there is no mechanism to monitor on how the government schools are functioning.
CALL-Manipur’s initiative to make success the Global campaign on education is the need of the hour and the new government need to encourage such a campaign for a better future.
