Every year, Catholic run Mission school, particularly the Nirmalabas HS, Little Flower School, Catholic School and the St. Joseph High School (now upgraded to Higher Secondary School) face tremendous crisis during the time of Admission. However, the Missionaries who run those schools always ensure normal flow of the academic atmosphere without making any mistake and ensuring safety of the students.
At a time when the state government had publicized to improve the condition of the government school, which have teachers with triple the salary then that of these private schools, witnessed over 1000s of people line up in front of the four schools for getting admission of their sibling. The picture caught on the day was terrible, traffic movement was put to complete halt at Gandhi Avenue road here in the middle of the city called Imphal. Unofficial source said that almost all those standing in queue for getting admission to the school are all either government employees or the high class family.
The unofficial source further said that many desperate parents who failed to get admission to these schools search for people who could admit their children by even spending lakhs of rupees. Imphal Times source said that some even paid over Rs. 1 lakh to 2 lakhs to people who have good connection with the school authority.
The problem happening at the Catholic schools here in Imphal is an open secret and as a result an UG had taken advantage as it appears to be an easy revenue for them.
Now intake of students in lower class has already been over and school academic curriculum now already entered quarter of the year. The students studying in class X have to complete their syllabus before December and for that each school authorities should be busy on how to make their school produce the top students.
But the culture of begging quotas in these four schools is going to distract the students, if the present problems between an UG group and also the school authority have not been settled. These is being speculated as another UG group, which claimed to go hand in hand with the earlier UG, that even blasted bomb at Catholic School Canchipur had threatened to obstruct the academic curriculum.
Now, if these UGs started interfering, one wanders the fate of our children studying there.
These mission schools are the de-facto of the Manipur society as their products are excellent. Even though their mission is to encourage Christianism, no students were compelled to opt Christians as their religion. They only give good education to the people irrespective of which religion they belong too. Almost all the young bureaucrats, scientists, academician are the product of these schools.
The recent disturbances seem to be rather an attempt to derail the good service of these mission schools.
When ponder on why so much harassment are given to these schools, it is the government who had time and again promised to improve the condition of the government schools.
Everyone knows, even the teachers of the government schools knows the present awful condition of government primary schools n the state. So it should be the government which is responsible in creating trouble in these premier mission schools.
Any unwanted incidents arises which hurt the sentiment of the parents should be the responsibility of the government.
At this point this paper would like to remind the assurance of the Chief Minister N. Biren Singh which promised to formulate a mechanism to ensure sons and daughter of all government employees goes to government school. It is a breach to the fundamental rights of the parents serving as government employee but certain mechanism can be made to make sure that these government employees looking for the welfare of the government schools sent their children to the govt. schools. Or else government should learnt how the Delhi Government are running the govt. schools in New Delhi
Hope the UGs in conflict with the Catholic schools should resolve their issues at any cost, perhaps with the help of the state government.
