The Manipur Students’ Federation (MSF) has questioned the State Government over the continued delay in operationalising 19 government higher secondary schools that were upgraded from high schools in 2021, despite the passage of five years.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, the federation said several of the upgraded institutions are yet to begin functioning as higher secondary schools and questioned the purpose of upgrading schools only on paper without providing the necessary infrastructure, staff and administrative arrangements.
MSF alleged that many of the institutions do not have regular Principals and are instead being managed by Headmasters or Headmistresses from the primary and high school levels. While clarifying that it was not questioning the competence of the incumbents, the federation maintained that every higher secondary school should be headed by a duly appointed Principal in accordance with government norms.
The student body also expressed concern over the reported appointment of a teacher from Sriram Higher Secondary School as Controller of Examinations of the Council of Higher Secondary Education, Manipur (COHSEM), while the teacher was allegedly allowed to continue performing the responsibilities of a Principal. MSF termed the arrangement inappropriate and urged the authorities to review the decision.
Demanding immediate intervention, the federation called on the government to create and fill lecturer posts in the upgraded higher secondary schools instead of relying on graduate teachers or teachers from lower levels to run higher secondary classes.
MSF further referred to an order issued by the Commissioner of Education (Schools) on February 16, 2026, regarding the allocation of subject-wise teachers, and questioned why the upgraded schools remain non-functional despite the issuance of the directive. It remarked that if no meaningful changes accompany the upgradation, merely changing the name of a high school to a higher secondary school serves little purpose.
Stating that the issue directly affects the academic future of students and the development of the state’s human resources, the federation urged the government to immediately appoint Principals, deploy qualified lecturers and make the 19 upgraded higher secondary schools fully functional without further delay.