Right to education Act turns as flop show in Manipur

Students still attend school without shirts and books 

By Rinku Khumukcham, Imphal

The significance of the Right to education act in the state of Manipur seems to have lost its value as many children of the state have been deprived of proper facilities provided under the various central government schemes. ISTV News crew led by Naoroibam Philips have found out that the central government sponsored scheme SSA survives just for name shake at some of the school in Imphal East and Senapati district. 

The newly undertaking government project Rastriya Madhyamik Shikshya Abhiyan commonly known as the RMSA appeared as just another business for the man in power in the state government as the SSA have not been properly implemented in the state. RMSA is for unversalisation of secondary education and when the primary level of education failed one wonder on how the students could be enrolled in the higher secondary education. Our Sub editor Naoroibam Phillips had found out several schools in Imphal East where students have been deprived of the right to education act. Among such schools, Sinam Primary School of Imphal East bore the worst look. The schools which have a total of nearly 60 students are running by only 2 teachers including the head master. School uniforms, bags and text books distributed under the surva shikshya Abhiyan has never been reached to the students of the school. Mentioned may be made that the SSA project officers of Imphal east had claimed distributions of the said materials through media many times to show the activism of the staffs at which things in reality are completely different. Our ISTV crew even witnesses some of the students attending the school without shirts. When the team enquired about the mid day meal which has to be provided everyday under the SSA has never been made available to the students even as the head mistress claimed to have provide them once in every week.

In another case government schools in hill district have been found to have been run with hired teachers by the government who has been deployed there. At Mapao Christian Junior High school which has around 130 students are being taught by hired teachers by the government teachers. According to information culled from the area the teacher on hired are paid from Rs. 1500 to Rs 2000 by the government teachers which have never attended the school. The hired teachers allegedly signed for the original teachers in attendance registrar. The same condition was also found in UJB School. Besides these, there were no proper school buildings. It may be mentioned that these schools have been included among the selected list for selection of new school building under the Rastriya Madhyamic Shiksgaya Abhiyan. The existences for the implementation of the class room construction were not visible at many of the schools in hill district. Some of them which were found constructed too did not follow the instruction of the RMSA guidelines.