A student of Bishnulal High School at Charhajare in Kangpokpi district appeared the Class-10 examination for only English subject and avoided the science examination reportedly owing to shortage of teachers in the school.
The incident came to light when the flying squad of KSO Sadar Hills checked the examination attendance and inquired the school headmaster why the said student had skipped all subjects, except English.
Speaking to the media, KSO Sadar Hills president Hemin Kipgen said, “On learning of the incident I found the student who did not want to disclose his identity and inquired why he skipped the examination after appearing only in English subject”.
Heming Kipgen continued that the boy informed him that there are no teachers available in the school to teach, except English and Hindi subject teachers. As a result, the student decided to skip the rest because even if he appeared he would not even score a pass mark, he added.
On further inquiry, the KSO team led by its president reportedly found that six teachers under Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA) were posted at Bishnulal High School after it was upgraded to High School from Junior High School. However, out of the six teachers, five teachers had already transferred and utilised in other schools without replacement one after another, and only one teacher has been left now.
Apart from the RMSA teachers, three Science Graduate teachers, and two Arts Graduate Teachers were also transferred gradually from school without their replacement rendering the Headmaster to run the school with only one English teacher and two Hindi teachers now.
According to the Headmaster, Kharga Prasad Prasain, who is also the chairman of the School Management and Development Committee of the school, the transfer began in 2018 and now the school is left with only three teachers, that also, without any LDC or Data Entry Operator, and peon which rendered him to do all the data entry as well as peon work.
Altogether, a total of ten teachers including five RMSA teachers have already been transferred from the school including one utilized at TG. Higher Secondary School, Imphal without any replacement.
Bishnulal High School, Charhajare once used to be the most flourishing educational institutions in the area with students from all communities studying in the school, but, now the transfer of almost all the teachers has crumbled the school, said the Headmaster, who is going to retire next year.
Kharga Prasad Prasain continued that the particular student who skipped the examination is none other than my close relative and I have observed his intention before he disclosed it to the KSO.
Now, the said student had left Manipur and went to his mother at Guwahati with an excuse of health issues.
The Headmaster also recalled that when the school is almost in a defunct state owing to the transfer of almost all the teachers, I seek the assistance of Navin Gorkha Youth Club who provide a few educated youths to teach the student without any honorarium.
“I have also written to the Director, Department of Education(S), requesting him to take immediate necessary action last year, and I have sent a reminder this time while informing the matter to the district student bodies for their intervention in the larger interest of the student community”, he added.
Meanwhile, KSO Sadar Hills find the condition of Bishnulal High School as a mockery of the education department and asked the authority concerned to take the matter seriously with appropriate necessary action at the earliest by posting the required teachers and staff at the school.
"It is a mockery record in the history of Manipur education that a student had to skip a very crucial examination just because there were no teachers to teach them during the academic session", he lamented.
The KSO Sadar Hills president held the education department for the poor boy skipping the examination.
He also said that KSO will initiate a joint meeting of all student bodies in the district to discuss the various issues related to education at the earliest and take stock of the situation from the all the educational institutions to take a firm decision on Sadar Hills education which may include the holding of Last Pay Certificate (LPC) and Service Book of any teacher transfer till his/her replacement is made accordingly.
