Newmai News Network
Imphal | September 16
Close on the heels of the reported moves of Nagaland government in enacting a legislation allowing affiliation of schools from outside Nagaland to Nagaland Board of Secondary Education (NBSE), the Manipur government has decided to enforce an ordinance restricting schools in Manipur from affiliating to other boards outside the state.
This reaction from Manipur government and the civil societies have come following a report published in The Indian Express quoting Nagaland Education Minister Imkong Imchen who had reportedly told the national daily newspaper that “the legislation allowing affiliation of out-of-state schools to the NBSE had been enacted with immediate effect, although the same would be introduced in the Assembly and debated on the floor on September 18.”
In an emergency cabinet meeting on Saturday chaired by chief minister O.Ibobi Singh, the Manipur government, after threadbare discussion on the likely outcome that may emanate in Manipur as a result of the Nagaland government move, had approved the enforcement of an ordinance to disallow any of the schools in Manipur to be affiliated to boards of other states without prior approval of the Manipur government.
After the cabinet deliberation on the matter, the session approved a proposal of the Manipur state education department to amend section 1(4) of the Manipur Elementary and Secondary Education Act, 1972 as “ Provided, further, that no schools or institutions of secondary education in the state of Manipur either recognised or not by the Government of Manipur or by the Board of Secondary Education, Manipur shall be allowed to be affiliated or to be under the jurisdiction of any other board or university without prior approval of the Government of Manipur” said L.Jayentakumar, Manipur Education minister while briefing journalists on the cabinet decisions.
The cabinet has also passed a resolution condemning the politically and socially move of the Nagaland DAN government, which it alleged, amount to the direct attack to the integrity of Manipur, according to the source. The cabinet had also entrusted the chief minister Ibobi Singh to send representation to the PM Manmohan Singh, the HRD minister and the union Home minister and to pressurize to intervene in the move of the Nagaland government and remind the PM not to take any decision that could flare up misunderstanding between the two states.
The Manipur Education minister has also cautioned the parents and guardians not to be easily dictated by some NGOs as such to save the students career.
Meanwhile, the All Manipur Students Union (AMSU) in a statement reacted to the reported announcement made by the Nagaland Education minister allowing schools of Manipur to affiliate to NBSE. It said that the announcement of the minister amounts to ‘adding salt to the wounds’, while pointing out that the guardians of the Manipur hills students are still hurt by the setbacks inflicted to their children’s career who went to Nagaland board examination under pressure from a hill based students group. The AMSU also warned that any untoward incidents choking out from the announcement of the Nagaland Education minister should be the responsibility of the Nagaland and Manipur government. The Ethno Heritage Council (HERICOUN) had also while terming the Nagaland government’s reported step as ‘unworkable’, expressed its serious concern over the move.
