Manipur News

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READING FOR A HEALTHY SOCIETY

After ‘Puya Meithaba’, the most shocking incident in Manipur history is the arson of the erstwhile state library. Only libraries can bring civilization. The Manipur Public Libraries Act 1988, which became an Act in 1993 needs to be implemented with the establishment of a separate libraries directorate. The state requires to nurture a reading community for making a civilized society in Manipur. Every school, college, locality, or government or semi-government or non-government establishment must own a library.

Besides feeding information and knowledge, libraries instill the readers with the sense of discipline, power of concentration and calmness. Libraries also serve as a treasure of culture and literature of a nation. Libraries enlighten the society by feeding knowledge and information to the readers. A reading nation always becomes a leading nation. Schools should have a separate period solely for library at least once a week in order to inculcate reading habits among students. The state education department needs to monitor the establishment and working of libraries in all schools and colleges of the state.

Investment in education sector does not bring about immediate results. It takes years to see the outcome. However, the result is always lasting and beneficial in the long run. Not many politicians take interest in educating its people, may be because of the fact that an enlightened public is disliked in electoral politics. As every reading man may become the judge, majority of political leaders do not like its people to become a reading community. When its people read, they will become knowledgeable and may be a hurdle to the arbitration of the leadership. Only a very few far-sighted leaders in democracy take up the cudgel of reformation in education sector.

Adequate number of good libraries should be made available in the nook and corner of the state in order to enlighten the people. Libraries play a big role in educating the masses. Academic libraries benefit the students and teachers, while public libraries serve as knowledge bank for the general public. Good food is required for a healthy body and reading makes a healthy mind. As living bodies get energy from the various food nutrients, the human mind needs to be continuously fed with knowledge and information. Books serve as the food for the mind. Library is thus the granary of various nutrients required by our mind. Karl Marx rightly says ‘a reading nation is a leading nation’. In western countries such as Greece, a household without a library is considered as uncivilized. Unites States of America which owns the Library of Congress, the largest library in the globe is obviously the most powerful country today. Russia, once a superpower country, also puts priority on reading. National Library of Russia is named as State Lenin Library taking into account the importance of library laid by Lenin in the Russian Revolution. In India, Bengalis are in high esteem with the claim “Bengal Today, India Tomorrow” for its being the proud owner of the national library of the country.

A library is a place where a large number of books are stored in many shelves. Libraries are the treasure of knowledge. In the absence of a good library in an educational institution, education has no meaning. Without library, students cannot gain knowledge properly. Hence there is provision of library in every educational institute. Libraries provide the students very healthy learning environment. Besides feeding knowledge and information, libraries instill discipline, calmness and power of concentration in the readers. It helps students to keep very good concentration on their studies. In libraries, readers are allowed to read according to their choice and manner. Nobody would check them or disturb them. Since everything is systematic and calm, readers gain more in less time. A library plays a very vital role throughout the life. Libraries are home for the rarest to the commonest books and magazines. Some books like Dictionary and Encyclopedia which are very costly are available in the library. In library readers can find the latest and the oldest editions of books. No popular electronic medium of today can provide the knowledge which libraries give. We need to inculcate reading habits among small kids so as to minimize the negative impacts of present day electronic media.

With the hope of developing libraries in the state, the Manipur Public Libraries bill 1988 was passed by the State Legislative Assembly. With the approval of the President of India, it became an Act in 1993. However, till today the Act has not been implemented by the state government. The status of libraries in Manipur is too low as compared to other states like West Bengal. The non-implementation of the Manipur Public Libraries Act in the state is a big hurdle towards making a civilized society. The state needs to have a full-fledged Library Directorate to oversee the development of library services in the educational institutions as well as in the various localities of Manipur. At present, the state central library is not properly equipped with manpower for managing the library services. It is in lack of valuable updated books and magazines to serve the readers. The public libraries located in various localities under the Raja Rammuhon Roy Library Foundation are not properly monitored for improvement. The state annual budget does not reflect the requirements for the public libraries. Each and every educational institution of the state should have a library catering to the needs of its students. The state departments of Art & Culture and the Education Department may pay attention towards the development of library services in the state.

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The post It seems highly desirous now to get enlightenment of Teachers through Sports and Culture appeared first on  KanglaOnline.com.

It seems highly desirous now to get enlightenment of Teachers through Sports and Culture
Gunadhor S Okram
(Friday, June 21, 2013)

Law and order situation look to be the sole reason for failing education and administration in Manipur. This however is not affected to our world-renowned excellence in sports and culture at all. Is it not then a good social issue to take up by the whole population something like June 18, 2001 uprising? There should be no dearth of being spent energy for us Manipuris for using it for development through self-realization. In this regard, shall we not carefully analyze and understand the scenario of what are presently happening in these key areas, and their consequent bleak future to our society that in turn is maligning our hard-earned reputations of a few shinning stars in sports and culture, and its impressions outside, and yet probable solutions? (Alas, one cannot teach others but self-realization can!)

Very recently, my daughter of ninth standard received my mobile when a call came. She gave me the phone as she doesn’t know to speak in Manipuri. When I got in the mobile, it happens to be a call from one of my nephews from Nong-ang-khong, Thoubal. In fact, the call should have been a miss-call because he did not intend to call me up. So, he tried to conceal himself from me. But I could recognize him and we started talking about his twelveth class exam result and others on this, at a time at which all parents and their children alike are in very hectic and anxious moments as to what next: which course, which subject, which branch, which line, which stream, where and so on.

The word ‘where’ is extremely important now-a-days for Manipur. This is not inside of Manipur but outside. Manipur is not counted as a place to do or pursue higher study, a place meant mostly up to twelveth standard. This to a reasonable Manipuri should be cynical, but has been made cent percent true. Then, why should one not worry about this very important facet of life in modern age.

This wave of studying outside has in fact been like ‘student tornado’ for whom exam is passed but do not know where to go for it, much different from Delhi students or similar students elsewhere. Almost everybody in this category of parents and their children is so tense, and restless to find the nearly best place and college using all modern electronic gadgets in no time! But who created this?

My nephew told me that he got 71% marks ONLY, which is nowhere and is almost like fail in his region around. I confirmed this to be correct as told by a lecturer of Manipur College and many others. Furthermore, I understood that council of higher secondary education, Manipur and board of secondary education, Manipur have decided to provide marks leniently in these board exams so that their students do not face humiliation due to low marks they obtain, as had been the case a few years back while seeking admission elsewhere (read outside of Manipur).

In this, I beg to ask this: Shall our students beg to seek admission in places outside of Manipur FOREVER WITHOUT EVER THINKING OUR OWN DIGNITY AS TO WHO WILL THINK OF US AS A HUMAN BEING? Don’t we have talents ever to our teachers after they have been getting training on this from outside for the last one century or so? Many feel emphatically that “Yes, we have.” If it is yes, then why is it happening so? Let us see our infrastructure, talent provider, dutifulness, interactions between teachers and parents and policy makers, as a dignified human being. Why not we rethink about what we are allowing proceeding in an uncontrolled way, which may not be liked in an individual level?

Instead, everybody is following the gang-way: WHETHER IT IS RIGHT OR WRONG AS NO HOPE IS HERE. Then, why were we born here? Why don’t we think very seriously on this as an individual if it does it below his dignity? This too with lots of heavy cost the parents or the guardian have to bear out or also sending their wards to other states without much feeling of a shame.

Let us look at this. A parent or a guardian requires sending approximately Rs 8000-20,000 per month for a student. With this conservative estimate for about 20,000 students studying outside, the parents of all hues send or spill a whopping Rs 192-480 crores annually outside. What for they are sending: just to disappoint themselves that about 2,000 students only (10%) might get job with a leniently estimated salary of Rs 30,000 to 50,000? This means that they earn about Rs 70-120 cores annually without any return of this money to Manipur. Why?

Out of this, a minor fraction might work in Manipur and those large fractions working outside might send a meager amount that amounts to saying that the gross earning of Manipur may be estimated to be around Rs 20-30 crores. Who will fill the gap of Rs 172-450 crores (after deducting Rs 20-30 crores from Rs 192-240 crores) annually? What a great we have?

Now, why not we think as if we are in one family? If we go like this continuously, we shall be bankrupt more and more and finally no longer Manipur exists or MANIPUR WILL BECOME TRUE BEGGAR. This is what everybody likes, then! Otherwise, should we think that there are no Manipuris in Manipur? In this sense, this is virtually so. How?

We hardly have a few hundred crores of our state earning, say from electricity bill, land and house tax and other taxes, which constitute hardly 10% of our whole budget. The rest 90% of say Rs 3,650 crores (2012-13) is from the developed states like Gujarat, Karnataka, Maharastra, Tamil Nadu, Punjab, etc through central government in the name of central assistance. In this sense also, we survive presently as a beggar.
The Manipur Government uses this for salaries of its employees, infrastructural development, central scheme projects etc. This means that we are surviving with the help of other developed brethren states. Many of our employees here are seemingly taking salaries without ever thinking as to what they have done for their salary or for his people of Manipur. This makes our lives existent or allowing our blood flow properly using brethren developed states’ help, wherein in fact we are spilling our hard-begged money through the central government.

Is this dignified or justified? Why should we create like this, none other than ourselves? Are we not human beings, unable to compete others like any other humans in terms of our own survival and respectful existence? This however is so if one claims that we have among the best brains and talents in sports, culture, literature, art and craft trained in Manipur ONLY. One might argue that this hard-earned image, of seemingly not so respectable profession but it actually is, is being maligned due to recklessness of the employees including contractors in general and teachers in particular of the government even though education seems to be some of the best respectable profession one normally assumes.

To be continued….
Part II
Why should we sell ourselves so cheap when it comes to education? Why is it so miserably failed in education? Does this mean that the talents of Manipuris in this supposed to be the most respectable profession in humans (education) are BLANK or VACUUM when they come back to, and settled in, Manipur? Compare also fellow Manipuri counterparts working outside Manipur, globally, who work at par with anybody around there, without looking back here, without any extra salary. How? For this, let us consider this.

Teachers in private primary, high and higher secondary schools with a meager salary of Rs 4,000-5,000 per month could produce starting with first class to top students in board exams while their government counterparts who draw salaries in the range say Rs 20,000-50,000 cannot even attract, nurture or produce any respectable students. This leads to government schools, colleges and offices slowly, but surely, disappear.

In addition, most importantly to our proper conscience that “by doing this way, how many girls, in particular are freely fanning out outside Manipur to face sexual assault, mental harassments and killing intermittently; the latest victim being Reingamphy Awungshi of Ukhrul, for whom nobody seemingly could find out the culprits.” It is believed that racial discrimination will exist until humans are on earth that we cannot do anything, even when a Manipuri or a north-easterner becomes prime minister, or president, of India.

Does this imply that these government employees of all hues who do not do their duties dutifully, including teachers, with supposed to be highly experienced, are fools or not humans who seemingly assume that their salary is God-sent and do not need anything to do. If it is so, they must also agree not to get salary or feel ashamed of it by using his/her own conscience to aspire, inspire, inculcate and motivate their (potential) students or colleagues so that they prove that they should no longer afford to be blamed by others for not doing their duty. This writer is not alone, who thinks about being dignified in today’s fast changing world. This shall be the need of the hour to bring us to the path of fast development.
Consequently or whatsoever, due to their dereliction of duty, these places of learning or running state precisely have become a stable for teachers, students and other employees or workers. They blame each other leading to production of vacuum education after twelveth class and many similar others such as not getting potable water, electricity and good road. As a result, the quality education and administration in universities will be most hard-hit, diminishing severely our existence. This is not good for Manipuris, anywhere in the world.

We require sincere introspection to stop this social and educational menace. If this is not so, why so much outflow of students for study outside every year in an accelerated way, rather than in a decelerated trend. The latter will prove that we are also humans who can also compete others in education!

In this regard, why not we all other Manipuris have a pinch of shame of collecting salary without doing anything? Once we have this very tender feeling of individual contribution in accord to his/ her salary distinctly clearly like a practically good citizen irrespective of the place where one is working or affiliated, then we can certainly prove that outflow of students is gradually decelerated and rather influx of outside students for (higher) learning in Manipur may not be a mere DREAM but true and a REALITY. This will make our state a rapidly developed state and self-reliant economy or even better than others with added reputation

This is true for all developed regions of the world where so ever it is. Once this is realized, the idea of corruption will automatically go away. For example, if the contractor and all its related officers think that they are responsible for getting damaged or maintaining good conditions of the roads or buildings they make or construct or do it sincerely so that it is appreciated by the public for their good work, otherwise feel ashamed, as done in developed parts of the world. If they think otherwise, they must rather understand that they are no different from cats for whom we use to say that “They do not know shame: they come back to the place where they were beaten up for doing bad things of which they are supposed not do again.”
What does it mean is that we should recall the sacrifice, dedication and talents of exemplary Manipuris who are performing nearly extremely well in sports, culture, literature and so on. Why not others in administration, education, infrastructure and all others emulate from them who brought fame of our state immensely?

Once this is done, all our (government) schools, colleges, universities and administration shall be blooming at their full might. This will only save us from our past mistakes that created our forgotten shame of sending out our students outside in an uncontrolled way. Are there Manipuris who are not listening to this wake up call to our self-realization? Why not save Manipur from further degradation? We have been doing this degradation since last 50-100 years or so. Once we learnt (got education) outside, if we cannot afford to teach our students or colleagues to their satisfaction and compatible with peers outside, are we like monkeys who cannot type even a word in hundreds of years?

Why not we all come forward to
(1) Build latrines or toilets in schools, colleges and public places at par or better than those exist outside and maintain them mirror-clean.
(2) Teach methodically and systematically to complete the syllabus to be able to compete with or better than their peers outside by simply not giving marks just to compete in figures ONLY, not knowledge or talent but to enable to get admission outside. The latter is practically wrong.
(3) Forget that somebody is getting money just like that without doing anything or fraudulently. Corruption is a social menace and chain reaction. If I do not stop, others will not. Remember that children of such people are (in majority) failed because God (child itself) knows that the money the child gets is valueless leading to transforming himself into drug-addict or public spoiler.
(4) Get up that all employees do their duties dutifully so that their children may learn the good things they did.
(5) Hold global meet of Manipuris in Manipur as to how to improve upon our education, administration, industry and infrastructure on the initiation of teachers and other employees in Manipur with encouragement and funding from the government of Manipur.
(6) Reverse the brain-drain and create our own education system up to the highest better than others having many research laboratories supported by the strong pillars of self-trained best brains in science, engineering and social sciences from its various (rejuvenated and new) institutes and colleges.

Thus, the extreme need of the hour would be the revitalization and self-realization of the very instincts of the employees of the government machineries, offices, schools, colleges and universities, not just by the imposition of higher authorities ONLY. This, if implemented, will be a true reality, once we the employees do their duties dutifully as practicable and sensible citizens. Only then, we can create and get enough electricity, potable water, good roads, not only nice and respectfully tall but also neat and clean buildings with proper modern sanitary facilities, just to be able to enhance our dignity and distinction earned from sports, culture and literature. Shall one beg, patriotic Manipuris, for our own self-realization to a self-reliant and respectable existence?

The post It seems highly desirous now to get enlightenment of Teachers through Sports and Culture appeared first on  KanglaOnline.com.

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