Students, parents, transporters and teachers associations on Sunday jointly recommended the state government to reopen the educational institutions at the earliest under some specific Standard Operating Procedure (SOP).
The recommendation was made during a discourse held on Sunday under the theme ‘COVID-19 and Education: Diagnosis and Prognosis’ at the Manipur Institute of Management Studies (MIMS), Manipur.
It was organised by the Co-coordinating Committee on Disturbance Free Educational Zone Demand in connection with the observance of 13th Disturbance Free Educational Zone Demand Day 2020.
The committee formed by 11 organisations further recommended that the state government should frame SOPs particularly for educational institutions by consulting with the stakeholders at the earliest and re-open the educational institutions.
They also recommended opening of skill development oriented courses at the institutions, while stressing that the state government should take up the initiative of providing educational facilities for those students who have returned to the state due to COVID-19 pandemic.
They suggested providing jobs to the returnees who had been working outside the state and are well educated. The committee also recommended reviewing the difference between the objective of curriculum and its output. Based on that review, the authority concerned without taking much time, should change the curriculum and make it productive during COVID-19 and post COVID-19 pandemic.
During the discourse, retired IAS, RK Nimai who is also the moderator of the discussion, said that the level of COVID-19 infection is not that large in the state and does not even require a total shutdown.
Nimai said that the state government should focus on adopting COVID-19 precautionary measures which will be feasible to state instead of just copying all national guidelines. The state has not even reached the level of community transmission. As such, there is no need to make everything come to a standstill due to COVID-19.
One of the resource persons, director, MIMS, professor Ch Ibohal said that it is high time to focus on skill based education systems instead of just imparting traditional or general education systems. The state is producing many graduates but they are unable to utilize their degrees effectively.
To deal with the issues concerning the unemployment of educated youths, the authority concerned should focus on re-designing the educational curriculum, he added.
“Had the authority concerned opened vocational courses which are suitable to state, this pandemic could have been translated into an opportunity. It is high time to change the education system of the state to go with the pace of other developed states,” he added.
Associate professor of DMCTE, Kh Dinesh and president, AMRPSWA, Doren Kha Nganba also attended the occasion as resource persons.
The said committee is made of several organisations namely, Manipur Government Higher Secondary Lecturers’ Welfare Association (MGHSLWA), All Manipur Elementary School Teachers’ Association (AMESTA), All Manipur School Students Transporters Association (AMSSTA), All Tribal Students’ Union Manipur (ATSUM), Apunba Ireipak Maheiroi Singpang LUP (AIMS), Democratic Students’ Alliance of Manipur (DESAM), All Manipur Recognized Private School Welfare Association (AMRPSWA), CBSE Affiliated Schools Association (CASA), All Manipur College Teachers Association (AMCTA) and All Manipur Students Guardian Organisation (AMSGO).
