Campus Stories
Education in Manipur
Ancient Manipuri scholars had a clear insight into the knowledge of arts, science and social studies. They left behind many valuable treasures of knowledge inscribed on copper plates, coins, stones, etc, and books on different disciplines written in the Manipuri script (Meitei Mayek).
Education was imparted to the youths, basically to train them as soldiers to defend their motherland and to inculcate moral and intellectual development of the students. Before the advent of writing, oral teaching was in vogue. Later on the ideas and practices of education were written down in books. Various books on different subjects helped in preserving and propagating knowledge to the younger generations. Printing and writing materials were all indigenous .
Strictly speaking, education was in the hand of private agencies. Teachers or gurus or pundits were the contrivers of education. It’s learned gurus or pandit was an educational institution by himself. The natures of educational centres were mostly traditional. Learning by doing was the chief method of imparting education. Individual attention was given in the teaching. Physical punishment was not harsh; it was rather exemplary. Prizes were awarded to the talented one. The relation between the teachers and the taught was excellent.
Medium of instruction was Manipuri because of the preponderance of the Manipuri speaking people. Manipuri language had all alone been a vehicle of Manipuri literature since 8th Century A.D. till date. For a long time, Manipur maintained an educational system of her own. This was a traditional system which aimed at all around development of an individual. But after the annexation of Manipur to British India, the traditional education system died a natural death and the western (British) system of modern education had emerged.
Gradually, many school based on British system were established in Manipur and students from different corner of Manipurs were drawn to them. The Johnstone Middle English School which was founded in 1885 was upgraded by stages later. Slowly, the number of school going children also increased. High school, Higher Secondary School and Colleges came up step by step. Many voluntary agencies also helped in the spread of education in Manipur. Long after independence, Manipur established a University of her own. Manipur University which was established in 1980 by an act of the Manipur Legislative Assembly is now nerve centre of higher education in Manipur. Recently, it has been upgraded to the status of a Central University.
The seed of primary education in Manipur was sown in the year 1872. However, it could not grow and expand rapidly at the beginning as the local people showed negative attitude towards western (English) education. Appreciable progress was made after the introduction of free and compulsory education in primary education after Indian Independence from the Five Year Plan onwards. The government of Manipur paid much attention to the improvement of primary education by providing various facilities such as married scholarships, free text books and uniform, financial assistance to the children of poor parents, etc. As a result, the number of school going children in Manipur increased by leaps and bound. However, compulsory primary education could not be enforced in Manipur. The programme of bringing more children to the school was effected through persuasion and giving incentives.
But a new approach on “Education for All” under ‘Sarva Siksha Abhiyan’ (SSA) has been adopted at the National level and under its programme all children much complete five years schooling by 2007 and eight years schooling by 2020 in Manipur also.
Primary education in Manipur suffers certain problems. There is uneven distribution of schools in different village. The rate of wastage and stagnation is very high. Language is a complicated matter in Manipur as there are 29 different dialects in addition to Manipuri language. It is very difficult to find a common medium of instruction. Many of the school lack essential facilities like benches, desks, black boards, table, chair and etc. There is shortage of trained teachers while many parents cannot send their children to schools partly because of ignorance and partly due to poverty. Under such circumstances, the quality of education also suffers. There is lack of co-ordination between government and private agencies in matter of management and organization of primary education in Manipur. The result is that there is duplication, confusion and wastage of financial resources.
Secondary education in Manipur was started in 1921 by upgrading a middle school into high school. Later on some high school were established by some private agencies after Indian Independence, secondary education in Manipur was rapidly expanded. Various programmes were taken up for the development of secondary education during the Five Year Plan periods.The management of secondary school is done both by the government and private bodies. In 1973 secondary education act Manipur was passed and under this act, the Board of Secondary Education, Manipur was set up to regulate, supervise and develop secondary education in the state.
Secondary education in Manipur faces many problems.
In Manipur, higher education was introduced in the last part of the 20th Century . Established in 1946, Dhanamanjuri College happens to be the first institution of higher education which had played a very vital role in the history of higher education in the Manipur. It was earlier an under graduate college established by the local educationists. Later on, it became a degree college this college served as the nucleus of many other institutions, such as, B.T. College, G.P. Women’s College, and Post graduate class of J.N. University Centre. Later on the college has been bifurcated into Science College and Arts College and then a college of Commerce education is added.
Upto 1948, there was no college for imparting professional education such as Law, Agriculture, Medicine, Fine Arts, Dance and Drama, etc. But in 2005-2006 there are 16 professional colleges under Manipur University.
The establishment of Manipur University in 1980 under the Manipur University act of 1980, accelerated the place of higher education in Manipur. Manipur University became a Central University from 2005-206. So far as the aims and objectives of higher education are concerned, Manipur follows the objective of higher education laid down by the Indian Commission of 1964-66. Different types of institution of higher education in Manipur are higher secondary, colleges and University. Higher education in Manipur faces many problems it has no clear cut policy. Hence, there is mushroom growth of colleges there is heavy wastage of educated manpower as higher education is expanded to fulfill the social demand. Quality is lacking, worsened by the indiscipline problems of the students.
There are 33 tribes and 7 Scheduled Caste which form the backward classes in Manipur. Education of this section of the people in western system began from the year 1893 onwards with the establishment of school at Mao Thana. The education of the tribal people gained momentum after the Indian Independence. The Indian constitution guarantees certain privileges for the upliftment of the tribal community and other backward classes in the state. Various programmes have been launch by establishing a Directorate of Tribal Development and Welfare of the backward classes in 1976. But inspite of the provisions and incentives given to the ST/SC students, there is still a wide gap between the schedule and non-schedule categories in both the qualitative and quantative achievements. Tribal and other back ward classes residing in the far flung hilly areas faces many problems in achieving quality education, which includes poor communication facilities, lack of high amenities for the teacher, wastage and stagnation, lack of quality etc.
It is suggested that the incentives given should reach to all ST/SC residing in the far-flung areas. The scope of parametric scholarship should not to be stopped. There are 16 colleges in the hill areas of Manipur in 2006. Mushroom growth of colleges should be checked to ensure quality. Proper inspection and supervision of the institution in the rural and hilly areas should be strengthen so that the SC and ST student can improve their performance in academic field.