June 20, 2015 – Page 4

JJB registers case against St Joseph teacher for corporal punishment

IMPHAL, June 19: A day after the court of Chief Judicial Magistrate, Imphal West remanded the 16 members of Democratic Students`™ Alliance of Manipur (DESAM) to six days police custody

IMPHAL, June 19: A day after the court of Chief Judicial Magistrate, Imphal West remanded the 16 members of Democratic Students`™ Alliance of Manipur (DESAM) to six days police custody for assaulting a computer science teacher of St Joseph School at their office, the Juvenile Justice Board, Imphal West, Takyelpat has registered a case against the teacher identified as Gurumayum Rupachandra Sharma, 35 son of G Jadumani Sharma of Uripok Achom Leikai.

Gurumayum Rupachandra Sharma is charged of meting out corporal punishment to a student of the St Joseph School.

According to reports, the case (JJB/IW Case No 6 of 2015) was registered under Juvenile Justice Act, 2000 and Indian Penal Code Section 324.

Along with registering the case, the Board has also issued an order today directing Officer-in-Charge of Lamphel Police Station to investigate the incident.

The order was collectively signed by Principal Magistrate of Juvenile Justice Board, Imphal West RK Memcha Devi; Member Rarry Mangsatabam and Member T Rojibala Devi.

The copy of the order was submitted to the Special Juvenile Police Unit, Lamphel Police Station under Rule 10 (b) of JJ Act (Care and Protection of Children) Rules, 2007.

A copy of the order was also submitted each to Director General of Police (DGP) Manipur and Superintendent of Police (SP) Imphal West.

As per the order, Lamphel police should submit report of the investigation to the Juvenile Justice Board, Imphal West within June 24, the reports stated.

Teacher`s assault of student evokes much concern

IMPHAL, June 19: The Manipur Alliance for Child Rights (MACR) has expressed grave concern over the repeated incidents of subjecting young students to physical assaults and mental harassment in the

IMPHAL, June 19: The Manipur Alliance for Child Rights (MACR) has expressed grave concern over the repeated incidents of subjecting young students to physical assaults and mental harassment in the name of disciplining by their own teachers in the State.

According to a release of the MACR, the recent incident involving a teacher of the St Joseph School Sangaiprou which occurred on June 16 is quite deplorable and highly condemnable.

It testified again that school authorities and teachers are still unable to give up the outdated concept of using `Corporal Punishment` as a part of education in the schools.

It is quite horrendous to learn that a young student of class VI was mercilessly assaulted by canning with as much as 51 counts on both palms other parts of the body by a teacher that dropped the child in a severe traumatic condition.

It is a stark violation of the Section 17 (1) of Right of Children to free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009, which prohibits physical and mental harassment to child. And the St. Joseph Schools authority needs to understand that, whoever contravenes the sub -section (1) shall be liable to disciplinary action under the service rules applicable to such person, it said.

MACR has appealed the school authority to be more sensible in the Right to Education of the child and to stop any kind of re-victimizing approach, which may affect the academic career or emotional health of the child. It further appealed the school authority, student`™s bodies and state authority to take up immediate steps so that normal academic atmosphere is restored in the school, and every child gets his or her right to education without fear of Corporal Punishment and re-victimisation, it said.

Meanwhile, the All Manipur Recognised Private Schools`™ Welfare Association, Imphal has also expressed grave concern over the issue which has resulted in the arrest of several members of the DESAM.

A press release of the association has said that it strongly condemned the teacher`™s physical assault on a student and the arrest of the 16 members of DESAM due to a misunderstanding by the police.

Moreover, the association has also submitted a memorandum to DESAM appealing not to impose bandhs or blockades regarding the issue and not to take up any issue against the Education sector as well.

It further appealed to DESAM not to inflict any form of disturbance during the programme `Disturbance Free Zone in Education`™ to be held on July 5 through out Manipur, it said.

The association has also appealed for the release of the arrest of the 16 members of DESAM in order to avoid any agitations from student organisations, it said.

The All India Students`™ Federation (AISF) Manipur State Council has also demanded the government to take up necessary steps on the issue.

According to a release of the council, a teacher beating his student is not for personal gain but in order to draw the student to the right path.

Similarly, DESAM`™s assault on the teacher is due to his misconduct, it said.

The issue was due to the teacher`™s excessive use of force against the student which the student body considered to be an insult to the whole student community, it said.

The council has appealed to resolve the issue as soon as possible in order to avoid any form of agitation. It also appealed the release of DESAM members as soon as possible.

It further stated that it is necessary for the student, teacher and members of DESAM to arrange a meeting with the government and discuss the issue in a democratic manner as soon as possible otherwise any form of agitation that may occur will be sole responsibility of the government, it said.

All Manipur Students`™ Guardian Organisation has also joined in the several organisation in condemning the incident.

A statement of the organisation signed by its secretary organisation S Sumati said that the incident of a teacher assaulting his student in such a reputed school like the St Joseph High School is condemnable.

She further appealed to the school authorities to check the credentials and qualifications of candidates prior to their recruitment as teachers.

On the other hand it is also wrong for a student association like DESAM to summon a teacher and thrashing him, she said.

The quick response of the State police is also laudable, she said.

Sumita further appealed to revoke the stand for stronger form of agitation from the DESAM if the apprehended 16 DESAM members are not released within 24 hours time and also showed interest to legally punish the teacher accordingly.

Sumati further mentioned that the incoming trend of serving harsh punishment to the students at private schools has triggered fear psychosis among the guardians from putting their wards to private schools and boardings.

Later she appealed not to repeat the incident in future and to release the 16 apprehended DESAM members at the earliest.

Centre apprised of alleged Myanmar incursion near border pillars 6 and 7

IMPHAL, June 19: A combined team of Myanmar Army and civil police forcefully dismantled houses within the Indian Territory along Border Pillar no 6 and 7 at Choro Zingshopai area

IMPHAL, June 19: A combined team of Myanmar Army and civil police forcefully dismantled houses within the Indian Territory along Border Pillar no 6 and 7 at Choro Zingshopai area in Kangpat Khullen Ukhrul district.

A highly placed source said that the Manipur government has already submitted a report on the alleged incursion by the Myanmar forces to the joint secretary Home (NE), Ministry of Home Affairs.

The special secretary (Home) Government of Manipur has submitted a report received from the Deputy Commissioner, Ukhrul on the matter requesting to look into the matter for taking necessary appropriate actions, according to reliable sources.

The issue has crept up at a time when the State is facing another boundary issue in Ukhrul district with alleged incursions from the Nagaland side in Dzuko valley.

The report said that the combined force of the Myanmar Army and the Police evicted houses at a newly established village which is about 250 meter into Indian Territory near the border pillars on April 18, even as National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and other PMO officials were in Myanmar on a two-day visit from June 17.

Sources said on April 20, the secretary of Kangpat Khullen and general secretary Raizan Long (a civil organisation of the area) submitted a complaint report on the alleged incursion to the SDO Kamjong under whose jurisdiction the area falls. The SDO on his part had submitted the report to the DC, sources said.

Sources also said that the two in their complaint had stated that villagers of Kangpat Khullen had been taking up some construction work. And on April 18 afternoon, some villagers of Kamjong area had established a new village call Aloyuo (Zingshopai) near border pillar no 6 well within the Indian Territory for which some construction were going on in the area, it said.

However, all of a sudden, a group of Myanmar Army soldiers came into the village and forced the residents to evacuate immediately. The Myanmar soldiers also dismantled all houses and any other structures including a saw mill, the complaint said according to the sources.

In their complaint, they also charged the Myanmar soldiers of carrying away the belongings of the villagers, sources informed.

Peacetime Wars

By the turn of the next generation, the Manipur society probably will be further segmented along a new class system, all this thanks to the government`™s management of its education

By the turn of the next generation, the Manipur society probably will be further segmented along a new class system, all this thanks to the government`™s management of its education responsibilities. We must add here that in the school sector, the government is making some valiant and imaginative interventions, and we wish it all success. We hope it is able to make similar interventions in the college sector too soon. Till such a time, we can foresee at least three new classes emerging. Purportedly standing on the top of the hierarchy would be by and large young job seekers whose parents have accumulated enough wealth by whatever means for their children to inherit. In the second tier would be those who have had education in schools outside the state or else private schools in the state, therefore at an advantage in competitions for professional courses such as medicine, engineering etc. Three, will constitute those who have been unfortunate to be condemned to study in the state`™s many non-functional government schools and colleges. The third understandably will be in the majority. It is everybody`™s knowledge today that there is something very rotten in the government schools and colleges of the state. Yet there is so much vested interests in the status quo, that no radical reform has been possible ever. It is sad but true that there cannot be a bigger testimony of the abject failure of social engineering in the state than in its inability to salvage the collapse of its school and college education systems.

The fallouts are obvious. In what may be described as a domino effect, the fall of the school system has also meant a cloud over higher education as well. Many of the state`™s colleges have potential, and a few of them actually used to command awesome academic reputations in the entire Northeast in the past. Many among the men and women of the 1960s generations, who have earned themselves social respect and station not just in Manipur, but also in neighbouring Nagaland and Mizoram, it is not a surprise, have had their higher education in DM College. However, there has been a steady decline, partly because of bad management of the institutions themselves, together with corrupt government recruitment processes which have seldom kept merit the criterion. If an enquiry were to be done today, it will not at all be a surprise at all to find even fake Ph.Ds have been allowed in the competition for lecturers`™ posts. But the reason also has been overwhelmingly because the feeder institutions to these colleges `“ our government schools `“ have not groomed students fit enough to pursue quality higher studies meaningfully. Thanks to this, today, the number of degree holders who are not capable even of grasping the fundamentals behind the working of the judiciary, legislature, executive etc, would amaze anybody. These degree holders have no option but to look for government jobs for it is here the degree and not the skill of the man holding it matters. In the private sector, they will have to fend for themselves and prove their competitive worth always, and unlike in the government cocoon their degrees are no guarantee for either success or job security. What we want today are young men and women who can with confidence stand up to be tested by the fire of open competition, and for whom job avenues are open both in the government and the private sectors, as well as the unexplored territories of entrepreneurship. Unfortunately, this goal still seems illusory.

These are serious issues, much more serious than the worry over which minister gets which portfolio, or who bags which government contract job etc. In the long run, the ability to tackle these issues will surely be the answer to many of our larger, vexing issues. The familiar tactics of those in power when faced with these uneasy questions is to shift the blame to insurgency. We would even go to the extent of reversing this logic to say the failure of governance on these fronts have been a strong factor, although not the only factor, behind the endemic bad law and order situation. The time has come for a serious rethink. Let all realize that even in war, it is the bounden duty of all, but especially the government, to ensure that at the end of the war there will be some things of quality left in the devastated landscape to rebuild the society from.

Leader Writer: Pradip Phanjoubam

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2015/06/peacetime-wars/

BSNL all set to woo customers with new schemes

By Grace Jajo IMPHAL June 19: Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL), one of the largest and leading public sector units providing comprehensive range of telecom services in India is determined

By Grace Jajo

IMPHAL June 19: Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL), one of the largest and leading public sector units providing comprehensive range of telecom services in India is determined to attract more customers of its landline and mobile customers with the introduction of Wi-Fi Hotspots, NGN and slew of fresh scheme to match with other private telecom services providers in the state of Manipur as well.

Talking to this reporter, General Manager BSNL Manipur J Lunkim said that Night Time Free Calling scheme of BSNL offers free night calling to any network both local and STD from 9 pm till 7 in the morning to all the landline customers since May 1.

He maintained that under another scheme, landline with 500 plan are now provided with 24 hours free calls to BSNL networks inclusive of both landline and mobile customers besides the free night calls to all networks since June 1.

BSNL is also the pioneer Telcos operator to offer free national roaming for one year starting from June 15 under the leadership of Minister of Communication & IT, Ravi Shankar Prasad. Hence BSNL is free of incoming call charges while roaming for both prepaid and post paid customers even in the service areas of MTNL like Delhi and Mumbai. Now irrespective of subscriber`™s plan, outgoing charges during roaming are as per the ceiling provided by TRAI @ 80p/minute for local and 1.15/minute for STD calls. Except for Voice/ISD STVs, SMS/Data STVs are applicable in the Free Roaming scheme across India, he elaborated.

Asserting that free SIM offer for 64K SIM and reduced cost offer for 128K SIM on all new prepaid connection is a promotional offer phase for 90 days since June 1, he informed that under this revised scheme one can get a new 64K SIM for free by paying only Rs 30 instead of Rs 59 for the 128K SIM.

Simultaneously BSNL has also revised the rates of data packs, combo packs, ISD rate cutters and other rate cutters, voice STVs and SMS STVs, he added.

Responding to a query on the fluctuating internet service in the state, the General Manager BSNL of Manipur explained that the cable link till Dimapur is efficient to provide fast internet service. However, one of the two links from there to Kolkata via Guwahati is down for the last ten days and the whole traffic is relying on the other lone link thereby slowing the connectivity.

He assured speedy restoration of the long distance connectivity at the earliest taking into account of the importance of internet access to the people irrespective of location.

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2015/06/bsnl-all-set-to-woo-customers-with-new-schemes/