Leader Writer: Hrishikesh Angom
The High School Leaving Certificate Examination conducted by Board of Secondary Education Manipur is the most notable academic examination in the state. The toppers of this examination are well felicitated by the state government as well as local clubs and organizations every year. The students are quite motivated by such felicitations. Now, there is also a trend of offering lucrative grants to the meritorious students by most private schools. Such incentives should be welcomed in view of the welfare of the students, but keen competition among these schools to procure more number of toppers by offering money is quite disheartening. The students are unnecessarily put in dilemma while choosing his or her school. The motive of these private schools is quite evident from their ostentatious ads put in local papers and TV channels. The toppers and other meritorious students are offered money in the name of grant or assistance by these schools. The performance of these schools is highlighted to the public through the performance of the toppers. The schools will in turn receive greater enrolment of students thus raising the revenue of the schools. The school authorities are making some sort of investment to the toppers so as to gain huge money out of it. It seems the so called “good” schools want to prove that they are excellent only in making the good students good and not in improving the weak students. Those schools which boast of producing position holders in the Higher Secondary Examination also have substantial number of failed students. The benchmark of good schools in the state apparently lies in the performance of the toppers. However, such may not actually be applicable to the private schools in the state.
The toppers are made “items of auction” by the private schools. Soon after the declaration of HSLCE results, the authorities of competitive schools go to toppers’ houses with lucrative offers. The toppers then happen to encounter many of them with offers galore thus creating a dilemma. These schools compete among themselves to procure the toppers by making the highest bids. The parents and guardians of the toppers are also lured by the offers and ultimately send their wards to these schools. Grants and incentives are encouraging to the students, but forcing them to join a school solely on the basis on money is not the right choice. The school which offers huge money may not be his or her real choice, and so this may be a reason for his or her failure in the future. The school authorities always tend to be “business-minded” and subsequently the toppers turn out to be advertisers or promoters of the schools. If these schools are serious about education, why can’t they strive to make each and every student good?
The benchmark for good schools also lies in the performance of weak students.
It would be good on the part of the school authorities to shed off their selfish business motives and work for the improvement of education in the state. The standard of a good school should not only be on the performance of the toppers but largely on the performance of each and every student. Parents and guardians should also be aware of the present trend in the education system of the state. They should also be cautious while choosing schools for their wards. The government as well as social organizations should keep an eye on the private schools so that the educational institutions are not converted into commercial hubs.
Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2012/05/students-on-auction/