Guardians' organization for quality of text books and proportionate seating in school transport

IMPHAL, April 28: While appreciating the Board of Secondary Education Manipur (BSEM) for producing text books in time for the academic session 2013, the All Manipur Students Guardian Organization (AMSGO) expressed its desire for the BSEM and the printing presses involved to improve the quality of the texts books today.

Addressing media persons at its office today, S Sumati secretary  AMSGO said the association has found that the print and cover quality of the text books are below par and cutting have not been done properly.

She continued that the ink was not upto the standard and several ink smudges were found in the books.

Displaying a book before media persons, she lamented that the binding was also not proper and showed that the pages were about to fall.

"The printing press are urged to have some concern without thinking of much commercial benefits in printing text books," she added.

She then appealed the private schools to stop adding extra books over and above the syllabus prescribed by BSEM. Such addition of extra books gives more stress to the students and adversely affects both the brain and the body of the children, she expressed.

Instead of suppressing those who could not receive formal education but needs certificates, BSEM and government should arrange open or private examination so that they can gain from such endeavors, she added.

The state need to provide inclusive education for the players who could not appear matriculation exams due to their sports schedule, Sumati continued.

She further mulled the idea of a new skill test for the BSEM to conduct from the current year to allow such students to appear for their respective exams without any hindrance.

Meanwhile, touching upon the issue of transportation of school students, Sumati appealed to the transporters to carry students according to the prescribed seat capacity and not to overload their vehicles.

She viewed that overcrowding inside their transportation wears off the students and affects their interest in their studies. She further called on the van drivers to make some sacrifices as part of a larger movement to bring quality education in the state and appealed to the other students’ parents’ organization to look into the issue to bring about a better society.

The press briefing was also attended by N Chaoba Singh, H Borbabu, Kh Mahendra, and O Yaima Singh who are the Woking President, Treasurer, Executive Member, and General Secretary respectively of AMSGO.