Manipur studying the feasibility of reopening schools

Our Correspondent

Imphal, June 23 (EMN): Manipur Education department is taking up all necessary steps by holding various rounds of meetings with the concerned stakeholders to see the feasibility of reopening the schools in the state.

Disclosing this, Education Minister Dr. Thokchom Radheshyam said that they are trying to take opinions of all the stakeholders including the parents and school authorities of the state. “We’re also convening a meeting in this regard shortly,” he said while interacting with the media in Imphal on Monday.

With the outbreak of Covid-19 pandemic, all the schools in the state have been closed since March which greatly affects the academic calendar and thereby creating apprehension, anxieties to the students as well as to the teachers, non-teaching staff, parents, guardians even if some schools organised online classes.

There are 1226 private schools as per state Education department record. The total number of students in the state is about six lakh. Above four lakh students are studying in private schools which have been providing quality education with high enrolment for past 30 years.

Dr. Radheshyam said that a direction from government of Manipur, department of Education (schools), has been circulated to address some of the important issues that have been raised as such – should the school fees of students be paid or not; salaries of teaching/non teaching staff in private schools; and the academic calendar.

The tuition fees for private school from April to July, 2020 shall not be collected. Fees, if already collected for these months – April to July, 2020 by the private schools authorities, and then they shall be adjusted with subsequent months in future.

He said that the salaries of teachers and non-teaching staff of schools with less than 200 enrolments should pay 50 per cent of salaries and may be paid after the lockdown is over. Salaries for schools with 200 to 700 enrolments should pay 50 per cent of the salaries. While the school with more than 700 enrolments should pay full salaries, he added.

He also appealed to the private school authorities to collect the admission fees and (school) fees up to the month of March 2020 without any hike in amount. Commissioner, Education (S) T Ranjit Singh, Director Education (S) Th Kirankumar also attended the press conference.