Imphal/Guwahati:
Three senior officials of Manipur's education department who were suspended on January 12 have written an apology to the government for issuing No Objection Certificates (NOCs) – without following due process – to schools in two districts for a to apply for CBSE affiliation, amid the disruption caused by the ethnic violence.
The three officials in the apology letters to the Manipur government said they were “forced” to sign the NOCs under “coercion” and “pressure” from “elected representatives, civil society organizations (CSOs) and student organizations to issue the NOCs “.
Four MLAs in Churachandpur district and two in Kangpokpi district had written to two zonal education officers (ZEOs) and a deputy inspector of the school asking them to issue the NOCs, according to documents attached in the letters of the education officials .
NDTV has seen copies of the letters of the three education department officials and the six MLAs.
The six MLAs are among the 10 Kuki-Zo MLAs spearheading the call for a separate government across Manipur, a BJP-ruled state with 60 seats in the assembly.
The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) canceled the affiliation of 25 schools in Manipur's Churachandpur and Kangpokpi districts on December 20, 2023, after the state government warned that it had not given NOCs to the schools to apply for affiliation in the first place.
The CBSE bylaws make it a legal requirement for public board schools to obtain NOCs from the state government before applying for affiliation to the central board.
Following the CBSE action, the Manipur government on January 12 suspended Churachandpur ZEO Jangkhohao Haokip, Kangpokpi ZEO Lhingtinneng Singsit and Deputy School Inspector L Taithul of Churachandpur's Samulamlan block.
The change of the education board from state to central in the two 'hill districts' was seen as a soft attempt to formalize a new arrangement as clashes between the hill-majority Kuki-Zo tribes and the Meiteis with the majority in the valley started on May 3. , 2023.
In the letters, the three officers said that they were aware that they would violate procedures, but that they were unable to resist external pressure due to the ethnic conflict, which was affecting government services, including education. and had disrupted the department's communications protocol.
“Hidden at Home”: Churachandpur ZEO
“I would like to say the following lines in my favour, for the sake of your kind consideration and sympathetic action, that due to the prevailing crisis in Manipur, schools under ZEO Churachandpur which have applied for affiliation to CBSE have come to me to to sign their names,” said Jangkhohao Haokip, the ZEO of the hill district 65 km from the capital Imphal, according to the letter to the government dated December 29, 2023.
“At first I deny them, I hide at home and say that I am not the competent authority to issue NOC for joining CBSE. But after I was appointed as i/c (in-charge) ZEO for Churachandpur. I have to go to the office and carry out all office responsibilities,” said Jangkhohao Haokip.
“Then, under pressure from various angles, such as from parents, joint student organizations, civil society organizations and even elected representatives, I can no longer deny. It is a 'do or die' situation after I have undergone coercion. Then I am forced and forced to give my signature to two schools namely Salt Brook School and Soikholal High School. Therefore, it is my sincere prayer and request to understand my situation and seek apology and consideration from your final stage. I will ensure that such an issue will not arise again in the future,” said Jangkhohao Haokip.
The Churachandpur ZEO enclosed letters written by four Kuki-Zo MLAs – Letzamang Haokip, Paolienl Haokip, Chinlunthang and LM Khaute – asking him to issue NOCs to schools from their constituencies that had approached him. The four MLAs wrote the letters on the same day: July 11, 2023.
“Being forced…”: Kangpokpi ZEO
Lhingtinneng Singsit, the Kangpokpi ZEO, in her letter to the government explaining why she issued the NOC, said the Tribal Unity Committee of the Kuki-Zo group, the Kuki Student Organization (SH), parents and the 'local minister' told her ordered the CBSE affiliation paperwork at the district level.
She said the Sadar Hills Private Schools Association had approached her for the NOC, but she said they had to go to the competent authority, in this case the education department.
“…I advised them to approach the competent authority and forward their application to this office, and instead they insisted that I indicate that the DEO/ZEO can also do the same at the district level,” Lhingtinneng Singsit said in its letter to the Government of Manipur dated December 29, 2023.
“…I am compelled to proceed at the district level. However, I further advised them to obtain the same through the appropriate channel from the competent authority,” Lhingtinneng Singsit said in the letter, clearly stating the correct route for the NOC . registration procedure.
She enclosed letters from two Kuki-Zo MLAs – Nemcha Kipgen and Kimneo Hangshing – requesting her to issue the NOCs. Kimneo Hangshing wrote the letter on May 30, 2023 and Nemcha Kipgen wrote it on July 7, 2023.
“Duty fully discharged”: Deputy Inspector of Churachandpur School
L Taithul, the deputy superintendent of Churachandpur's Samulamlan block school, said in his letter to the government – also dated December 29, 2023 – that he too was “under pressure” from MLAs, civil society organizations and student groups to issue NOCs to issue on behalf of the Churachandpur ZEO, which could not work due to the crisis.
“…We, his (Churachandpur ZEO's) subordinate staff performed our duties to the fullest. I was requested to issue NOC for some schools for affiliation to CBSE, which I denied as I had no authority. But I was under pressure from the elected representatives, civil society organizations, student organizations… Unable to resist the pressure, I issued the NOC on behalf of ZEO, which I deeply regret,” L Taithul said in the letter. “I ask you to forgive me for this act and I promise that in the future I will act diligently and not repeat such acts,” he said.
The four Kuki-Zo MLAs who requested the school deputy inspector to issue the NOC are Letzamang Haokip, Paolienlal Haokip, Chinlunthang and LM Khaute. Paolienlal Haokip wrote to the school's deputy inspector on May 15, Chinlunthang on May 16, Letzamang Haokip on May 18 and LM Khaute on May 28, 2023.
Government sources today said the letters of the three education officials clearly show that they were under immense pressure amid the violence, and thus ended up violating serious departmental procedures as issuing NOCs is no small task.
Kuki-Zo groups protest against suspension
Kuki-Zo civil society organizations are protesting against their suspension and demanding that the action be scrapped. Now that there is clarity on the issue, the government is likely to re-appoint the three education officers in the interest of the students, who have been affected by the violence-related disruptions in Manipur, sources said.
The state government was clear that action would be taken against schools, including withdrawal of their affiliation, if any of them were again found not following due process. “…No one has said that NOC will not be given. We all work for students. Questionable and unethical decisions of some school managements should not affect the future of students,” a senior official in the education department said. was part of a small team investigating the initial probe into the CBSE affiliation issue, NDTV had told on December 20, 2023.
After the three officers were suspended on January 12, Kuki-Zo civil society groups alleged that the government's move was an attempt to harass them. “The three officials have been suspended for discharging their duty, which is truly unfortunate as they have not committed any fault worthy of suspension… The partisan action of the Manipur government is not only disrupting the efficient functioning of public services but also calling for raising questions of due process and fair treatment,” the Churachandpur-based Kuki Students' Organization had said.
Kangpokpi school principals in December 2023 criticized what they called the authorities' “blunt focus” on procedures, when all students needed amid the ethnic clashes and other cataclysmic disruptions was academic continuity, be it CBSE or government was.
“The situation in Manipur after May 3 was such that functioning under the state administration became impossible. We have to go to Imphal for exam coordination and other work of the state administration. How could that be possible?” the principal of a Kangpokpi school had told this to NDTV on December 20 and requested anonymity.
Other school principals in the Hill district cited challenges in coordinating with the education department at a time when battle lines have been clearly drawn based on ethnicity and deep distrust.
Ethnic violence in Manipur has killed more than 170 people and driven thousands from their homes, both in the valley and the hills.