Asem Bhakta Singh, Special Correspondent North East
Imphal: (Waari Singbul Network) After the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) cancelled its affiliation from 25 schools in strife-torn Manipur, the state government has set up a three-member panel to probe into the issuance of No Objection Certificate (NOC) by unauthorized persons/ officials to the Central board.
Joint secretary of Manipur schools education department, Anjali Chongtham, in an order issued recently, said that CBSE had withdrawn the affiliation on the ground that the NOC submitted by the 25 schools from Kangpokpi and Churachandpur districts had not been issued by the state government’s authorized functionaries.
According to an order issued on December 22 by the same officer, the inquiry committee should submit its report to the state government by January 5, next year.
L Nandakumar Singh, director of Manipur schools education department, is the chairman of the probe panel, and the department’s additional director (valley), Bisheshwar Khumukcham is the member, while additional director (Hills) Dangmei Manglem is the member-secretary, said the order.
The terms of reference of the committee is to find out officials “responsible for issuing the NOCs without due process,” “find out if signatures have been forged,” and recommend appropriate action against responsible officials.
“In case of any evidence of forgeries, appropriate legal action to be taken by filing FIR, etc.,” said the order, a copy of which is made available to the press on Wednesday night.
The development leading to the constitution of the investigation committee came after one Lamtinthang Haokip had recently claimed on ‘X’, formerly twitter, that 16 schools from Kangpokpi and 20 from Churachadpur had been affiliated to CBSC.
Manipur education department, reacting to it, clarified that no NOC for affiliation to CBSE had been issued by the state government to any institutions in the two districts since May this year.
When the post went viral in the social media, an official team led by education minister Th Bashanta kumar met the secretary of the Union education ministry and submitted a letter on the issue.
Officials said that according to the rules, no educational institution can be affiliated with the Central board without the NOC from the respective state government.
