Thoubal, Nov 3: The Heirok Apunba Club (HAC) has urged the Education Department to appoint a permanent principal for Heirok Higher Secondary School by November 10. The school has been without a principal and vice-principal for months, disrupting academics.
Briefing the media at the office of Heirok Apunba Club, HAC President Wahengbam Jiban stated that despite the state government’s emphasis on improving education across Manipur, the situation at Heirok Higher Secondary School remains concerning. Currently, the school has neither a regular principal nor a vice-principal, leading to severe administrative and academic issues.
He stated that Heirok is a densely populated area with a large student population, and the said school is the only higher secondary school in the area. The lack of a regular principal and vice-principal has affected the school’s functioning to a great extent.
Jiban further mentioned that as part of HAC’s mission to strengthen the education system in Heirok, the organization has been visiting both government and private schools in the area to monitor their conditions. During this, it was found that Heirok Higher Secondary School is in a state of neglect.
He stated that earlier, two or three principals had been posted to the school, but seemingly only for their retirement.
Currently, during the ongoing Class XI and XII examination form-fill-up period, the absence of both a principal and vice-principal is creating great difficulties for the students. Many students and parents have expressed concern over the lack of a principal. Therefore, the concerned authority should appoint a regular principal on or before November 10, or the government will face the music.
Jiban also clarified that, for the time being, the Director of Education (S) has issued an order assigning the Zonal Education Officer (ZEO) Thoubal as the signatory and in-charge principal of Heirok Higher Secondary School until a regular appointment is made. However, he questioned why the ZEO Thoubal, who is not stationed at Heirok, was chosen as the in-charge instead of appointing a local or regular principal.
He further added that with the final examinations for Classes VI to X approaching in December, the absence of a principal could disrupt both the exams and the administrative process. Hence, he appealed to the Education (S) Department to act swiftly and ensure that all necessary arrangements are made in time.
HAC Secretary L. Nelson, Education Secretary (in-charge) Johny Khuman, and several other members of the club also took part in the briefing.
