The Rising People’s Party (RPP) has criticized the NDPP-BJP coalition government, accusing it of neglecting the educational sector by failing to award the Chief Minister’s Meritorious Students’ Fellowship (CMMSF) to the top 50 students of the 2023 High School Leaving Certificate (HSLC) examination.
“The NDPP-BJP coalition is not even sparing class 10 students,” the RPP stated.
The RPP highlighted that according to protocol, the Chief Minister hands over Rs 50,000 to each of the top 50 students during the annual CMMSF program. However, sources in the Nagaland Board of School Education (NBSE) and the Department of School Education (DoSE) have confirmed that the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) has yet to make a decision on the fellowship distribution, even after a year has passed.
“Needless to state, many of the students and their parents are made to run from pillar to post, and in the process the whole point in constituting CMMSF is rendered meaningless,” stated the RPP.
According to the RPP, they can only summarize that the CMO has adjusted the funds meant for the meritorious students elsewhere.
“This adjustment is not a new phenomenon,” stated RPP, adding, “The story is the same even for Post-Matric Scholarships. Every year the state Higher Education Minister promises to release the Post-Matric Scholarship on time, but every year he delays the release of funds and is not embarrassed to give concocted justifications for the delay, year after year”.
The RPP accused the NDPP-BJP coalition of having “no vision nor priority” for the education sector, nor for any other sectors, except for the construction sector where profits can be made by cronies.
“As long as the NDPP-BJP priority is on vanity projects like constructing a new rostrum at Kisama at the cost of Rs. 52 Crore, quality education – and students– will continue to suffer,” it added.