EDITORIAL | SSLC document fiasco: Where will MBOSE draw the line?

FROM THE EDITOR’S DESK:

With the re-opening of schools in most parts of the country, the element of fear does not lie with maintaining COVID-19 protocols now, as parents, teachers and students alike are busy wondering when the examinations will start.

Online classes since the beginning of 2020 brought a digital divide in the rural-urban space and with the offline mode in full swing, the mood of many stakeholders in the educational arena is showing positivity.

But on January 15, they shared a notification across social media platforms including news websites on the declaration of examination for the Secondary School Leaving Certificate (SSLC) or class 10 examinations.

Hours later the same notification was declared ‘unconfirmed’ which surprised everyone and did not impress students and school administrators.

What is astounding is that the Twitter handle of the Meghalaya Education Minister reflects nothing of this sort.

The lack of pro-activeness of the Minister who handles the most critical department in society throws into the poor leadership, and it seems the Education Minister needs a lesson in the classroom from the Assam Education Minister. Controllers and Directors should also know cybersecurity (hope they read the book’ THE FIFTH DOMAIN’ by Richard Clarke to protect private information).

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Next, the notification shows authenticity, and it looks clear that it leaked from the office of the MBOSE.

It is scary when information which still needs approval from top heads are leaked in a manner that shows the lack of security in handling sensitive documents.

This is purely nightmarish, especially if confidential matters from concerned departments in the future, like the police or intelligence agencies come into the public domain.

At this critical juncture, the Meghalaya Education Department should focus not only the future of the students of the state but set an example that along various lines because whatever took place was embarrassing, and with the rise of social media, it does not take time to either make anything popular or worse.

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