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SHILLONG [TST] : The MBoSE Shillong Regional Office continues to be remote-controlled from Tura in a way that makes one believe that it functions like a post office only. It takes a minimum of three weeks to get a duplicate mark-sheet or other important documents issued by the headquarters of the education board thanks to the VSAT satellite network installed at the Shillong Regional office that is yet to come on stream.

The VSAT satellite network was introduced at the Shillong Regional Office in the early part of 2006, but for reasons best known to the authorities it is yet to be fully functional, whereas VSAT satellite services are reportedly available in Tura.

The VSAT satellite network was intended to ensure speedy communications between the Board headquarters and its regional office.

The main objective of setting up of the MBoSE Shillong Regional office was to speed up the whole process of administration to help students from Khasi-Jaintia Hills.

After three years of its existence, many feel that the Shillong Regional Office has failed to live up to the expectations of the public.

"After the regional office came into existence, we hoped that it would carry out all the functions that are performed at the MBoSE headquarters at Tura, but we are unhappy that it still takes a long time to get a duplicate mark sheet or other important documents issued by the Board, " a section of students told The Shillong Times here on Monday.

During the agitation for bifurcation of MBoSE in 2005 the State Government had agreed to create a regional office at Shillong whose functions would be more or less the same as those at the headquarters, the students added.

"The former Congress-led MDA Government had created the Shillong Regional Office but without any teeth," the students said.

Pointing to the loopholes in the Shillong Regional Office, students alleged that the regional office was not authorised to issue certificates, duplicate mark-sheets, etc.

"The Regional office continues to function like a post office since it has to send the applications of students to Tura and then wait for the certificates to be sent from there. The whole process takes a minimum of three weeks. The delay in issuing duplicate certificates by MBoSE creates a lot of inconvenience to the students, especially during emergency," the students alleged.

According to a senior MBoSE official, the reason for the delay in issuing duplicate certificates is that applications have to be sent to the Tura office and even after that is done, the applications are to be verified before dispatching them to the Controller of Examinations for approval for the duplicate certificates.

"We are trying to speed up the process since we do not want to cause inconvenience to students. At present, we send applications via e-mail. We have requested the people in Tura not to wait for original copies of applications but to immediately process the applications that are received via e-mail," he said.

It is also learnt that the VSAT network installed in the Shillong Regional Office is non-functional due to some fault in some instrument but the suppliers of the system have refused to come to Shillong to repair it, saying they cannot come only for this single unit. Another official of MBoSE said the VSAT network was another wasteful investment as it was lying idle and had become a non-performing asset.

TST:- The Shillong Times.