The suspension of classes in the educational institutes in Manipur is an unfortunate episode in the modern times. We have been clamoring at every given opportunity that education should be made a free zone. We thought this was a common realization and will be a non-negotiable article of faith for all those concerned with the future of the state. The only thing which can bring about real and positive changes in the society is quality education. By educating our children, we are sowing the seeds for a better Manipur. Unfortunately, education has become a soft target in an unbreakable impasse over the last few days. If education has to grind to a halt, it is the whole of state which is going to lose, not just the involved parties. Let’s make education a free zone in letter and spirit and not devalue the motto as a decorative rhetoric to be invoked from time to time for our own convenience.