Read the signs on education
The abysmal quality of our primary education system in the rural areas, as highlighted in the recently released ASER report, is a portent of the dark days ahead. These have to be viewed in the context of our tall pronouncements that India will be a reservoir of young people, which in turn, will make us an economic superpower. If a nation produces an array of people, whose quality of education is questionable, it will only be a liability beyond measure. Hence, this serious matter requires concerted efforts by the mandarins of the HRD ministry, particularly since primary education is the foundation for career building. As a reform measure, we need to impart and instil leadership qualities among the head-masters, whose role should be perceived as the de facto CEO of an organisation with all attendant requirements of responsibilities and delegated powers. Instead of mere reporting of attendance, there should be a system of reporting on quality parameters, and remedial actions are taken based on periodic reviews. The current perception of viewing mid-day meal as a panacea for all ills needs a fresh look. Similarly, rethinking the current system of appointing head-masters on a seniority basis is needed as they are usually at the fag end of their career, and hence lethargic to newer ideas. If our high-brows pretend not having read the writings on the wall and live like a frog in a well, and confine the ASER report to the dusty cupboards, it will only put our education system in a tailspin, and all our dreams will remain only that, just dreams.
Kuttykrishnan PP
Palghar
Et tu, Kejriwal?
It is praiseworthy that Arvind Kejriwal handed it out to Narendra Modi for his reform moves and saying that he would want to work with the latter if given a chance in Delhi. But one thing that is quite appreciable is that Kejriwal’s handling this elections with kid-gloves. After all that happened last time, it needed guts to face the same people and be answerable to them. Or, could one say that Kejriwal is finally acquiring the colours of politics? On the one hand, Kejriwal must have read the writing on the wall when he claimed that the Congress Party won’t be able to bag even a single seat. On the other, he must be wary of the tough competition from the BJP. Somewhere, though, he still needs to correct himself. He came as an aam aadmi. He should work for the people. Mud-slinging is the work of politicians who use it for their convenience. Either Kejriwal has forgotten that what his purpose is or he has been transforming into a full-time politician. And what better instance of this can we have than the fact that in the last elections, he was against the Congress and defeated Sheila Dikshit from Delhi and later took the support of Congress for forming his government? What a perfect example of Kejriwal betraying his own so-called principles, those which he had so well advertised in the Jan Lokpal movement! Now, he’s ready to work with Modi in coordination. How can a person be such a loose cannon?
Shifa Sikri
Ferozpur
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