Admitted? Where is the space?
Now this is leaping with eyes shut. Biting off more than one can chew is an adage reflected upon by many and it sure has been done with some purpose.
The admission frenzy is over but the errors over admission are beginning to crop up. All seemed fair when prospectus distribution was at its peak but classrooms now are at the verge of exploding thanks to the mathematically absurd calculations relating students and vacancy.
Complaints are flowing in that the student- teacher ratio is nearing NASA’s standards for planetary mapping! Some students are literally holding on for dear space on the benches paid for; others can be seen scribbling ( for namesake!) while standing at the back of the class.
Well, the hope given is that many will quit to pursue professional courses, but let’s imagine for a moment that none quit and all decide to stay?
Will they share chairs and half a table? Truly this is admission fever gone berserk!
Journalists decide their precarious fates
A two day deliberation of journalists by journalists on issues plaguing their profession and safety saw a journalists from Assam hogging the limelight about their plight. One photo-journalist narrated how he was beaten up while covering the news during an ethnic clash.
He was badly injured and appealed for help from all quarters. Two international agencies working for the welfare of journalists responded with grace and gave him financial assistance, the Journalists’ Union of Assam also came to his help.
So too the Government of Assam! Guess who turned a deaf ear to his pleas? The management he works for.
They did not pay him a single penny for his medical treatment.
Story after story about such incidents and how managements turn a blind and deaf ear towards their own employees, some even disowning them when they got into trouble while carrying out their duties, tells us that journalism is not such a glamorous profession, after all.
Mobile savvy farmers
Farmers in the State are going to benefit from expert advisories on crops over mobile phones courtesy a Central Government pilot project to be executed by the Umiam based Central Agricultural University and to be assisted by an IT firm Media Labs Asia.
The Shillong Jottings team visited Umiam recently and came to know that around 5000 farmers from the state’s East Khasi Hills, Ri-bhoi and West Garo Hills districts are going to benefit from this mobile based agro advisories on their produce.
This pilot project is an outcome of an assessment study carried out by the Union Government targeting farmers in 12 states in the country.
An excellent idea, India has the largest mobile phone users in the world, which will serve as a catalyst to carry out this project to the remotest of villages in the country. In a country where PDS supply is not reaching the real beneficiaries the use of mobile based agro advisories may provide food for thought.
The project will help farmers avail expert services in their backyards to manage the markets.
The farmers’ queries and advisories will also be put into a data base for further research work while critical cases will also be referred to the crop specialists and scientist of the Umiam based regional headquarter of Indian Council for Agricultural Research.