Editor,
In these times of high unemployment rate in the state, I feel that an awareness and curiosity about professional or job-oriented courses would be beneficial. Many students, after passing their Class XII exams still opt for a B.A, B.Com or B.Sc degree courses. These, if we compare to the prospects of professional courses, are considered “old fashioned.” They belong to the period of the nineties and the early 2000’s. What a professional course does is it directs a student towards getting a specific job, by a kind of rigorous teaching that is specifically meant to educate, shape and mould the student in a specific subject. Recruitment from campuses and internships show that there is a lot of scope with professional courses. If one were to ask most of the youths in the long queues in the MPSC office or those coming out of a Staff Selection exam Centre, what course they studied, the plausible answer would be B.A, B.Sc and B.Com. Being a youth myself and in constant search of a job, I can say for a fact that even if one gets a First Class First in graduation or post-graduation, one is not guaranteed to get a job. The only job that one can get in Shillong, if one passes an “old fashioned” course, is a teaching job but not everyone has the aptitude to be a teacher. As the old saying goes, ‘teaching is more of a gift and talent.’ What the students of today have to understand is that once they graduate the tough times begin. They need to be aware and curious about what companies, private and public enterprises and Government offices want as their criteria for employment. Students of today must not perceive a professional course as risk-taking, but something that should reflect their prudence and wisdom.
Yours etc.,
Willie Gordon Suting,
Via email
Liquor stores on the highway
Editor,
Apropos the news item ‘GS ROAD: A 100-km JOURNEY WITHOUT TOILETS’ (ST Oct 21, 2015), one notices that there are many liquor stores all along the highway but not a single toilet. My question to the all concerned departments is: “Who are these liquor shops meant for in the National Highways?” There is hardly any rural hub or market near these liquor shops. Hence one can only deduce that they are meant for travelers like me. Honestly speaking, when I am traveling or driving along the GS Road these liquor shops do attracts me. In August this year I had traveled by road from Mumbai to Delhi via Ahmadabad & Jaipur which is roughly about 1500 kms. I crossed four states Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan and Haryana but did not find a single liquor shop or bar in the vicinity of the highways. I was surprised so at a particular Toll Gate I asked a police officer why there were no liquor stores along the highway. He informed me that as per the rules of NHAI, no liquor shops or bars are permitted near the highways. In case any liquor shop is permitted in a small town that falls near the highway it must be 100 meters away without direct visibility and indication in the highways. If so, are the same rules not applicable in our North Eastern Region? Yours etc.,
B K Barman,
Shillong-4
Poor service by MeECL
Editor,
Through your esteemed daily I would like to bring to the notice of the Power Minister, Goverment of Meghalaya, about the indifferent attitude of the authorities of Meghalaya Electrical Corporation Ltd (MeECL), Jowai to the problems faced by the residents of Mupliang village. Mupliang is a village with 500 – 600 houses and is located between Jowai Town and Nartiang Village under West Jaintia Hills. The residents of the village have not had power supply for the past three months due to breakdown of a very old transformer. The problem was brought to the notice of the MeECL, Jowai immediately but in spite of repeated reminders for the last three months by the village authorities the fault has not been rectified. The irony is that when payment of electricity bills is concerned, the authorities leave no stone unturned to collect their dues. I must mention that the supply of electricity is one of the worst in the State as half of the time the village remains under darkness. In spite of that the residents have never failed to pay the bills regularly, sometimes even paying more than they should because of the absence of meters or because of faulty meters. However, my concern is not about the bills but about the real problems faced by the residents, especially the 1000 odd school going children who have to depend now on other sources of power like candles and kerosene lamps and have to spend hours inhaling smoke under insufficient light to study and to complete their schools activities. This has not only affected their studies but more importantly their health is at stake. Therefore, I appeal to the concerned Minister to look into the matter with sympathy and ensure the problem is rectified at the earliest. This will greatly ease the problems of the residents of Mupliang village, especially the young students.
Yours etc.,
Watchington Sna Mupliang
Village, Elaka Nartiang,
West Jaintia Hills District