Editor,
I write with the hope that this letter will impact the future role, position and quality of our higher educational institutions. Firstly, let us see what the main purpose of universities and colleges are. It’s very simple – to make the world a better place. They are to positively impact the lives of students and make them change-makers. As a state and region, we are growing and developing and this transition is important and exciting. The government of Meghalaya has indicated the need for a Department of Sustainable Development. If it does, will there be really qualified potential employees (change-makers)? Universities and colleges here are not catching up with the world. We desperately need new innovative programmes in our educational institutions. Masters and research programmes in Sustainability, Environment Management, and development-related programmes like Development Studies, Social Development or Public Policy must be initiated. Conventional programmes will always be important but in this day and age they are not enough.
It is encouraging to see Synod College setting up the International Centre for North East Studies and Lady Keane College the Mahatma Gandhi Centre for Conflict Resolution and Peace Studies. What about a centre for Urban Studies or Sustainability Studies or a centre for Happiness? I implore upon the authorities of our universities and colleges to be bold and visionary for better future prospects. The future depends on you, our revered educational institutions.
Yours etc.,,
J. Mylliempdah,
Via email
Big cars in small roads
Editor,
Nowadays everyone is going for big cars such as sedans, SUVs, FUVs, etc. But, is Shillong suitable for these big cars? These big cars have become one of the reasons for traffic congestion, particularly in narrow roads. It is understood that Government cannot stop people from buying big cars but what it can do is to put up signs, ‘NO ENTRY FOR BIG CARS,’ along narrow roads. I think this measure will reduce traffic congestion to a great extent, particularly in narrow, single lane roads.
Yours etc.
A Das,
Via email .
Legal Services Day
Editor,
November 9, is celebrated every year in India as Legal Services Day. It is time to reflect on equality and feasibility of having legal services in our country. We need to ponder on the implications of one party getting the best of legal services and its opponent having none or just one iota of it. Isn’t it an unfair battle, say, between an armed person and one without arms or with just a small stick? Given that 194.6 millions of Indians go hungry everyday (Global Hunger Index, 2016), it is totally beyond their capacity to afford legal services. Theoretically, every Indian has the right to challenge the verdict of the lower courts and can move up to the level of the Supreme Court of India. But there is always a financial roadblock for most Indians as more than 50 per cent of the people of our country are reeling under a meager 4.1 per cent of the nation’s wealth. The difference in the quality of the lawyers who are to fight against each other in the court room can tilt the balance of the objective scale the other way round by the subjective factor that is their debating skills. Even legal aid cannot solve the problem as most of the established lawyers fight shy of joining a legal aid team.
The need of the hour is to start a system of self-defence and to do away with the practice of lawyers’ defence on behalf of the party. The cross – examination can, aptly, be done by the Hon’ble judge. Both sides are to explain the situation to the judge in the same way we do it before a doctor without knowing the ABC of pathology. Indeed, we ourselves furnish prescriptions and medical test reports to doctors without having assistance of others. The lawyers can become jobless for some time but they are to be recruited as judges. Recently, the Hon’ble CJI, TS Thakur had said that seventy thousand judges were needed to clear the pending cases. Given India has only about seventeen thousand judges at present, more than fifty thousand lawyers can be recruited and trained to judge lawyer – less court cases. In an unequal society like ours, it can translate the words ~ “the equal protection of the laws within the territory of India” (Article-14) into reality.
Yours etc.,
Sujit De,
Kolkata