Editor,
This is in response to the letter, “Will the Inspectorate of Schools respond?” (ST Oct 10, 2017) where some of the parents have expressed their grievances with regard to the functioning of Govt. Girls’ Higher Secondary School at Jail Road, Shillong. The allegations made by the parents against the school have no basis at all. I am therefore countering the allegations point by point.
The school is a centre as well as sub-centre of SSLC and HSSLC examinations conducted by MBOSE which is held most often in the month of March every year. Hence it is difficult to conduct the normal classes during the period of the examinations. This is something which the teachers and the staff of the school cannot avoid. The teachers of the same school are also invigilators of the above mentioned examinations.
The school observes holidays as per the holiday list approved by the authority. It may not be out of place to mention that for the Durga Puja celebration, the school was closed from September 25- October -6, 2017 The discipline and all round development of the students are of utmost importance and is being maintained by the teachers with their full efforts. I am surprised that the concerned parent has made a sweeping statement about the lack of dedication of all the teachers and further alleged that they are interested only in a Government salary. I earnestly request the concerned parent to reveal the grievances to the concerned authority instead of bringing those grievances to the media. I wonder whether the concerned parent is really worried about the smooth functioning of the school and the development of the students or otherwise.
Every teacher of this esteemed institution is duty bound to dedicate themselves to the overall growth and development of the school in general and the students in particular. Is there a yardstick for measuring the scale of dedication? I would like to be enlightened by the concerned parent about the method of measurement in order to judge the dedication of teachers who are the nation builders through these young students.
The concerned parents may kindly disclose their names instead of making frivolous, vexatious and manufactured allegations so that their wards may be benefitted. Despite individual differences, the problems of the students can be dealt with by the teachers once they know the extent and nature of the problem.
Yours etc.,
Principal In-Charge,
Govt. Girls’ Higher Secondary School,
Remembering the October Revolution
Editor,
Interestingly, this year marks not only the centenary of the October Socialist Revolution but also the bicentennial birthday of Karl Marx. The major contribution of the October Revolution in the evolution of humankind is to establish that liberty cannot exist without equality and to bring forward a better order than archaic capitalism. How poor children were made to work as chimney sweeps in the UK after the industrial revolution (Who can forget Oliver Twist?) is a testimony of the fate of the poor when a state is limited to taking care of only law and order and leave the general people in the lurch.
That was the reason why socialist states came out to take care of the huge potentialities in every human being. However, human evolution again discarded socialist states as it had earlier thrown out police states where market players had the last word. It is human greed that spoiled both market raj as well as dictatorship of the proletariat. Now, modern welfare states have come to balance between liberty and equality as well as between state power and the power of private players.
A modern welfare state with mixed economy is now trying to amalgamate capitalist laissez – faire liberty into socialist endeavour to ensure equality. Such amalgamation is necessary to create a level playing field with the help of subsidies and positive discrimination in order to climb up the ladder of human development index. Archaic capitalism has indeed been discarded by the countries in North America, Europe and Australia. These countries have graduated from police states to welfare states and are according top priority to human development.
So, a welfare state ~ even the United States of America cannot deny the contributions of socialism in its policy of social security like health care and handsome allowance for the unemployed. A welfare state which ensures freedom of an individual and at the same time guarantees his or her social security is a synthesis of the thesis of capitalism and antithesis of socialism.
As a matter of fact, a truly welfare state is more inclined to socialist states than caged police states. This is the reason why Indian Constitution has absorbed the spirit of socialism in its very Preamble as well as in the Directive Principles of State Policy to make India a welfare state and “to secure a social order for the promotion of welfare of the people” (Article 38). But why must we be socialist? Swami Vivekananda had given a very clear answer, – “I am a socialist not because I think it is a perfect system, but half a loaf is better than no bread.” On the occasion of the centenary of the October Socialist Revolution, we should also remember what Sri Aurobindo had said, “It would look ridiculous and also arrogant if I were to say that I worked for the success of the Russian Revolution for three years. Yet I was one of the influences that worked to make it a success” (Evening Talks with Sri Aurobindo – page 474).
Yours etc.,
Sujit De,
Kolkata