Editor,
What is a teacher’s dress code? Can someone enlighten me on what the exact dress code of a lady teacher in a college is? In a generation where women are still fighting for emancipation and gender equality and also when so much of discussion on Women’s Empowerment and Feminism is happening all over the world… Women’s college is busy feuding with jealousy and utter sarcasm towards the daily attire of the lady faculty despite it being an all women’s institution. Only a fool would fail to understand deep within oneself the decency and modesty of carrying oneself as a teacher. This particular institution instead should focus more on the academic growth of the students and the faculty and other very important matters because at present it also fails to provide students with the basic computer facility due to the expiry of MS Word software for over a year now, that too in the college library, leave alone its lab. The point one is trying to make here is that, a teacher does not have to be told this except if it has caused a riot in the streets. Colleges should not waste so much time in petty things but instead do something useful like working salary hikes, fixing the broken flush in the student’s toilets, providing the students with the facilities promised in the prospectus and for heaven’s sake, “GET A LIFE, CHILL OUT AND HAVE SOME FUN”.
Yours etc.,
Name withheld on request
Will voters learn any lessons?
Editor,
Recently a Parliamentary Committee visited the State to review the rural development works in the State of Meghalaya. This is a High-Powered Committee composed of MPs and other high ranking officials. Surprisingly the State team was headed by a junior Secretary level officer in the meeting. One wonders whether this was a deliberate attempt to insult the Committee since there is a BJP led government in the centre. One also wonders where the Chief Secretary or the Additional Chief Secretaries were. It seems even the Deputy Commissioner was not available during the field visits.
The state has no scarcity of Additional Chief Secretaries, which is unique to Meghalaya, but where were they during the visit of the Committee? Absence of all these top officials points to the fact that this was an intentional act at the behest of the highest power in the State Govt. Can we as a State take such an arrogant and insulting stand? Are we not ashamed that today Meghalaya is amongst the laggard states, almost last even amongst the north-eastern states and we project only pride and arrogance? This government under Mukul Sangma has brought the State to its knees. Only lip service and big dreams but nothing in the ground. So many study trips abroad with big teams but at the end of the term only distributing chicken and bamboo saplings! Look around. Streets are filled with hawkers, teachers up in arms, health sector in doldrums, road condition pathetic, ministers riddled in scams, no new job opportunities for the future generation etc.
A huge establishment in the form of IBDLP and agencies under it created just to re- employ sycophants and divert development budgets of other Departments and what is the end result? Maybe the Chief Minister will explain ‘in his typical extempore which makes the entire crowd in the Assembly to go to sleep. Today, nobody in the State Government, ministers or bureaucrat, can stand up to the Chief Minister even if he is wrong. He has a dictatorial and know-all and arrogant attitude and anybody differing is either transferred or booted out. Unfortunately the state is left with a bureaucracy which is totally lethargic and a disgrace to the service and only concerned with a plush assignment after retirement. Let us hope that the citizens judge the present government considering their performance and the number of scams while casting their votes during the upcoming state elections.
Yours etc.,
B. Syiem
Shillong-3