Editor,
As a concerned parent I am disconcerted by the exorbitant school fees charged by Loreto Convent. The school has been hiking the school fees @ 10% every year without once consulting parents or justifying the hike. I need to seek clarification from the school administration as to whether the following fee structure is justified.
- Tuition fees …. Rs 2660 per month
- Maintenance fees …. Rs 1500 per annum
- Annual fees (stationery, examination, arts & craft etc.,)…. Rs 2000 per annum
- E-Care fees (SMS disbursement, attendance etc.,)… Rs 1200 per annum
- Computer fees (Classes IV to VIII)… Rs 1500 per annum
- Computer fees/Home Science fees (Classes IX & X)… Rs 1500 per annum
- Science fees (Classes VII to X)…. Rs 1500 per annum
- Admission Fee: ( For new admissions only)…. Rs 15, 000
- Late fee if paid after due date…. Rs 100 per month
- Magazine fee ….Rs 150 per annum
Since when has stationery cost become separate from school fees? And what constitutes stationery since parents provide all the stationery required for their children? And why should there be a separate examination fee? Is that not included in the tuition fees as well?
I am sure that the first response of the school on seeing this letter is to say, “If you cannot afford the fees, take your child out and admit her in another school.” This is the reason why most parents remain silent and only crib among themselves since the parent-teachers meeting too does not address these grievances. And this is the reason why Loreto Convent continues to blackmail parents, knowing full well that they will beg, borrow and steal in order to pay the school fees. Now why should a missionary school charge such exorbitant fees? Is the idea to provide education only to the affluent elite? Is this the Christian mission? Are those from the middle and low income groups not entitled to study in Loreto Convent? The problem with private schools in Meghalaya is that there are no regulations and no checks and balances on their fee structures. It’s time for parents to speak up and for the Government to intervene. There is a limit to the extortion that parents are being subjected to.
Yours etc.,
Name withheld on request
Attempt to kill the medical profession!
Editor,
I was appalled at the callous attitude of the writer of the article, ‘Rural Medical Care-With or without bridge courses’ (ST April 7, 2018). From the article it is evident that the author, like many others, uses doctors as punching bags, as everyone feels they are soft targets.
The Indian Medical Association(IMA) opposed the National Medical Commission Bill(NMC) as it was not good for the society at large. The writer has tried to portray the rejection of the bill as because doctors do not want more people to easily enter the field.
As a doctor, I will be happy to see more people joining the workforce as my job will be reduced and it will be easy for me to get more assistants, thereby enabling me to cater to more patients. But that doesn’t mean compromising on the training. Can an English professor be asked to teach Khasi after making her undergo a six month bridge course? And if the Khasi professors disapprove of this, would you attribute it to their not wanting more people entering their field?
I have seen several patients who, after being advised treatment, have chosen alternative treatments and come back to me with a worsened condition, several times in conditions which cannot be treated. But there is no accountability for this. I am not condemning the AYUSH practitioners, but they have been trained in their own fields and they need to be encouraged to practice what they have learnt. Besides, this will increase the quackery already widely prevalent in our country. There is also the mention of ‘unpardonable professional crimes’ and so on. While I don’t condone such behaviour, there is bound to be such incidents in every field. It doesn’t help painting a negative picture of the entire profession. Why are no questions raised about the dismal conviction rate for criminals in the country, the poor handling of traffic, huge delays in government projects and so on? If there is so much depravity in the health sector (as the author says) it probably only reflects the society at large.
The article talks about all the inadequacies in the health sector and the dismal doctor-population ratio. While the whole country faces this problem, the situation is much better in the southern states like Kerala and Tamilnadu. One of the reasons is the investment on Government Medical Colleges and also reservations given to government doctors for postgraduate courses and other affirmative action. Tamilnadu has medical colleges in almost all of the districts. Now, this is not due to the efforts of doctors in these southern states, rather it is due to the policies of the governments. But this article says doctors have to come up with suggestions to improve the scenario. Is the author in utopia, where the suggestions of the doctors are implemented? So what are the suggestions?
- Increase the medical seats in government medical colleges
- Ensure timely procurement of equipment and drugs
- Ensure adequate staffing in government institutions
- Create a congenial working environment for doctors
- Reduce the ‘Non-Medical’ work which doctors are expected to do.
While these suggestion are nothing out of the box, have the policy makers implemented any of these?
Has the author questioned why there isn’t a medical college in the state of Meghalaya ? Even the one which is proposed would be a part private college. Does the Civil hospital provide adequate services? Why have buildings been constructed in the Civil Hospital, but services not started yet(citing 5% pending work)? Why is it that qualified Government doctors are posted elsewhere, in departments where their services are not fully utilized?
These questions ought to be directed at the powers that be, not at the humble doctors, who, if the NMC bill would be passed in its current form, would even lose their professional autonomy. The NMC will contain several non-medical persons deciding what the doctors should do. Did the judiciary accept the NJAC, with non-judicial persons ?
It would be nice if the author responds, or desists from writing such articles, which would not be of any benefit to the society.
Yours etc.,
Name withheld on request
(A humble doctor, who is not a policy maker)