Editor,
Apropos the letter captioned, “Gross Errors in MBOSE Textbooks” by M Khyriem, (ST June 20, 2019), I personally, independently and without any bias, after thorough studies and with extensive cross references and examination on the following topics wish to offer my clarification.
(i) Ear trumpet
(ii) Ultrasonography
(iii) Sonic boom
(iv) Experiment on Archimedes’ principle
(v) Experiment to show that sound wave need a medium to travel
(vi) Kepler’s law on planetary motion
The above topics are included in the Science Textbook of Class IX(Nine) MBOSE authored by V.K Sally and S.K Agarwal. With due respect I would like to state that all the descriptions, definitions, explanations, information and steps involved in describing and in the experimental verification of all the mentioned topics are correct and appropriate and are up to the standard of Class IX Students of our State, Meghalaya. It is found that there is no default in the facts and scientific information and concepts of the above mentioned topics.
(i) Ear Trumpet: it is just an example on the application of the reflection of Sound: The information supplied in
the textbook are all correct and up to the standard. It is old technology but the present students must have an idea about the old technologies, after all it’s just an example
(ii) Ultrasonography: it is also just an example on the application of ultrasound; for details the students must pursue higher studies in Lab- Tech after they have passed their class XII Science. The brief information supplied about Ultrasonography is absolutely Correct.
(iii) Sonic Boom: All the information and explanation about Sonic Boom is absolute Correct, except the year “1948”; where the first object which moves with supersonic speed is produced may be omitted, as no evidence is available from where the information on the year is extracted (the evidence is not mentioned in the text as an extra information); but it is not a very serious misinformation as it is not a Scientific Default but rather a Historical Default.
(iv) Experiment on Archimedes’ Principle: The Experiment on verification of Archimedes’ Principle is absolutely correct. All the steps, diagrams, symbols assigned and the presentation are absolutely correct.
(v) Experiment to show that sound wave needs a medium to travel: All the steps in the activity are correct. Diagram is correctly presented, and the explanation is more than enough for the students of Class IX. For higher understanding on the phenomena the higher classes will discuss that in detail.
(vi) Kepler’s Law on Planetary motion: Kepler’s Law on planetary motion is not included in the Syllabus of Class IX MBOSE, because it is a high standard Law, not expected to be understood by all the students of Class IX Standard. However, it is inserted in the textbook of Science and Technology of class IX in the Chapter on Gravitation (Chapter -3) as an extra information (written within the special box) which is obviously important for extra-brilliant students to be aware about this Law in advance if they are interested.
This Article is not written to hurt or support any person/Organization/Association/ Board‘s feeling but rather it is to eliminate confusion and misunderstanding among all the teachers and students who teach and study Science respectively as their subject.
Yours etc.,
- S. Rynghang (M.Sc Physics, B. Ed),
Via email
Learn to respect electoral verdicts
Editor,
Apropos the letter “Why Kerala failed the BJP?” (ST June 24, 2019) by Jerome K. Diengdoh, it is saddening to note that Mr. Diengdoh seems to hold little regard for the democratic wishes and choices of a large proportion of our country’s population. In his letter, he outlines how the highly literate state of Kerala decided to vote in favour of the Congress-led UDF and opposed the largely pan India approval of the BJP. According to him, the people of Kerala, being on average more literate than their north Indian counterparts, were able to resist falling into the BJP’s alleged trap of communal polarisation that supposedly swayed the less “educated” citizens of states like UP and Bihar. It is disheartening that Mr Diengdoh seems to believe that unless a citizen holds some form of formal education, he or she is incapable of voting sensibly and can be easily misled. Mr Diengdoh further seems to imply that the votes cast by citizens of states with low literacy like UP, Rajasthan and even Meghalaya, hold little value since many of the people casting them are illiterate.
A high literacy rate does not automatically mean that a state is free from all societal issues and problems. The example of Kerala itself justifies this. Despite being a highly literate state, Kerala witnesses frequent political violence and has the highest rate of political murders in the country, while less literate states like Rajasthan and MP see far more peaceful elections. In addition to this, a 2018 Home Ministry report stated that communal clashes in Kerala doubled in the span of a year. Hence, Mr. Diengdoh’s statement that Kerala is absolutely free from communal tension is not only incorrect, but made in poor taste and with a clear intention to portray other Indian states in a bad light, simply because they voted in favour of a certain party. Just as we cannot use a few instances of political violence to label the residents of Kerala as ‘violent’, we also cannot use low literacy rates to dismiss the political voices of the people of our country. Kerala’s educational structure is commendable, and it should be the guiding example for other states, not a divisive tool. Mr Diengdoh also lavishes praise on the English people, highlighting their political consciousness and wisdom. He seems to forget that those very same Englishmen committed inhuman, heinous atrocities like the Jallianwala Bagh massacre and even today, these “acutely conscious” Englishmen seem bereft of the simple dignity and class to tender an apology for the massacre.
In a democracy, it is important to harbour a democratic temper even when our favoured political parties fail to come to power. We should all have the grace and dignity to accept the verdict of the people of our country and refrain from questioning their intellect and understanding, even if we ourselves are not in favour of their choices. For that is the beauty of a democracy, as all people, regardless of literacy and community, get equal voices.
Yours etc.,
NK Kehar
Shillong -3