Editor,
The Senior School Leaving Certificate (SSLC) results were out on Monday. As usual only 50% of students that appeared for their school final exams could clear it. For decades the pass percentage has been around 44-45 %. In the past four years it touched 54-55 %. This time due to the upheavals caused by Covid perhaps the results have slumped to 50%. Be that as it may, one is distressing to note that the poor results do not cause any concern to successive governments in Meghalaya. No one is bothered about conducting a intensive study to find out the real reasons for the huge percentage of failures. What happens to those who failed? Do they get back into the school system or do they drop out completely after this failure?
The results have shown that some schools have sent just single digit number of students like 6 students where only 2 passed. In some cases out of 24 students sent only 6 passed and out of 8 only 4 passed. There’s a school in Bhaitbari, Garo Hills which sent 7 students but none passed. Actually this calls for serious reflection by the parents, who unfortunately play a very passive role in the education of their children and believe that whatever the school does is beyond blame. Teacher absenteeism in the rural schools is a major cause of poor educational outcomes. Parents should be complaining about this. But without regular surprise checks, schools are now functioning as they please. It’s time to have local committees to keep a check on the functioning of schools in every locality/village.
Yours etc.,
K Lyngdoh,
Via email
Trump administration’s shenanigans
Editor,
The US administration’s decision a few days ago to send home international scholars if their curriculum comprised only online classes in the wake of COVID-19 pandemic triggered shock waves around the world. The decision had put international students in the country in a predicament when the US administration declared that they would have to leave the country in 10 days if their universities opt for online-only classes for the August-December semester. However, at the first hearing of the first of many court challenges from universities and states, the US government quashed the decision. About 202,000 Indian students study in the US every year and the withdrawal of the decision is a positive sign for them. The revoked directive says that international students will have to take at least one course on campus to reside in the US. American universities that have been closed since March because of COVID-19 outbreak will have to allow on-campus classes to abide by the directive.
For Indian students, the US is the top foreign education destination. 28% of Indian students studying abroad were in the US as on 18 July, 2018. Canada came second with 16% and Australia with 12%. In 2018-19, US had 1.1 million foreign students. China led with 33.7% share , India came second with 18.4% and South Korea came third with 4.8%. US universities require international students as much as international students seek admission in these universities. International students spend huge amounts of money in the US. They spent $44.7 billion in the US in 2018-19 on fees and other expenses. Indian students would have spent a huge amount of money. Indians also contribute enormously to the skilled workforce in the US.
Trump’s earlier decision had met with fierce opposition from America’s many universities that are considerably dependent on the higher fees that foreign students pay. American students opposed the decision because they feared that there would be a hike in their fees to make up for the loss of the fees paid by international students. It was opposed by half million Americans who get employment because of the foreign students. No wonder a lot of lawsuits challenging the decision were filed. In the face of this fierce opposition, the US administration was forced to withdraw its decision and restore status quo. However, the US administration made it clear that the withdrawal of the decision was tactical and it was not necessarily a wrong that was corrected. Given that Trump is notorious for his unwise decisions, it cannot be predicted what his next step in this regard would be. He hopes to win the presidential election but that seems unlikely. Nevertheless the world must prepare itself for Trump’s shenanigans.
Yours etc.,
GS Venu,
Via email