Editor,
What Mr Vincent Pala, a Lok Sabha member representing the state of Meghalaya from the Congress party, said about Performance Grade Index (PGI) 2019-2020 following the dismal performance of Meghalaya in school education is deplorable to say the least. It displayed poor statesmanship, bigotry, xenophobia and ignorance. How else can we interpret his assessment that it is a ploy of the BJP central leadership to downgrade the Christian institutions of the state?
Let Mr Pala answer how Kerala, a Christian state with a number of schools run by missionaries is placed in the highest grade via his own logic. Literacy rates may be higher in Meghalaya but that does not take into account outcomes which the PGI intends to measure. It measures transformational changes which go beyond just text book learning.
At a time when the Meghalaya State Government has accepted the gradings graciously and pledged to work on the shortcomings, why is Mr Pala making such statements? Probably because he is a Congressman, some would say. Others can allege he lobbies for the missionary schools. To me he speaks like any other Congressman who has to speak something cynical against everything the central govt tries to do. By highlighting the role of missionary schools, he has indirectly revealed his leanings towards private institutions over government run schools.
PGI itself is non-partisan and transparent. Being a scientific tool, it adopts a grading protocol rather than ranking in order to avoid inter- state conflicts.
Mr Pala is concerned about the image of Meghalaya. Where is his concern when it comes to law and order which continuously shows a downward trend? Mr Pala’s dislike for Eklavya schools tends to emanate from his lack of awareness and appreciation for the other world. Eklavya schools were started by the Tribal Affairs Ministry to provide free and quality education to Scheduled Tribe children in the farthest corners of the country. The Centre grants funds and the state governments implement this by recruiting teachers and students. There is no hidden agenda per se.
The need for centrally- modelled schools is much more acute for states in the remote northeast. I would go far as to argue for more such institutions to bring in cohesiveness and promote nationalism at an early stage among the tribals students, many of whom feel alienated from the mainland. How many Khasis know Sanskrit or can appreciate mainland Indian art or culture despite being part of a free country for over seventy years? Why this self-imposed isolation?
Missionary schools do a good job of what they do and everyone is proud of them. Education in itself, cannot brainwash or force anyone to change unless one’s own consciousness feels the need to. We live by our own choices and aspirations.
Citizens and media must not give in to allegations made by politicians that are not backed by
factual evidence. Such statements divide society and usher confusion and chaos.
Yours etc.,
Bhaskar D
Via email
Govt must be prepared for 3rd Covid wave
Editor,
The news report that Government has set up special committee to manage paediatric Covid cases” (ST June 11, 2021) is imperative before we are hit by the 3rd wave of the pandemic that is expected to severely affect children. In fact, we have read of the third wave infecting at least 8000 children in some districts in Maharashtra last month. It’s always better to be safe than sorry, hence it is pertinent to find ways and means to safeguard ourselves and especially our children from Covid. Ever since I read of the possibility of a 3rd wave, my fear as a mother was beyond imagination. The young and vulnerable with no COVID vaccine to shield them fills one with trepidation. I’m sure all mothers nurse this fear since our whole purpose in life revolves around the overall wellbeing of our children. Therefore, as a mother and a parent, I earnestly request the State Government to deliberate on this issue and to act fast and come up with a plan of action to safeguard our children.
The 2nd wave itself is a harbinger of fear, what with COVID case updates every day giving us different numbers of those who have succumbed to the virus, those who are ill as well as those that recovered. Though, the number of recoveries far exceed the death rate, yet what is still lurking before us is the grave uncertainty of not knowing everything about the virus.
Government should be prepared to handle the 3rd wave more adequately and with more sagacity before anything untoward happens. We must ready ourselves to battle the entry of the 3rd wave and not allow it to catch us unawares. As it is, the concern of the State Government is the rapid spread of the Delta variant of Covid. It is essential that the Government leaves no stone unturned to protect its people. Having said that, we as citizens should not forget our own roles and responsibilities in battling Covid. We have to be vigilant and adhere to SOPs in letter and spirit for our own sake and that of our children, our loved ones the human race in general. It doesn’t look as if the pandemic will recede anytime soon. Let us therefore be more careful and strive to live for one another, with one another.
Yours etc.,
Jenniefer Dkhar,
Via email
NEHU fails its students
Editor,
I am a retired employee and a parent of a student studying in NEHU and it is with utmost disgust that I state that the current officials of the Examination Department have been playing with the futures of the students. My daughter, who has bagged a prestigious fellowship from a University in the United States, is unable to confirm her offer just because the results of a semester which was completed nearly four months ago has not yet been declared. Sources say the Professors have diligently finished evaluating the answer scripts, which was really easy this time around, owing to the online mode of examination. However, the highhandedness of the current Controller of Examination and his associates, especially the Deputy Registrar in-charge deputed from the Computer Center who is usually even more sluggish in his approach, has put the career of my daughter and thousands of others in turmoil.
I urge the Vice Chancellor to kindly expedite this matter of utmost importance so that erring and “pension-drawing” officers such as the ones mentioned are taken to task and hardworking and deserving students do not suffer because of their misdeeds and incapability.
Yours etc.,
A concerned parent
Name withheld on request