Editor,
Due to the Covid-19 situation, schools and colleges have been shut for months. Learning has been like a rollercoaster ride for many students especially with the online mode of education. However, things have got a little bit better day by day. Just in the month of August, the Education Department of the Government of Meghalaya has announced that schools can be reopened for students of classes X and above and also for colleges. However, the Government has given the heads of different institutions the option to decide on their reopening. I find this absolutely ridiculous on the government’s part. Firstly, allowing heads of institutions to decide leads to a lot of inequality. While some institutions decided to reopen, some are still closed which means half the students are getting better education through offline mode while students of those institutions which are still closed continue to have difficulties learning everything online; because let’s be honest you gain just about as little as thirty percent of knowledge through online mode compared to almost ninety percent you get from offline mode.
Secondly, why can’t the Education Department direct the institutions to reopen uniformly or are they too fearful of taking full responsibility? If the Government which was formed by us, the people, does not want to take responsibility for us, why did they want power in the first place? Many students are frustrated with the decision of the Government and with their institutions. I, for one am quite disappointed because my institution has still not reopened. Yes online classes are held but it is not as productive as offline classes. I often wonder if my classmates and I are lagging behind because every day I see students of other institutions going to their campuses, getting the proper form of education while some of us struggle due to online classes.
This is an appeal to i) the Government and ii) the Heads of Institutions. To the heads of institutions, please try to find means of holding offline classes for all streams whether Science or Commerce or Humanities/Arts because not only students of the Science stream are important and require the offline mode of learning. Commerce and Humanities streams are just as important. As for the Government, if you still do not want to take responsibility just issue an order to close all the institutions, because only then will it be fair. Finally I kindly request the teachers to stop assuming that we don’t want to sit for their classes so we lie about having network issues. Not all of us lie, we really face connectivity problems and yes, we get stressed which severely affects our mental health when we miss classes due to our inability to control the network.
Yours etc.,
A. P Nongrum
Via email
Infrastructure woes in new Shillong township
Editor,
The infrastructure that is required to sustain a township is important to the people living therein and to their quality of life. However, the slow developmental pace in the new Shillong township area is something to be noted. It is putting the residents into great difficulties. For the past many years, MePDCL has been unable to provide regular and uninterrupted power supply to the township. Hardly a day passes when there is no power shutdown, whether deliberate or accidental. Two years ago there was power outage for 40 hours. For the past few weeks, there has been a compulsory random power outage for several hours in a day which is making the lives of people living there extremely difficult. Be it household chores or professional work, electricity shutdown has completely disrupted them. Several attempts to complain about the power outages have not been successful as the phones are not attended to.
What is the point in setting up a new township, when basic necessities like electricity are not provided regularly? Similarly, the main narrow road in the township is horrible now and the vehicle drivers have to take risks in negotiating huge potholes on the road. The sides of the road were quickly broadened last year but no work has been initiated in the last one year to pave the road which is in a mess now. Water supply is of course another story which perhaps may take decades to reach here. In summary, the township has little to offer to the people given the poor infrastructure development concerning electricity, road and water supply which the State has failed to seriously consider as its priority.
Yours etc.,
H. Singh,
Shillong
Bane of plastics
Editor
Plastics constitute an important place in our modern life across the globe. If we take a look around us we will find at least 10 different items made of plastics inside our home. It has transformed into a part and parcel of our life; however, little do we realize how plastics products are entering our oceans and destroying our marine ecosystems. Due to poor management of solid waste products as well as loopholes in our recycling system; the bulk of waste plastic products are finding their way into our seas and oceans. Dumping of plastic waste directly into the marine environment has also turned diastrous. Several marine birds, mammals, turtles, fishes as well as invertebrates have been found to consume microplastics directly or indirectly from their surrounding environment. This is killing them in large numbers through the process of bioaccumulation, as well as deposition of plastic waste on surface water blocking sunlight damaging production of phytoplanktons and zooplanktons. This in turn has serious consequences on the marine food chains and webs with disastrous short and long term impacts on our highly sensitive marine ecosystem.
Yours etc.,
Saikat Kumar Basu
Lethbridge Alberta
Canada