Editor,
“The UGC to write to states on adoption of CUET,” sends shivers up the spine of our Higher Secondary passed students. When the Education Minister disagreed with the Common University Entrance Test (CUET) on grounds that MBOSE students would be disadvantaged, it made all happy. To reinforce his stand on CUET that it puts our students at a disadvantage the Education Minister should look at what three renowned educationists have written on the topic “Experts divided on CUET.”
Sudha Acharya, Chairperson of National Progressive Schools Conference said “Many state boards use NCERT books while some have their own books (like our MBOSE). So ICSE and State boards will be at a disadvantage.”
Delhi University Prof Rajesh Jha said, “The CUET will pose a disadvantage for students coming from rural areas and other state boards. (Listen to this danger!) Coaching institutes have already started coaching for CUET.
Again Delhi University Prof Abhi Dev Habib said, “The CUET forces it’s syllabus on everyone. Education is in the concurrent list and there are state boards involved. Multiple Choice Question (MCQs) will start guiding schools in Classes 11 and 12,and the MCQs are tricky questions. Even in NEET and JEE, we see students requiring coaching to clear the exams. It will be the same with CUET. “Why is the Centre hell bent on NEET and CUET is a mystery of mysteries, but only doctor aspirants know the reason. It is top secret and it is to make NTA coaching centres in all urban areas all over India millionaires. Coaching in India is a prosperous industry just like the automobile industry.
What is happening in our country is that there is no empathy for meritorious, hard working but poor students. If after hard resolute work from KG to 12, reading NCERT or State board text books, with good score in Physics Chemistry and Biology for studying medicine and good percentage in Higher Secondary in the subject one loves as Honours, with family inspiration, then finally NEET or CUET will stand in the way. Believe me there is something fishy in our education system. The Supreme Court can examine the matter to save poor, meritorious students.
The National testing Agency (NTA) has tortured NEET aspirants by charging lakhs of rupees to be spoon-fed. The poor who cannot spend Rs 4 -5 lakhs as coaching fees would now become victims of CUET. Our poor students who wish to get into good colleges of various universities would then have to forfeit their seats because they might not make it through
CUET.
Yours etc.,
W. Passah
Ex HOD Electronics
St Edmund’s college.
No fence-sitting please!
Editor,
Kudos to M. Khyriem for the humanitarian letter titled “Peace hath her victories no less than war”(ST March 30, 2022). Mr Khyriem has rightly advised all to be courageous and not sit on the fence when we have to make a choice between good and evil. No wonder why great minds like Desmond Tutu and Martin Luther King have expressed their outrage over “neutrality” through their enlightening statements, “If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor,” and “The hottest place in hell is reserved for those who remain neutral in times of great moral conflict ” respectively. However, the society in general or the “mainstream” either zealously support the muscle-flexing powers or provide passive support to them through hypocritical stance of “neutrality!” Not exactly a result of cowardice; rather popular endorsement of violence gives rise to such a pathetic mindset.
Let’s take the case of Will Smith slapping Chris Rock right on the stage of the Oscar presentation ceremony with several hundreds in the audience and the live proceedings being watched by the world. Smith holds every right to get offended by Rock for cracking a joke on the former’s wife but he could have verbally expressed his outrage in a civilised tone. Smith could have even sued Rock in Court. But Smith doesn’t hold any right to physically abuse Rock. Yet he did commit the unpardonable act. But did it truly shock the world at large? Probably not. Rather within a short span of time after displaying such barbarism; Smith received a thundering standing ovation from the audience on receiving the “Best Actor” award for the film ‘King Richard’ !
Smith might be a quality actor genuinely deserving the award, but all his artistic excellence stands next to nil when contrasted to this ugly behaviour ! So Janai Nelson, the President of the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund, has worried aloud in a tweet, “the way casual violence was normalized tonight by a collective national audience will have consequences that we can’t even fathom in the moment “. No wonder why vulgar and brute individuals to leaders are gaining top popularity in every sector of the society ! No wonder why megalomaniacal leaders regularly feature in top popularity rankings despite failing in matters of governance; their only “trump card” being bankrupt rhetoric, war mongering, relentless chest-thumping with blatant play of hate-card directed at the “enemies” and these tactics indeed capture the imagination of the society! Hitler had emerged as the cynosure of the eyes of the German people with disastrous consequences. Yet we are not ready to learn our lessons from history !
As far as the “neutral” fence-sitters are concerned, Pastor Martin Niemoller has a few sane words for them- “First they came for the Communists, And I did not speak out, Because I was not a Communist/ Then they came for the Socialists, And I did not speak out, Because I was not a Socialist/ Then they came for the trade unionists, And I did not speak out, Because I was not a trade unionist/ Then they came for the Jews, And I did not speak out, Because I was not a Jew/ Then they came for me, And there was no one left to speak out for me” ! Whether they would pay heed to it or not is their prerogative, but active supporters of devilish acts and “neutral” fence-sitters indeed invite unfathomable consequences by normalizing violence.
Yours etc.,
Kajal Chatterjee,
Via email