Editor,
The silent scream by Br. Solomon Morris (April 18, 2023) is rather scholarly, yet poignant! The reflective exercise, the common triggers of teen stress and a string of questions raised for adults, seem generational, barring ‘Screen addiction.’ There are many reasons, studied opinions/observations or assumptions why the addiction is alarming.
I am no scholar! Just a keen and sharp observer! Let me be blunt to the point of being jarring, but without incurring anybody’s wrath, though I’m prepared for any criticism. We need to see things with a deeper wisdom and wider perspective.
My observations and experiences point to two institutions that must shoulder the blame to a greater extent: The family and The School! It’s too exhaustive a topic to deal with every issue pointed out, so I’ll focus on only a few observations.
The old family system of closeness and togetherness is eroded today. To keep the child quiet or occupied the parents use the TV or mobile as a new toy! And there it all begins! Screen addiction! And when school work is not done at home the parents complain to the teacher or Principal saying the child doesn’t listen and is constantly at the TV or mobile. They then request school to intervene! Can the school deal with home matters of recalcitrant children?
Parents are more caught up in their own lives and social media lampoons this that draws laughter(sic). Tik Tok have some classic videos on real home situations.
The school today has too many frailties, shortcomings and weaknesses. Where is that excitement and liveliness of classroom learning teaching process? Look at the student strength jammed into a classroom! How can a teacher cope with students’ individuality and uniqueness? It’s all about finances! Period.
I wonder if any parent has ever seen their ward extend their classroom learning to the home also! How are students motivated to use the screen constructively? Do schools set home assignments from TV programmes instead of the dull exercises at the end of the chapters? Let’s be downright honest and open on daily classroom transactions in schools today. Teachers are more caught up in classroom /teaching/learning/ disciple and order sacrificing the natural curiosity and eagerness to know. And here I lament at the misplaced authoritarian and cock-eyed policies of the School Management! Keep students quiet in the class! Cover the syllabus! Do corrections! Make sure homework is given! Fill in the daily ‘Work covered’ register of your subject! Humour the parents! I could go on!
And lastly how we help our children is best explored by a lively discussion. I’m in agreement with the guidelines listed, but each needs further dissection. I know my letter will meet with disapproval from many. I don’t want to be a wet rag, but unless the seriousness of what’s happening with our children is thrashed out with a ‘no holds barred’ discussion, we will not be able to address the issues. The alternative is to be in denial mode.
Yours etc.,
Kevin Phillips,
Shillong – 19
End goal of economic growth should be equitable distribution of income.
Editor,
It was a proud moment for Meghalaya, Assam, Manipur and the entire North-eastern region that Guwahati, Dibrugarh, Imphal and Shillong played host to numerous G20 meetings on a whole range of issues. So credit where credit’s due! The Prime Minister and the entire Central leadership deserves praise for putting the North eastern region in the global spotlight. Representatives and diplomats from the 20 most powerful nations in the world were represented in most of these meetings and they were able to witness first-hand the vast economic potential of the north eastern region as a whole.
The economy of many states in the country are now on a transition but sadly most of the economies of the North- eastern region are still agrarian based economies. A majority of the workforce in the region are still employed in Agriculture which is still plagued by low yield, small size of land holding, disguised unemployment and lack of mechanization. The north eastern region needs to follow in the footsteps of states that have made rapid progress in the secondary sector but industrialisation in the region should be based on industries that will prioritize the unique skill sets of the inhabitants of the region.
Industrialisation in many of the capitalist economies of the west has led to high inequality in distribution of income. Take for example the USA, the torchbearer of capitalism and the most powerful country in the world. The size of the US economy is 26 trillion dollars in purchasing power parity terms; real median household income in 2021 was 70,784 dollars yet the official poverty rate of the USA for the same year was 11.6 percent which means that almost 38 million people live below the poverty line. A gini coefficient of 41.5 means that the USA is one of the countries with the highest wealth inequality in the world. In a purely capitalist economy like the USA, the government usually refrains from taking affirmative action to lift its vulnerable citizens out of poverty; the invisible hand and trickle-down effect are supposed to help poor people lift themselves out of poverty but such an economic idea is out of touch with the harsh economic realities.
The main aim of a capitalist is to maximize profit and minimize cost so in order to achieve this objective, workers are paid wages which are well below what they deserve. Unskilled workers usually bear the brunt of such a low wage policy. In such a situation, the trickle-down effect will never lift people out of poverty. A low wage policy will never enable people to climb up the economic ladder.
Fortunately in a country like India, our founding fathers envisioned a policy of affirmative action to lift the most vulnerable sections out of poverty. In the past two decades or so, affirmative action has lifted millions of people out of poverty yet more needs to be done to eradicate poverty. Our policy makers both at the State and Centre need to strike a balance between capitalistic and socialist ideals to ensure an egalitarian society; even if rapid industrialisation is to take place in the North-eastern region, the workers and the inhabitants of the region should be the ones who should reap the dividends of high economic growth.
Yours etc.,
Gary Marbaniang,
Via email