Editor,
Avner Pariat in his featured article,.’ We (urgently) Need Liberal Education (ST June 17, 2023) has made me contemplate more on the first half rather than on the suggestions because, personally, I feel nothing will come of it no matter what is suggested to the Government.
Pardon me then if I, through Letters to the Editor, respond to Avner Pariat’s ’article and not through the email given. Perhaps some time later I’ll get in touch with the author. Establishing what Liberal Education truly is, sets the tone to his write-up and the background to what I have to say vis-à-vis CBSE & ISC affiliated schools.
Right up to the early1970s, ISC was a School Education Board to be reckoned with and CBSE passed off as a pale third option with state boards taking the second place. ISC was commonly known as Senior Cambridge in my time because it was affiliated to the University of Cambridge, UK and our certificates were issued under The Council for The Indian Schools Certificate Examination by the Local Examination Syndicate, UK. Yes such schools carried the elitest and snobbish tag in ‘mainland’ India, (for lack of an appropriate word). Let’s not be in denial. We did have an air about ourselves as products of ISC. But look at the large number of the IAS, IFS, Armed forces, police, and all Indian Administrative appointees! They were all products of ISC schools!
And I honestly believe that was what the Liberal Education system brought about or rather produced! I’m certainly amenable to other opinions!
Currently the CBSE has overtaken all school boards. Over the years the Indian government has tuned and fine-tuned the curriculum and system. They had to break the stranglehold of ISC brand of alumni that were well positioned in all fields of employment and were powerful.
So much so, today entrance examinations to all government professional colleges dovetail with CBSE giving them an edge over other boards and allowing papers to be written in Hindi too! Thereafter, the rapid switch over of schools to CBSE began. Given what the government is doing through CBSE,’which is itself becoming anti- scientific and uncritical,’ state boards are now riding the CBSE wave and adopted with adaptations in Social Studies particularly, to fall in line. States like Sikkim and Arunachal are totally CBSE. The future of our students are now CBSE controlled. And Meghalaya will join the bandwagon with a ‘customised’ version as the Advisor, to the Government proclaims! To quote Avner Pariat on MBOSE, ‘… paralysed by inane bureaucracies, obsession with logistics and vested interest.’ is the rut that they will not get out of.
So can Liberal Education swim against the cesspool of morass that’s happening? Will our students continue to be disadvantaged by weak leaders of the state who cannot humble themselves and give priority to education?
Yours etc.,
Kevin Phillips
Shillong – 19
Domestic workers demand: It’s a mutual thing
Editor,
The All Meghalaya Domestic Workers Union (AMDWU), has once again requested the state government to initiate compulsory registration of all domestic workers as well as fix minimum wages for them. In these times when prices of essential commodities are on the rise, one feels that there is a need for the employers to understand the demand for higher wages as well. Likewise, in this busy world, where time flies, the need of having helping hands has increased and is felt by many. To engage domestic help had been and is still a common phenomenon. What must be mutually understood by both the employers and the help is value for money. If employers agree to pay the demanded wage, then the help must also understand that they equally need to be sincere with their work. No employer will grudge the pay as long as the outcomes is satisfactory.
The way things are now, domestic help seem to be a little callous about their duties. Those who come for an hour at times take a day off without informing the employers. When this happens, everything goes out of gear for the employers, especially if they are working themselves. The expectation of the employers is for the lost hours to be compensated for either by an addition of the lost hour or a deduction of that day’s wage. While some helpers do agree to make up for the hour many refuse to do so and refuse the have a pay cut. If it’s just for a day, employers will try to manage things but at times they tend to stay away for four days to a week. As employers, they will have to look for alternative temporary help for which money will have to be paid for the work done. Again, one also wishes to state that in times of sickness, one is certain that employers have been understanding and will bear no grudges against their helpers.
Another difficulty that employers face is when the domestic helpers do not give any prior notice before leaving their job. At times they would simply say that they will no longer come to work from the next day. Isn’t this lack of responsibility and reliability on their part? There are also those who do not like being corrected for work not done satisfactorily. In case one corrects them there is a good chance that you will not see them the next day. Employers are placed in such a position that they are made to endure all their misdemeanours because the helpers know that they are very much needed.
With live-in-domestic helpers, besides being paid their wages they also ask for rest and weekly day-off. Well, no employer must be so inhuman as to not allow them to take a break but in spite of this what is irksome is again these helpers do not stick to the verbal contract and leave after few weeks or even months. Is this fair?
Hence if domestic help are to be registered and the government is to fix their wages then the government should also chalk out certain rules and regulations in order to maintain fairness in the dealings among the two parties. One is not being critical or even demeaning to the domestic helpers because our needs are mutual but experience makes one speak about the one-sided arrangement. Just as the All Meghalaya Domestic Workers’ Union (AMDWU) are working towards safeguarding the rights of their fellow workers, employers are equally anxious to see that the AMDWC also safeguard the interests of the employers and address the erratic behaviour of their fellow workers and not turn a blind eye to the shortcomings of their members.
Yours etc.,
Jenniefer Dkhar,
Via email