All education should be enjoyable
Editor,
Although I live far away in another country, I could relate deeply with the education crisis in rural Meghalaya, as portrayed by Ms. Mukhim, in her editorial, “We have a shared responsibility to make education a priority” (TST, Nov 10, 2023). I found this essay impressive in its details, analyses of problems, recommendations — and above all, in its empathy for the impoverished rural child. No child should have to forfeit school for want of adequate income. Children are the future of a society. To call them “resources,” is to dehumanize them, by reifying them to objects. Children are the most treasured members of any society, as are the elderly.
Most relevant, perhaps, is this point made by Ms. Mukhim — that even when they get education, rural children receive pedagogy and curricula that are authoritarian, culturally alien, substandard, and not quite geared to their needs. Adding to this, the disproportionate focus on exam results is particularly tragic — leading to suicides, low self-esteem, and lifelong trauma. When will these things change? When will Alister (the name of the fictional student in this article) become the prime focus of Indian education?
I live and work in a very different educational environment, where the problems seem to be the opposite — yet similar. American education is full of fun and games and gimmicks — but without adequate attention on basic skills. Students are rewarded for opinions — not objectivity, critical and cogent thinking, or accurate reading-comprehension. Young children are never challenged for their power of memory (a sign of character). If rote learning is one extreme, this neglect of memory is another. Add to this, a lethal over-reliance on devices, and you have a perfect recipe for disaster. Often, the fun and games and painted laughter conceal serious problems — like epidemics of mental illnesses and addictions. Unlike the pedagogic authoritarianism Ms. Mukhim speaks of, here students rule teachers. Administrators pander to spoiled customer-students, joining hands with them to gang up on (and sometimes fire) instructors. Administrators claim to be student-focused. But this is more advertisement than concrete policy. Alister is valued for the fees he pays — not his academic potential or educational needs.
But there are striking similarities. Here too, a cultural gulf separates town from gown. Although my students have always been the underserved, I have had no choice but to teach them mainly western classics. The messages in these classics may be uplifting, immortal, and universal. But to the inner-city kid, raised on rap music — the kid whose main goal is survival, and main skill is to dodge bullets and gun violence — a Plato or an Aristotle is meaningless. A young student once told me (in vernacular English): “I don’t get none of this.” My heart broke for her, but there was little I could do to help her at the level of the classroom. Since the budget is the God of American academia, there are no remedial classes to fix the serious learning problems of incoming students. And yet, when I tutor individual students, paying adequate attention (usually impossible in the classroom), they blossom and perform really well. This means they can perform well, but not on their own.
All education, whether elementary or college — should be a good balance of the moral and the utilitarian, of knowledge and information, and of creativity and basic skills. All education should be enjoyable. A young mind is fertile soil. Full of curiosity and a sense of wonder, it should not be denied expression or silenced by ego-centric authoritarian teachers. It should not be starved of knowledge. If rural children cannot come to school, the school should reach them — through idealistic itinerant teachers who, like good gardeners, know how to cultivate the fertile soil of a young mind.
Ms. Mukhim is perhaps ahead of her times in her innovative ideas about rural education …
Yours etc.,
Deepa Majumdar,
Via email
Urgent need for road repairs
Editor,
I write with reference to Salil Gewali’s recent letter captioned, “Killer potholes taking a toll on Shillongites,” (ST October 28, 2023) highlighting the perilous state of roads in Shillong. The Public Works Department (PWD) of Meghalaya seems to be in a deep sleep, unconcerned about the daily hazards faced by the town’s citizens. The appalling condition of our roads is not just a discomfort but a danger.
Accidents are not uncommon, with two-wheelers particularly at risk, as potholes turn into traps for riders, particularly during rush hours and in the darkness of the night. Similar to Anjalee Petrol Pump, I also witnessed one such accident that happened in Mawlai some weeks ago, where the riders were thrown off, visibly hurt. It’s a common sight. Yet, there seems to be no lasting solution in sight. I completely agree with Gewali that what all PWD may do are temporary fixes that will be swiftly washed away, only to reveal the gaping cracks and cavities again. This is because of the corrupt contractors. Why is the Government so lenient with them. Are the Government agencies hand-in-glove with the corrupt contractors that enjoy a cosy relationships with the political leaders? This is shameful to say the least!
This is a plea for immediate action by the Government if it wants to restore the trust of the public. It’s high time the PWD awakened and addressed this pressing issue. The safety of Shillongites can no longer be compromised.
Yours etc.,
Robert Lyngdoh
Via email
A hundred years of electricity in Shillong
Editor,
It is enthralling to think that our city Shillong has completed 100 years of its electricity connection this year October 2023. “The project received its formal inauguration in October 1923, graced by the presence of the illustrious Maharani of ‘Cooch Behar’. [Ref:- ‘A Hundred Years of Lighting Shillong with Hydro Power’. The Sunday Shillong Times dated October 15, 2023, Author D.P. Bhattacharya, Retired Principal Chief Engineer and Member Hydro, Me.S.E.B., Shillong]
‘It was on October 17, 1923, a Wednesday, when with sheer amazement, the city of Shillong sparkled with electric lights, conquering the dark after sundown. Cheers and hoorah echoed all over the city’! (Ref:- Uma Purkayastha The Sunday Shillong dt. March 26, 2023) Today it is unthinkable how the old Shillongites passed their lives without electricity, and proceeded with important official works of a capital city, education of children, medical treatment of patients etc. only with the help of candle light, kerosine lamps (lantern), open Mashal etc. Some celebrity tourists like Swami Vivekananda, and Rabindranath Tagore, also visited Shillong during that dark period, and praised the calm and quiet life of Shillong. Braving that dark period of Shillong, many talented students of this city got exceptionally good results and were well placed in life. But today electricity is a bare necessity without which city life is paralysed.
The main architect of the project of introducing electricity in Shillong was Dr. Bidhan Chandra Roy, former Chief Minister of West Bengal, who was then (1921-22) a student of Medicine but visited Shillong frequently as his parents lived at Kench’s Trace Shillong. The first Hydro Electricity office was named after him – ‘Bidhan Chandra House’ (opposite to old Secretariat Building) which is not visible now.
Today, Shillong, with all its grandeur, is flooded by electric lights! But the present generation of Shillong does not know its history. It would be highly appreciated if the Meghalaya Energy Corporation Limited (MeECL) could take the initiative to celebrate the Centenary of Electricity in Shillong, this year with special electrical illumination in the city, to commemorate its foundation.
Yours etc
Uma Purkayastha
Shillong – 4
Menace of Durga Puja kiosks, hoardings, etc.
Editor,
During the recent Durga Puja and other festivities, extra layers and pieces of hoardings, kiosks, pandals, etc., were constructed and put up, many of which were on temporary and on unsafe structures. This is true in many places, and more specifically in the cities and towns. These are hazardous and unsafe, and encroach public spaces, roads, and pathways. Perhaps, many of these were unauthorized and without permission.
As a concerned citizen, I urge upon the authorities to initiate steps to get these removed immediately, as these pose a serious threat to public life, and seriously hamper movement of pedestrians and vehicles alike.
Yours etc.,
D Bhutia,
Guwahati – 24