Editor,
Andrew J May, the great grand-nephew of Thomas Jones 1, in his book ” Welsh missionaries and British imperialism,” said, “Written Khasi was co-produced by U Juncha, U Doowan Rai and Jones.” He also described that U Juncha was from the Ding-doh Tribe and Doowan Rai was from Leihiam. I think it’s high time for us the Khasi people to recognized these other two Khasi men who had assisted Reverend Thomas Jones in producing the Khasi script. For 185 years these Khasi men were ignored or left unrecognized, so now it’s high time that we recall and recognize their contributions as well.
Yours etc.,
D. Diengdoh,
Sohra
MTET Rescheduled at Inconvenient Time: Teachers Deserve a More Practical Schedule
Editor,
Through the columns of your esteemed newspaper, I wish to draw the attention of the concerned authorities to the recent decision of the Directorate of Educational Research and Training (DERT), Meghalaya, to reschedule the Meghalaya Teacher Eligibility Test (MTET), 2026 to 24 July 2026. While the teaching community welcomes the postponement, the revised date unfortunately falls during a period when teachers are already burdened with multiple academic and government-assigned responsibilities, leaving little scope for meaningful preparation. July is traditionally one of the busiest periods in the academic calendar. Schools across the State are engaged in conducting Half-Yearly Examinations, requiring teachers to prepare question papers, supervise examinations, tabulate marks, prepare results and perform numerous related duties. The evaluation of answer scripts, which continues well beyond the examination period, further adds to their work-load. At the same time, a large number of teachers are serving as Booth Level Officers (BLOs) in the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of Electoral Rolls.
As per the notified schedule, house-to-house verification is to be carried out from 30 June to 29 July 2026, almost entirely overlapping with the period preceding the MTET. This assignment involves extensive field visits, verification of records, preparation of reports and attendance at training programmes and review meetings. Many teachers have also been entrusted with Census House Listing duties. Although the current phase may be nearing completion, they are expected to participate in further training and preparatory activities connected with the Population Census proposed for early 2027. These responsibilities come in addition to their regular teaching and school-related administrative work. Consequently, during the very period intended for MTET preparation, teachers are required to balance school examinations, answer-script evaluation, electoral duties, Census-related assignments and various official trainings. Under such circumstances, finding adequate time for focused study and revision becomes extremely challenging. The purpose of postponing an examination is to provide candidates with sufficient time to prepare. Unfortunately, scheduling the MTET on 24 July does not fully serve that objective. Instead, it places thousands of serving teachers under additional pressure at a time when they are already occupied with a combination of academic, electoral and governmental responsibilities. It must be appreciated that teachers are not full-time competitive examination aspirants; they are professionals entrusted with educating children while simultaneously discharging numerous duties assigned by different departments of the Government.
Teachers do not oppose quality benchmarks or professional assessment. On the contrary, they, I believe, strongly support initiatives aimed at improving educational standards. However, such examinations should be conducted at a time when candidates have a reasonable opportunity to prepare adequately. A more practical and equitable approach would have been to schedule the MTET after the completion of Half-Yearly Examination duties, answer-script evaluation and the peak phase of SIR activities. I therefore earnestly appeal to the Government, DERT and the concerned authorities to reconsider the present schedule before finalising the examination date. Any decision affecting thousands of serving teachers should take into account the realities they face at the grassroots level so that the twin objectives of maintaining teacher quality and ensuring fairness can be achieved together.
Yours etc.,
Jairaj,
Via email
Cough Syrup Not To Be Sold Over The Counter
Editor,
With effect from June 9, 2026, the word ‘syrups’ has been omitted from the Schedule K of Drugs Rules, 1945, which lists medicines exempt from certain regulatory conditions under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940. Earlier, cough syrups and similar liquid medicines were included in Schedule K, allowing them to be sold under relaxed rules, including in some cases without a prescription.
Following consultation with the Drugs Technical Advisory Board, this exemption has now been withdrawn. As a result, cough syrups and other medicinal syrups are no longer freely available and must be purchased only with a doctor’s prescription, ensuring safer use and tighter regulation. This will be a big challenge in regulating cough syrups.
The Centre’s decision to restrict over-the-counter sales of cough syrups is a positive step, but systemic weaknesses in India’s drug regulatory framework continue to undermine effective oversight. India may take pride in earning the tag of the ‘pharmacy of the world’, but along with it comes the responsibility of ensuring the strictest standards for products that can make the difference between life and death. A series of tragedies in the recent past, involving the deaths of children due to the consumption of adulterated cough syrup manufactured by Indian pharma companies, seriously damaged the country’s reputation as a global pharma hub. The Centre’s latest decision to end the over-the-counter sale of cough syrups and other syrup-based medicines is a welcome step, but the bigger challenge is ensuring foolproof quality standards. As per the notification issued by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, a doctor’s prescription is mandatory to buy cough syrups or any syrup-based medication
While the move is ostensibly meant to strengthen regulatory oversight of syrup formulations and to align the exemption framework with contemporary public health and safety requirements, it is only a very small step in a series of reforms that are urgently needed in the drug regulatory system. While many consumers have long treated such cough syrups as harmless remedies for seasonal ailments, more serious systemic lapses were exposed when the deaths of children were attributed to the cough syrups manufactured in the country. Indian-made cough syrups were linked to mass child deaths in Gambia, Cameroon and Uzbekistan. Back home, similar tragedies were reported in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. These incidents have exposed serious lapses in drug safety.
The reports of fatalities linked to substandard medicines have repeatedly raised questions about quality control, testing and oversight. A plethora of problems plagues the pharma sector. Manufacturing units operate in unregulated conditions. Apart from rampant corruption, there is chronic understaffing and inconsistent inspections. Licences cancelled after a major incident are quietly reversed once public attention fades. There is no system for doctors to flag clusters of poisoning symptoms, and there is no effective drug recall mechanism. So, contaminated batches remain in circulation and cause repeated.
Despite rules which mandate every batch of raw material and final product be tested, and records maintained, there is no documentation of a chain-of-custody of inputs. Experience shows that tighter rules alone will not guarantee safer outcomes. India has no shortage of regulations governing the sale of medicines, yet prescription drugs often remain easily available without proper scrutiny. The real challenge lies in enforcement. Unless pharmacies are regularly inspected and violations attract meaningful penalties, the latest notification risks becoming another well-intentioned rule with limited impact on the ground. Stronger audits, criminal liability for negligence and swift justice are essential. Without them, every adulteration tragedy chips away at public trust — the most vital ingredient in any medicine. Though the Union Government has been insisting on stricter adherence to revised manufacturing practices and periodic inspections, enforcement remains patchy. State regulators lack manpower, and penalties are rarely effective.
Yours etc.,
Yash Pal Ralhan,
Via email
