Farmers as
an alibi
Editor,
I appreciate Patricia Mukhim’s solid and grounded article on the problems faced by our local farmers. Having worked for various projects and still connected to rural development with farmers, self help groups and federations, I personally feel that such an August event would have been more worthy and practically positive if it was held in a open space right on the fields where our rural cultivators work and earn to feed countless households. That till date a state uniform policy is missing which is much needed to address landlessness amongst farmers, price regulation system, free and effective transportation system coupled with innovation to push agriculture and horticulture as an engine of growth and economic prosperity, speaks of the priority that Government has for the farming community. The State Agriculture Policy lacks the vision to address the need to develop a strong value chain mechanism in many areas of economic interests that should benefit the grassroots community. It is sad that an event like that would have well-heeled individuals who may not even know the seasonality calendar of our farmers. Adding to this is their lack of understanding as to what our farmers require and their priorities.
The State Government should seriously look into the difficulties faced by local farmers vis a vis their relations with banks. It is often seen that most branch managers fear to give loans to farmer producers’ groups or self-help groups. An example is the Kissan Credit Card or KCC. In the future is such an event is planned it would be proper for all those officials to step into the shoes of a farmer with empathy then only will proactive change happen.
Yours etc..
Dominic S. Wankhar,
Via email
Uniforms for students have little value
Editor,
The recent exchange of letters in the media about the introduction of uniforms for students of St Anthony’s College is more than a storm in a teacup. While most of the letters decry this initiative, a letter in the Shillong Times, Dec 8, 2023 by A. Sarki, has waxed eloquent about the advantages of uniforms for students. These are nothing but empty platitudes. He or she has not provided any data to support these unjustified and speculative conclusions.
Making everyone look like clones does not promote equality. The letter uses the phrase “collective spirit and pride.” Yes, these are good notions, but are applicable more to the army or sports teams, where a collective commitment is the basic reason for the uniforms. This does not apply to schools or colleges. Imagine if tomorrow the government declared that all state employees must wear a uniform to promote “collective spirit and pride.” It’s absurd.
The department of education of Ohio State University, USA, conducted a comprehensive survey of more than six thousand students on this issue in 2022. This study was supported by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development of the US government and published in a prestigious education journal.
The results showed that, “Despite the belief of many parents and teachers, school uniforms don’t seem to have any effect on young students’ behavior or attendance overall.” The study showed that schools with uniforms had the same levels of aggression and bullying. So, equality was not improved by uniforms. In the UK, 70% of adolescents do not want uniforms.
In the study students were rated on three dimensions: internalizing behavior problems such as anxiety and social withdrawal, externalizing behavior problems such as aggression, and social skills. Overall, school uniforms had no effect on any of the three dimensions of behavior in any grade.
The study did find that low-income students in schools with uniforms did have slightly better attendance, but that difference amounted to less than one day per year. Measurements of social anxiety showed the same levels across schools, whether there were uniforms or not.
According to the author of the study, “While uniforms are supposed to build a sense of community, they may have the opposite effect. When students can’t show their individuality, they may not feel like they belong as much. The results of this study should caution parents, teachers and administrators from assuming that school uniforms have positive effects that they may not have”.
A meta-analysis of 92 studies from across the world concluded that, “uniforms have no impact on academic performance, yet directly impact physical and psychological health. Girls, ethnic and religious minorities, gender-diverse students and poorer students suffer harm from uniform policies. Paradoxically, for some students, a uniform creates a barrier to education that it was originally instituted to remedy.”
While there is much data on the effects of school uniforms, there seem to be hardly any data on uniforms for college students, indicating that researchers do not feel that this is a worthwhile subject for study. One article from Karnataka showed that management students felt that a uniform, coat and tie, makes them ready for the corporate world. Much of the remaining data was inconclusive.
Yours etc.,
Glenn Kharkongor,
Via email
Corruption, biggest human rights violation
Editor ,
On Friday December 8, the Meghalaya State Human Rights Commission held an event to commemorate International Human Rights Day in Shillong. One of the biggest violations of human rights in India is corruption. Ironically the ugly term which dehumanises the victims was not addressed. Corruption denies every citizen her/ his legitimate rights and impoverishes the abused.
Corruption must be seen in totality as a failure of the Executive to deliver and where the Judiciary too doesn’t cover itself in glory. There have been instances galore where citizens are languishing in jails in India and the powers that be have turned a blind eye or a deaf ear to such, much against the Fundamental Rights bestowed to the citizens. The media too has fallen short in raising issues where there have been violations of human rights.
Everything that a citizen is robbed off is due to corruption and unless this is addressed and the guilty brought to book, human right violations will continue unabated.
Yours etc.,
Tyrone D’Brass
Tura
Failure to plan smart
Editor,
Apropos of Ashwin Pundalik’s article, “Constructing a Himalayan challenge” (ST, December 9, 2023), it is a criminal negligence to evade environmental impact assessment before the excavation for building a tunnel or a high-rise building. From the tunnel collapse in Uttarakhand’s Uttarkashi to flooded streets in Chennai after a few hours of rain it is evident that there is something wrong in urban planning. We do not need smart brutes but smart human beings to make anything be it a country or a city look smart. Moreover, rising inequality in India mar the efforts of making anything smart. As a matter of fact, a smart city should not require a wall to hide the truth. The policy makers must ensure food, health care, education and employment for all and give priority to improve the Human Development Index score rather than only to lopsided GDP growth. Would a model look smart by wearing a brand new costly coat along with a cheap, shabby pair of trousers?
Yours etc.,
Sujit De,
Kolkata
