Curbing Malpractices in Schools
The Central Government has cleared a bill to deal with the malpractices in the field of higher education. In India, next to the revenue departments, it is in the field of education that you find wide-spread corruption and underhand dealings. There are bogus educational institutions, there are bogus courses and there are educational institutions whose main purpose is to make hay when the sun shines. Taking donation is rampant at the time of admission. Some institutions use the now-popular so-called PTAs to collect donations. In the government circles there is a curious culture: Unless somebody files a complaint, the government agencies do not initiate action. Those who are forced to give donation at the time of admission would not complain foreseeing the obvious consequences. Therefore, malpractices in the field education go unchecked. Let us hope that the new law will bring some measure of accountability in field education. The state governments should pass similar legislations to curb malpractices in schools.
SND POOJARY, Miramar
Special Status not Enough
I APPRECIATE the efforts undertaken by Mr Shantaram Naik in lobbying for special status for Goa. However, this alone will not be enough. We need to take urgent measures, which should among other things include creating sustainable employment/business opportunities for Goans, so as to stop the Goan exodus from Goa and bring back its sons/daughters from overseas countries; create favourable educational and medical opportunities for Goans including non-resident Goans; stop further deterioration of quality of life via promoting destructive development, environmental damage etc; urgently adopt policies and measures to address the un-controlled migrant influx into Goa; formulate a comprehensive housing policy, which favours housing Goans only and not create un-necessary homes for outsiders to come in at the cost of destroying Goa’s environment, ecology, forests and contaminating its air, land and water. The question is does the current bunch of MLA’s in the government have the capacity or at least the will to do this? They seem to be too busy fighting within themselves rather than working for the good of Goa. It is high time that the voters who have elected these MLAs start demanding remedial measures else they are also part of the problem and will be the cause of Goa’s destruction!
ARWIN MESQUITA, Abu Dhabi
Austerity, A Way of Life
THIS is in reference to the Union government going easy on austerity drives whereby political rulers and bureaucrats will not be forced to bear the ‘hardships’ of economy-class (cattle-class as once put by a Union Minister) air-travel in view of improving economic conditions. Austerity for those enjoying luxury at public-expense should be a way of life, rather than a compulsion or necessity of economic conditions. Our political rulers who take up the chant of ‘Gandhi’ at the smallest provocation have forgotten that the Father of the Nation always travelled in lower-most classes even in rail-travel. It is time for the Union government to formulate firm guidelines whereby austerity may be a practically-followed rule by all enjoying facilities at public-funds. The same guidelines should be applicable to all public-sector undertakings as well.
SUBHASH CHANDRA AGRAWAL, Delhi
