The Hindu : EAMCET a perfunctory exercise?

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Mar 09, 2004

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

EAMCET a perfunctory exercise?

Exams are round the corner, and naturally, students and their parents are stepping on the tension pedal. Those slated to appear for entrance examinations to professional courses are the more worried lot, as was seen when a group of parents recently decided to go public with their apprehensions on the way the EAMCET was being conducted in the State.

The contention of parents, who opposed the "unscientific manner'' in which the common entrance test to the engineering and medical courses was being conducted, was that authorities were not really "bothered about the quality of the exam,'' but just wanted the "job to be over as fast as possible, with minimum hassles to them.'' Their demand to increase the number of questions and the duration of the test seems to have come a tad too late, what with the CET just two months away. But they are hopeful, as one was heard saying: "Someone has to make a beginning (for reforms), and it is never too late. If not this year, next year.''

But another lot which is not that touched by parents' concern, seems to be the private coaching centres in the city, who are slowly switching on to a highly active temper. Once the syllabus is over, comes the exam. And their festival does not end there, as there will be the regular mad rush to lay a claim to the success of the talented candidates, and later to cash in on that with more admissions.

Amongst all this, the exam officials are as of now maintaining a stoic silence. Who will win the race ultimately? The student, around whom the entire affair rotates, seems to be nowhere in the frame!

* * *

When large tracts of land in and outside the twin cities are being `allocated' for malls, corporate hospitals and other big time activities, here's an organisation that is scouting for vacant land to set up a public charity hospital in vain.

Gospel to the Unreached Millions, a charity organisation belonging to evangelist K.A. Paul, wants to set up a free hospital for the poor in the capital city with voluntary funds obtained from the United States. As the organisation is into supplying free medicines to different corners of the world, it is serious about the hospital to extend the benefits for the poor further where the expensive diagnostics tests would also be done.

But, they are apparently unable to find the land. "We are ready to invest Rs. 100 crores for a hospital and a five-acre land accessible to the people," says GUM's National Director, K. David Raju. They are hesitant in approaching the Government as it took them more than two years to get land for their `Charity City' in Sadashivpet. That too was obtained from private parties later.

* * *

Though the summer has just commenced, days are already hotting up. And naturally one is concerned about the dog days ahead, what with the all- important Assembly and Parliament elections slated in the peak summer. The campaigning will be tough for politicians and so it would be for the public attending these meetings.

Keeping this in view perhaps, the Vijayawada-based Praja Chaitanya Vedika has launched a campaign to make things easy for voters on the election day and for motivating them to come to the polling stations braving the heat. The convener of the vedika, S. Venkata Ramarao, who was in the city last week, suggested that the Government should erect `shamianas' to provide shade to the voters queuing up near polling booths besides providing drinking water.

Dr. S.V. Rama Rao who christened the campaign as `needa-neeru', already gave a representation to the Chief Minister urging him to direct all disrict Collectors to provide `shade and drinking water' to all the voters on the two days polling when will be held in the State. In the meantime, he is on to another campaign appealing to voters to exercise their vote without fail and not to let their precious right go waste.

V. Geetanath and

M.L. Melly Maitreyi

By Dennis Marcus Mathew, V. Geetanath and M.L. Melly Maitreyi

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Andhra Pradesh