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Magazine
Summer of discontent
With regard to “Summer of hope?” (Magazine, June 14), summers in school were a wonderful mix of juicy mangoes and endless games. School reopening, though not entirely welcome, never filled us with the prospect of dread it does now. School buses frequent the lane in front of my house. Watching the children trudging along with their burden and being packed in like sardines somehow doesn’t appeal to my idea of a second home. Nor does meting out corporal punishments. Schools are not just temples of learning; there we mould our being. A wholesome atmosphere is essential to start the children on the long walk of life.
Meenu B.
Pallom, Kottayam
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The article fixes the complete responsibility on schools for children’s overall development. But it has overlooked the fact that parents have got an equal responsibility. Schools, homes as well as the society must be children-friendly and are expected to provide a good ambience for learning and shaping their personality. Generating fear in young minds is the last thing they want to do.
S. Ramakrishnasayee,
Principal, DAV-BHEL School
Ranipet
* * *
Regarding “Outsourcing parenting”, parents cannot and should not push their children away from themselves if they want to mould them as active and responsible citizens and responsible family members. Outsourcing parenting to residential schools will deny the children the opportunity to experience parental love, family life, social life apart from denying them opportunities for interaction with relatives and neighbours. Family and social life is vital for children from the point of view of learning the art of getting along with others, acquisition of emotional happiness and emotional stability, getting insight into cultural and religious, moral and normative aspects of life. Education is not complete without real exposure to all these.
Dr. K.K.Ammannaya
Udupi
* * *
The article truthfully mirrors the mindset of today’s young parents. True, they want their kids to top the class right from the kindergarten level. So, a child who has just learnt to walk already knows state capitals, country capitals and what not. These “child prodigies” grow up into sultry adults with immense knowledge but with no values. The parents need to be counselled so that they teach their children the right values essential for them to become good humans.
A. Saranya
Chennai
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The article “Bag or baggage?” (Magazine, June 14) is timely and thought-provoking. The travails of school children with stooped shoulders carrying heavy bags everyday deserve the close attention of the educationists and the authorities. It is worth mentioning that the famous novelist R.K. Narayan had taken the initiative to bring this problem to the fore. However, not much headway was achieved. Some the suggestions made by the author need to be implemented.
N.C.Sreedharan,
Kannur
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All the three articles vividly and forcefully portray the pathetic condition of the children in the present educational system. They reveal their deep anguish at the inhuman cruelty inflicted upon the tender minds in the name of education.
With the commercialisation of education, the situation has become still worse. Producing 100 per cent results is the only goal many schools pursue and they are bent upon achieving this by hook or crook. It is very unfortunate that parents also prefer such ‘result-oriented’ schools. In the rat race for ‘academic excellence’ measured only by marks, children are treated not as individuals with distinctive capacities and skills, but as scoring machines for producing higher and still higher marks. In such a situation, where is the space or scope for creativity and originality? In fact, these qualities are neither encouraged or developed. With the windows of new ideas shut against them and the wings of their imagination clipped, they become invalids emotionally and intellectually. Terror and intimidation coupled with violence is a perfect breeding ground for producing either cowards or rebels.
D. Samuel Lawrence
Madurai
Women’s reservation
Kalpana Sharma has rightly criticised the nature of current debate with regard to the women’s reservation (“A law with flaws”, Magazine, June 14). The question is: Are we ready for women’s reservation? By and large caste has been successful in making inroads into every political discourse in this country. This time too the identities of caste and gender have been pitted against each other. It is unfortunate that the fate of women is being decided by a few jingoists of patriarchy who don’t seem to understand the essence of gender. Would the protagonists of caste-based quota within women’s quota agree for women’s quota in the existing caste-based quota? The answer is no. The current bill would create another caste-based reservation, disguised as an instrument for women “empowerment”.
Ashwani Sharma
Ghaziabad,.
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