MyVoice: Views of our readers 21st July 2024

Bold education reforms will transform country

The writer Ramu Sarma's incisive write-up is informative and as well as a reminder to the both the centre and states not to wobble and tinker with education system but to take progressive steps by streamlining it in tune with modern times so that it helps students acquire different skills to choose the trade of his or her choice and become proficient. When education is a prime requisite for socio-economic, Unesco report that "India is topper in primary education and backbencher in higher classes" is a clear revelation that significant disparities exist at the higher secondary level is due to lack of social mobility and the problem of inter-cultural communication. Add to this, lack of efficient and resourceful teacher had led to emergence of a credibility gap between the taught and the students. Due to this, government has to bring about a change in the basic orientation in education by concentrating on skill development right from the primary stage because the child not only learns about freedom and discipline but shows keen interest in acquiring a particular skill based on his/her talents. This is really a progressive education that is important to build the self-esteem of the child and help learn to be empathetic to interact with others. Urgent fixes are needed to revamp bringing in effective reforms including reshaping teacher preparation to meet the demands of the sector which had undergone a sea-change. All in all, the need of the hour is logical curriculum with a balanced, credible and trustworthy narrative and devoid of controversy that can build the cognitive and emotional foundation in children along with skill development so that it truly shapes the students to match ahead in life with confidence.

– K R Srinivasan, Secunderabad

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This has reference to the Bold Talk topic. Every child has to spend in school and progress college education for a standard duration i.e., only for 10+2+3 to 5 years.Thus the maximum time each student can spend in education is for 17 years. It will be just 20% of their life duration. For all these 17 years, uniform facilities shall be made available in all schools across the country. Many villages have no schools. Many schools don't have proper school buildings, toilets, class rooms, standard strength of teachers, laboratories, libraries and playgrounds .The best knowledge has been always through the textbooks and reference books which is explained by the teachers and the parents in a useful way.

After their successful studies the youth shall have sufficient jobs. Finally it is the employer who has to provide his/her trainees with appropriate in house trainings. Then only youth can give the best outputs for the companies and establishments.

– G Murali Mohan Rao, Secunderabad

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Education system in India is not at all student-friendly. It is very taxing and not result-oriented. Ideally education should not only emancipate but also give financial stability, personal fulfillment and a sense of purpose (Impart employment-ready education, THI, 20 July). Higher studies in India are difficult and expensive. They do give a lot of knowledge in a particular subject or field but fail in overall intellectual development of the student. Bookish knowledge alone is insufficient and the holistic development of body, mind and soul is indispensable. Our government should ensure that educational qualifications of the country should help each and every aspirant to attain training in the latest advances and reach his/her maximum human potential and of course they must fetch him/her a suitable, lucrative job.

– Dr Sunil Chopra, Ludhiana

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Government schools are there to offer fat salaries to teachers without getting back the services required from them. Let the governments make it mandatory to admit all government employees’ children in government schools, then we can expect some change in the education standards. Alas no one has guts to impose this rule! All need lucrative salaries offered by the government and get services from the private and corporate institutions. Is not it a bad policy of government? So long as the political parts solely rely only on welfare schemes and indulge in vote back politics just to grab the power caring least for the development of respective states, our country retain forever the tag of a developing nation and can never attain the status of a developed nation. To take the country forward, the county needs statesmen and not the services of myopic politicians who think only about the next election and whereas the former think about next generation.

– Rama Krishna M, Kakinada.

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This has reference to the article on "Impart employment ready education" (Jul, 20). I fully subscribe to the views of the author that welfare schemes are must, the governments should focus more on education, skill development and employment generation so that the need for distribution of wealth in form of welfare schemes can come down year after year. Quality education is not imparted in our country. Every state has its own education policy.

We are still following the age old Macaulay's pattern of education. Though it has its own relevance it fails a student in getting a good job. Akbar, Babar, Invertebrate, Calculus, Physics and Geography have their own relevance but fail to land a student in a job. We lack skilled education that is needed for life. A mechanical engineer is not able to fix the glitches in a fan or a/c is the order of the day. Now in Telangana a separate university for skill development is on the cards. How far it is implanted is to be seen. Furthermore, professional education institutions are controlled mostly by politicians. Education should be nationalised and quality education should be imparted to all without any restrictions on caste, creed, colour or community basis. States should strive to achieve for cent percent literacy rate.

Secondly, a report in your paper dated 18-7-2024 says that there are no takers for 18 lakh jobs in BFSI space. Banks, insurance companies, brokerage houses and mutual funds companies always need trained people for employment. Why not such companies hire and train persons and employ them so as to fill the vacant post. Opportunities do not knock on your doors but you must make opportunity in all your attempts. We need a complete reformation in the education Sector.

– Sravana Ramachandran, Chennai

OBEISANCE TO A GURU

Wishing all the readers of The Hans India on the auspicious occasion of Guru Purnima. Guru Purnima is dedicated to pay respect and obeisance to one's Guru and teachers. Also known as Vyasa Purnima, as it marks the birth anniversary of the Great Sage Veda Vyasa who wrote the Epic Mahabharata, Guru Purnima is celebrated on the Full Moon Day in the month of Ashadha.

A Guru is a Mentor and Leader who moulds the minds of his disciples, shows them the right direction in their lives. In Sanskrit, Guru means the Remover of Darkness and Ignorance from One's minds. (‘Gu’ means darkness and ‘ru’ means remover). A Guru never discriminates among his students and guides them equally. The role of a Guru is to impart true knowledge and wisdom so that we grow into responsible world citizens.

A Guru is a beacon light whose brilliance illuminates the lives of his disciples and inculcates the values of discipline, hard work, dedication, respect towards one's parents and elders, and teaches them how to face the challenges of life with equanimity, courage and determination. Just like a potter gives shape to wet clay, a Guru shapes the life of his Shishya, who under his tutelage, grows from Innocence to Enlightenment.

A Guru frees one's soul, imparts Atma Gyana, makes one identify with one's true self, his purpose in Life and makes one reach the heights of achievement and fulfilment of goals. A Guru is our anchor who holds us, helps us navigate the rough waters of life, nurtures us under his loving care, forgives us for our mistakes and shows us how to turn adversities into opportunities. A Guru's supreme presence in our Life dispels our doubts, clears our minds and leads us on a way to Success and True Happiness.

A Guru makes one realise the Brahman residing within our souls. Let us dedicate Guru Purnima to pay gratitude towards our benevolent Guru and our teachers, who through their selfless service have showed us the right path and taught us how to walk the steps of our lives.

– Parimala G Tadas, Hyderabad

Restrictions on one community unjust

For strange reasons, the UP government seems to have given an oral order (now made optional) to the vendors to display owners name on the route where Kanwarias would pass through. I don't know whether any system or guidelines are in place for these walkers to maintain sanctity or if it's free for all and only passerby and shopkeepers need to tolerate some unruly walkers. Can't they learn from Pandarpur Wari in which large number of pilgrims participate in Varta? We have never heard of any such orders in Maharashtra. BJP often attacks Congress on appeasement? What's more shocking is in Muzaffarnagar, the SP has asked Hindu Dhaba owners to suspend the staff of particular community until August 5. The owners are unhappy, but they claim they can't take on "prashan".

The shopkeepers play a vital role in the fabric of Faizabad including Ayodhya.Punishing them for the political outcomes of the election is both unjust and counterproductive.

Boycotts of this nature deepen existing divides and foster an environment of fear and uncertainty. It is important to remember that many shopkeepers are simply trying to make a living and support their families. They are not political actors but essential contributors to the local economy. Targeting them in response to political disappointment undermines the very foundation of community solidarity that we need in these times.

– N Nagarajan, Hyderabad

Revanth govt gesture to Annadatas laudable

The pro-farmer Congress government in TG deserves rich compliments for implementing the waiver of farm loans and saving the debt-ridden TG farmer on priority basis (Annadatas need all the help they can get, THI, 20 July). In this regard, the Hans India has rightly highlighted the socio- economic impact of the waiver of farm loans. The loan waiver will certainly prevent farmer suicides and alleviate rural poverty. Further, it will stimulate rural economy, ensures food safety and leads to social stability.

In this connection, it will be a great boon to the Indian farmer, if the NDA-3 also implements the scheme for waiving farm loans, in all the states, to boost the agriculture, which is the mainstay of Indian economy. As a permanent measure, the Centre may also consider reforms like higher MSP, better crop insurance, improved irrigation, access to markets, to make Indian Annadata a food giver to the entire world.

– P H Hema Sagar, Secunderabad

 Assassinations an endless predicament globally

It is absolutely right to confirm that "Assassination not just an American problem" (20-07-2024). Worldwide since the birth of civilisation, political murders are taking place. John Milton changed the common usage of this word with his new coined word as 'assassination' centuries ago. Julius Caesar to Rajiv Gandhi around the globe lost lives to such heinous crimes. Shakespeare's dramas were depicted with several such scenes. Hatred, jealousy, ambition for power and pelf dragged the assassins to eliminate their rivals. In America, four Presidents were shot down and nine were miraculously escaped from the jaws of death including Presidential contestant Donald Trump. Indians are no less criminal minds. Three Gandhis fell prey to bullets and bombs (Mahatma, Indira and Rajiv). So also Bangladesh, Pakistan and some other countries have experienced such cruelty. There is no end and no suggestion is sure to do away with this practice. Assassination, killing, murder are one, but are being used according to circumstances. It is a remedy-less epidemic.

–Dr NSR Murthy, Secunderabad

Message, melody in Dasaradhi’s lyrics

Emotion reflected in tranquility is poetry says William Wordsworth. It is applicable to our cine poets such as Samudrala (Sr & Jr), Malladi Ramakrishna Sastry, Pingali Nagendra Rao, Sri Sri, Dasaradhi, Devulapalli Krishna Sastry, Arudra, Atreya, etc., among many others of earlier years. Loveable pride of Telangana, poet and lyric writer Dasaradhi Krishnamacharyulu, brother of Vedic scholar Rangacharyulu of Warangal, is remembered on the occasion of his centenary year. He penned hundreds of Telugu songs in movies. To cite a few examples, he mixed Urdu words ‘Kushi,’ ‘Husharu,’ ‘Nisha’ in a super hit song written for ANR starrer ‘Iddaru Mitrulu’ and a devotional song ‘Raaraa Krishnayya’ in NTR starrer movie Ramu. He wrote many private songs also in which a few were selected by Ghantasala and melodiously renditioned. Two of such were ‘Veliginchave Chinni Valapu Deepam’ and ‘Thalaninda Poodanda.’ Some of his famous quotations are: ‘Timiramto Chese Ghana Samaram Amaram,’ ‘Naa Telangana Koti Ratanala Veena.’ He left with us a great legacy in the field of Telugu literature. These poets, in my personal consideration, can come under the category of Rishis with great vision

– N Ramalakshmi, Secunderabad 

Outage exposes our tech vulnerabilities

A software update on Microsoft systems has caused widespread disruptions to essential services around the world, exposing the vulnerability of concentrated tech market share. This incident serves as a stark reminder of the risks associated with overreliance on a single vendor for critical systems.

The incident has reignited discussions about the concentration of tech market share and the potential dangers of a few companies dominating the industry. With so much critical infrastructure reliant on these companies, a single point of failure can have cascading effects that disrupt essential services on a global scale.

This event highlights the importance of risk mitigation for businesses and governments. Diversifying IT suppliers can help to reduce dependence on any one vendor and ensure operational continuity in case of outages. By spreading operational risks across multiple providers, businesses and governments can become more resilient to disruptions.

– Amarjeet Kumar,

Hazaribagh (Jharkhand)

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The dependency of India on Windows OS has proved disastrous for commerce and defence programmes. We boast of 'Make in India', but not having our own OS is an irony. Like China, we need to indigenise the operating system and also the search engine. IT governs every activity of agiculture, industry, services and defence. Practically, a nation is self-reliant only if it has its own IT potential viz. OS, Search Engine.

– P R Ravinder, Hyderabad.

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The people concerned do pull up socks immediately to address the chaos at airports caused by the computer outage. Airline bookings, check-ins and boarding are shifted to manual mode to minimize disruptions; passengers are to be assisted by the airport authorities regarding their flight status. Airlines slowly resumed their operations, and flights that were delayed or cancelled were reorganized in tandem with the Ministry of Civil Aviation, Airports Authority of India (AAI), and other stakeholders to manage the situation and minimize interruption.

– Raju Kolluru, Kakinada

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On 19th July, in one of the biggest-ever IT outages, an update of a product offered by global cyber security firm 'Crowdstrike' triggered problems with Microsoft's windows across the planet, hitting operations in many sectors. The companies affected by the global outage are airlines, financial sector companies, some television channels etc. As a result, there were chaotic scenes at airports which resulted in long queues at boarding pass counters. Some of the flights were delayed or canceled. It is a pity that an important software update was rolled out without proper testing. The platforms that were affected were Windows and Mac, Linux platforms were unaffected. The incident serves as a stark reminder of the vulnerabilities in increasingly interconnected global IT systems and the far-reaching consequences of even localized technical failures. The government should consider dependence on too many platforms to serve too many critical functions.

– Nagendra Kumar Vempally, Hyderabad

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Microsoft enjoys 73% of cloud services in the world but only 27 is left to Mac and Linaux. So, the hackers always threaten the monopoly of the Microsoft by means of cyberattacks and ransomware. The outage reminded one of Samuel Buttler's English novel 'Erevan' 1872 in which he explained hypothetically how the world would be if machine thought on its own. It is the first science fiction novel. Of course, later, several movies and serials were made on the same subject. But, the present generation witnessed the same in real life with yesterday's blue screen of death. It is welcome as CERT came to rescue quickly. However, it is not good on the part of government to depend on private cloud services for defence sector in particular.

– Pratapa Reddy Y, Tiruvuru, NTR dt