[Assam] From Outlook India
http://news.outlookindia.com/item.aspx?711615 No Government Wants a Strong Judiciary: SC No government wants strong judiciary, was how the Supreme Court today expressed its exasperation over the low budgetary allocation to the judiciary. A bench of Justices G S Singhvi and A K Ganguly said less than one per cent of the budget is allotted to the judiciary which is facing a huge infrastructural problem and shortage of manpower. No government wants strong judiciary. It is only on the paper. Look at the budgetary allocation. It is less than one per cent, the bench remarked while pointing out that the judiciary is overloaded and a large number of courts need to be set up across the country for speedy justice delivery. Pointing out the infrastructural problem and growing vacancies in the judiciary, the court said it is a very very difficult situation. If by chance the government does it (setting up more courts), then we have difficulty in getting competent people. The court's remarks came while hearing a petition filed by former Samajwadi Party leader Amar Singh on phone-tapping case. It expressed its displeasure over the tardy of progress in the trial of the case. The bench, after going through the records of the case and the number of cases pending before the Chief Metropolitian Magistrate, found that the judge was handling around 1500 cases and delay was because of frequent adjournments. Unless we have sufficient number of courts, such a situation would prevail. Four years would be taken for hearing on charges and further four years in concluding the trial. It should have been done in three months. These adjournments have become cancer of the entire institution, the court said. These adjournments have become cancer of the entire institution, the court said. *** Why is it that India cannot change what does not work? ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
[Assam] From Outlook India--Another Indian Horror Story
http://www.outlookindia.com/fullprint.asp?choice=1fodname=20071224fname=Cancer+%28F%29sid=1 Poison Earth Courtesy an overzealous Green Revolution, Punjab has poison in its water and a cancer epidemic on its hands CHANDER SUTA DOGRA The Curse Is Spreading * The Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research in Chandigarh has conducted a study over two years in five villages along Punjab's major rivulets in Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Amritsar districts * 88 per cent ground water samples showed alarming levels of mercury, over 50 per cent samples of ground and tap water contaminated by arsenic * Lady's fingers, carrots, gourds, cauliflower and chillies found to have toxic levels of lead, cadmium, mercury; cadmium, arsenic, mercury are known carcinogens; mercury also affects the nervous system * Pesticides beyond permissible limit found in vegetables, fodder, human and bovine milk, as well as blood samples * 65 per cent blood samples showed DNA mutation; there has been a sharp increase in cancer, neurological disorders, liver and kidney diseases, congenital defects, miscarriages * This health crisis has been caused by the overuse of pesticides and the dumping of industrial effluents, which have made soil and water toxic Though it constitutes 2.5% of the country's area, Punjab accounts for 18% of pesticide used in the country *** Baljeet Kaur of Giana village in Punjab's cotton belt has been battling cancer for the last 10 years. First it was her husband who died of colon cancer, now she has cancer of the oesophagus. Her neighbour Mukhtiar Kaur is being treated for breast cancer. The family had a hand pump at home which provided them water for their daily needs but abandoned it after health officials told them its water was toxic. Now they get raw canal water for drinking and cooking. Who knows if it is the water which has brought this disease on me? she says. All I know is that scores of people in our village are dying of cancer. In neighbouring Jajjal, the word cancer only evokes deja vu. Karnail Singh and his wife Balbir Kaur both have cancer, live in adjoining houses, each with one of their sons. This village is cursed, says their brother Jarnail Singh. On death row: Jajjal's Karnail Singh and his wife both have cancer, live in adjoining houses, each with a son In Ghaunzpur in Ludhiana district, a good 200 km away, Manjit and Gurjit Singh lost both their parents to hepatitis; an uncle is afflicted with the same. The water from the hand pump in the courtyard turns foamy when heated, so they have dug a submersible pump which pumps out water from 300 ft below. Other households in the village cannot afford to do so. For Punjab's prosperous farming households and lush green fields, the famed Green Revolution is beginning to turn bilious from within. Its gushing tubewells, the cattle heavy with milk, the trolleys laden with vegetables destined for urban markets-all are likely to be contaminated with toxins. The state is sitting on an environmental crisis and few of have any idea of how to tackle it. Some two years ago, when reports of increased cancer deaths first started coming in from the state's cotton belt, the Chandigarh-based Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) decided to investigate. A preliminary study it conducted found a much higher prevalence of cancer in the Talwandi Sabo block and the presence of heavy metals and pesticides in drinking water in the area. It recommended a comprehensive study of the status of environmental health in Punjab's other cotton-growing areas, the setting up of a cancer registry in the state, and regular monitoring of the drinking water. Of course, intense pressure from the pesticides lobby ensured none of this came to pass and the report was ignored. This month, the PGIMER's department of community medicine has submitted a comprehensive epidemiological study (see box) in areas along the state's five major rivulets to the State Pollution Control Board. The results are so shocking that the board has put it under wraps and is having second thoughts about releasing it. Says Dr J.S. Thakur, an assistant professor at PGIMER, who conducted the study, Our two studies show that all of Punjab is toxic and people do not have safe water to drink. Both agricultural and industrial malpractices are to be blamed for this. The worst affected is the southeastern Malwa region, better known these days as the 'cancer belt'. To counter increasingly resistant pests, farmers here spray their fields with pesticide doses far above those recommended-often cocktailing two or more chemicals. As the former sarpanch of Jajjal, Najar Singh, told Outlook, Although the recommended dose is about five sprays per season, we sometimes spray our fields 25 to 30 times. Almost every third day! Punjab, which makes up for just 2.5 per cent of the country's area, accounts for 18
Re: [Assam] From Outlook India: An Indictment of In dianHigher Education
Just because these folks --you or I or whoever came to the USA or went to
Bilaat or what have you, does not necessarily mean we were EDUCATED. Does it?
Education is a bit more
O' C'da.
I did not say educated, I said got their education, didn't I?
Are you trying to trap me again to something which I had never said? One's
being educated, that is? :)
you are oblivious of ) come out to be the 'brilliant' products they get to be
known as? What percentage of an Indian school or college
get that minimum of what could be considered a reasonably rounded EDUCATION
, never mind well-rounded?
I guess I agree with you on this.
BTW, that (if secondary education in India was better) was my question, not a
statement.
outside your sphere of awareness. But can you enlighten us from your own
experiences ? I realize it was from a distant past as our modern day friends
would readily counter. But how
much has it changed, do you have any idea?
Not much! And that is why it was a question. :)
God! Put Back Thy Universe and Give Me Yesterday
- Henry Arthur Jones
“In order to make spiritual progress you must be patient like a tree and humble
like a blade of grass”
- Lakshmana
Date: Fri, 23 Nov 2007 02:32:44 -0600To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]: [EMAIL PROTECTED]:
Re: [Assam] From Outlook India: An Indictment of In dianHigher Education
Alpana, Alpana, Alpana! When will you ever learn :-)?
Just because these folks --you or I or whoever came to the USA or went to
Bilaat or what have you, does not necessarily mean we were EDUCATED. Does it?
Education is a bit more than collecting information or being able to do good
math. Or did you miss the highlighted points ,made by the writer in that
Outlook article?
I thought they say that the standard of secondary school (not college)
education in India is higher than that of many western countries, no?
*** Let us assume for a moment, just to make you feel good, that it is indeed
so. Now then if it IS so,
why is India in the shape it is? Or why do Indians in these forums like our
own, ask the kind of questions they do or make the comments they do? And
finally how many from a class of fifty or even a hundred ( with one teacher
riding herd as they have to in many Indian schools; as you are oblivious of )
come out to be the 'brilliant' products they get to be known as? What
percentage of an Indian school or college
get that minimum of what could be considered a reasonably rounded EDUCATION ,
never mind well-rounded?
We don't expect you to speak for what you have never seen or experienced that
goes on outside your sphere of awareness. But can you enlighten us from your
own experiences ? I realize it was from a distant past as our modern day
friends would readily counter. But how much has it changed, do you have any
idea?
At 12:39 AM -0600 11/23/07, Alpana B. Sarangapani wrote:
Didn't these NRAs get their education in that Indian system itself to begin
with? Or, did they just grow wings to fly to the US right after they were born
in Assam/India?
I thought they say that the standard of secondary school (not college)
education in India is higher than that of many western countries, no?
In order to make spiritual progress you must be patient like a tree and humble
like a blade of grass
- Lakshmana
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]: [EMAIL PROTECTED]: Fri, 23 Nov 2007 00:16:32
-0600Subject: Re: [Assam] From Outlook India: An Indictment of In dianHigher
Education.ExternalClass .EC_hmmessage P
{padding-right:0px;padding-left:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-top:0px;}
.ExternalClass EC_BODY.hmmessage {font-size:10pt;font-family:Tahoma;}
So at Thanksgiving 2007 after Turkey and Cranberry pudding they should pledge
to work out a very well thought out plan to enable Direction to Purposeful
Education for all in Oxom now and for the Future.Time and tide waits for
no man.
Mukulda:
Nice! . And if we have been asked to work out a plan for Purposeful Education
for Oxom, then what do you think in your mind it will be. I have a plan what I
call, Get On Demand Plan. You get whatever you demand. I call it the GOD plan
imagining that money is not the problem (which probably is a fact for Oxom),
that is what we would ask GOD to give for Oxom.
Let us discuss what such a Purposeful Education System would be for Oxom or
rather the North East?
Rajen
- Original Message -
From: mc mahant
To: A Mailing list for people interested in Assam from around the world
Sent: Thursday, November 22, 2007 7:59 PM
Subject: Re: [Assam] From Outlook India: An Indictment of In dianHigher
Education
Education is what brought many Assamnetters to where they are.They surely
want their old country folk to be properly educated to do something better-live
better-healthier-happier-more useful to the world/humanity.So at Thanksgiving
2007 after Turkey and Cranberry pudding they should pledge to work out a very
Re: [Assam] From Outlook India: AnIndictment ofIndianHigher Education
You should wait for all participants to gather their thoughts- an they will come out with gems. Do not rush anybody.Let out a long Rope! GOD-NE wants to move!!! Rajen - Original Message - From: mc mahant To: A Mailing list for people interested in Assam from around the world Sent: Friday, November 23, 2007 9:42 AM Subject: Re: [Assam] From Outlook India: AnIndictment ofIndianHigher Education Baruasaab, Ok for a quicky. By foreign means no Assamese,no English-only IN the Foreign Language, force-fed. We also need higher education and technical education I only went to 16+. And you list 15 Types of colleges?campuses+Universities? Maybe we can lump all these in one GOD-NE. But these- later. what will be these and where in North East will be these : GOD -NE should be everywhere! You should wait for all participants to gather their thoughts- an they will come out with gems. Do not rush anybody.Let out a long Rope! mm From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: assam@assamnet.org Date: Fri, 23 Nov 2007 09:16:51 -0600 Subject: Re: [Assam] From Outlook India: An Indictment ofIndianHigher Education Dear Mukulda: Very well!!! I support point # 2,3,4 fully except for 'foreign language' term. Could not understand the 'Only one foreign language per area cocept' in item # 1. We also need higher education and technical education. Engineering Degree College, Diploma College, Technical Training college, Agricultural College, Petroleum Engineering college, Tea Training college, Rice Research center, Medical college, Nursing college, Homeopathic college, Vetenary college, Chyropractic college, Acupunture college, Ayurvedic college, Community college for adult education, etc. Let us try to find out what will be these and where in North East will be these. Thanks Rajen - Original Message - From: mc mahant To: A Mailing list for people interested in Assam from around the world Sent: Friday, November 23, 2007 7:23 AM Subject: Re: [Assam] From Outlook India: An Indictment ofIndianHigher Education Really love this concept: GOD You be the collector/moderator of mission GOD-NE(of course). Let us begin with a serial flow of random thoughts from all . None will be accepted/rejected. They will be edited/moderated/presented finally in Assamnet to Powers Coming up: Can I offer a few to start with? 1.. Only One foreign Language per area-Say Digboi -Thai; Pasighat-Tibetan,Rangia- Bhutia,Dibrugarh-Cantonese, Sibsagar-Russian,Jorhat-Mandarin ;Nagaon- Korean ;Guahati-French;Dhuburi - Farsi; Silchar-Arabic, Kokrajhar-Magyar--- in School/college/Signboards/Newspaper Language-Brides from those lands preferred---. 2.. Universal free primary School-cum-creche -walking distance - from3yrs till age7 - mostly in THE Foreign Language. Extensive use of Video,Calligraphy,Phonetics,customs,Music,dance.Universal Internet 3.. Co-Ed MiddleSchool 711 yrs. Prime Language=FOREIGN + Some formal mother Tongue-Assamese/Bodo/Bengali/Khasi in the Foreign Land' s best Curriculum. Self-Assessment as often as you wish.Course material will be E-format -constantly updated into the IntraNet by a Teacher/Compiler Group. 4.. Girls'Boys'High School 11+16+ will stress on Agro/Soil/Green/LifeScience/sexEducation + Problem Solving mentally/Physically.Each will finish as expert hands on-- Cad/CNC/ChipTechnician/Crane-Earthmoving operator Welder---.One Sport predominates in the area (see 1 above) same as sport preferred in the Foreign Land. Main Practice I am Done for now. mm From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: assam@assamnet.org Date: Fri, 23 Nov 2007 00:16:32 -0600 Subject: Re: [Assam] From Outlook India: An Indictment of In dianHigher Education So at Thanksgiving 2007 after Turkey and Cranberry pudding they should pledge to work out a very well thought out plan to enable Direction to Purposeful Education for all in Oxom now and for the Future. Time and tide waits for no man. Mukulda: Nice! . And if we have been asked to work out a plan for Purposeful Education for Oxom, then what do you think in your mind it will be. I have a plan what I call, Get On Demand Plan. You get whatever you demand. I call it the GOD plan imagining that money is not the problem (which probably is a fact for Oxom), that is what we would ask GOD to give for Oxom. Let us discuss what such a Purposeful Education System would be for Oxom or rather the North East? Rajen - Original Message - From: mc mahant To: A Mailing list
Re: [Assam] From Outlook India: An Indictment of In dianHigher Education
Alpanaji,
Excuse me from seeming uncouth - but He He He thats a good one!!
If you mean Western countries like West Indies -- perhaps you have have heard
right that some --only a few (mostly private run) Indian high schools are
better.
But on the whole there can be no doubt that most Indian high schools (esp govt
ones) lack adequate staff, facilities -- if you compare with western countries
like USA, Canada , UK or even Mexico. In Mexico 98% graduate from elementary
school -compared to 70% in India (that too is a govt estimate - out of those
enrolled -- which is about 80% of total primary school age population).
And even if curriculum is challenging in state level exams - in many states
(including Madhya Pradesh, UP, Bihar and many others) there is always the
option of cheating inside the school examination hall with full cooperation of
the examiners - who may be from another school. Some time back I recall UP had
tougned its anti-cheating rule and passing rate fell from 80% to 30%. The
parents were angry and the govt lost face in international and national arena. .
On the plank that anti-cheating rules would be reverted to old system if
elected - the new govt came to power.
It is true that most private schools are forced to be competitive but in places
like Delhi even government schools are pretty well managed thanks to the civil
society incl media who maintain hawks eye of teacher's teacing and attendance ,
examination etc.
Also, perhaps the NRA perception that US colleges are good but not schools -
may stem from the fact that dating stats early in US (though not true for all
communities) and that by the time students reach college there are mature
enough. So many NRI parents send their kids or migrate wholesale to India till
the risky years are over. That may have nothing to do with the quality of
science or math or humanities education provided in US schools or that of UK or
Canada.
Regards.
Umesh
Alpana B. Sarangapani [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:.hmmessage P {
margin:0px; padding:0px } body.hmmessage { FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY:Tahoma
} Didn't these NRAs get their education in that Indian system itself to begin
with? Or, did they just grow wings to fly to the US right after they were born
in Assam/India?
I thought they say that the standard of secondary school (not college)
education in India is higher than that of many western countries, no?
In order to make spiritual progress you must be patient like a tree and
humble like a blade of grass
- Lakshmana
-
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
To: assam@assamnet.org
Date: Fri, 23 Nov 2007 00:16:32 -0600
Subject: Re: [Assam] From Outlook India: An Indictment of In dianHigher
Education
.ExternalClass .EC_hmmessage P
{padding-right:0px;padding-left:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-top:0px;}
.ExternalClass EC_BODY.hmmessage {font-size:10pt;font-family:Tahoma;} So at
Thanksgiving 2007 after Turkey and Cranberry pudding they should pledge to work
out a very well thought out plan to enable Direction to Purposeful Education
for all in Oxom now and for the Future.
Time and tide waits for no man.
Mukulda:
Nice! . And if we have been asked to work out a plan for Purposeful Education
for Oxom, then what do you think in your mind it will be. I have a plan what I
call, Get On Demand Plan. You get whatever you demand. I call it the GOD plan
imagining that money is not the problem (which probably is a fact for Oxom),
that is what we would ask GOD to give for Oxom.
Let us discuss what such a Purposeful Education System would be for Oxom or
rather the North East?
Rajen
- Original Message -
From: mc mahant
To: A Mailing list for people interested in Assam from around the world
Sent: Thursday, November 22, 2007 7:59 PM
Subject: Re: [Assam] From Outlook India: An Indictment of In dianHigher
Education
Education is what brought many Assamnetters to where they are.
They surely want their old country folk to be properly educated to do
something better-live better-healthier-happier-more useful to the
world/humanity.
So at Thanksgiving 2007 after Turkey and Cranberry pudding they should pledge
to work out a very well thought out plan to enable Direction to Purposeful
Education for all in Oxom now and for the Future.
Time and tide waits for no man.
mm
-
Date: Thu, 22 Nov 2007 12:56:41 -0600
To: assam@assamnet.org
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: [Assam] From Outlook India: An Indictment of In dian Higher Education
.ExternalClass EC_ExternalClass blockquote, .ExternalClass .EC_ExternalClass
dl, .ExternalClass .EC_ExternalClass ul, .ExternalClass EC_ExternalClass ol,
.ExternalClass .EC_ExternalClass li {padding-top:0;padding-bottom:0;} (
Highlighting mine: cm)
We Do Need That Education...
China is re-orienting and investing in its
Re: [Assam] From Outlook India: An Indictment of In dianHigher Education
Alpana, Alpana, Alpana! When will you ever learn :-)?
Just because these folks --you or I or whoever
came to the USA or went to Bilaat or what have
you, does not necessarily mean we were EDUCATED.
Does it? Education is a bit more than collecting
information or being able to do good math. Or did
you miss the highlighted points ,made by the
writer in that Outlook article?
I thought they say that the standard
of secondary school (not college) education in
India is higher than that of many western
countries, no?
*** Let us assume for a moment, just to make you
feel good, that it is indeed so. Now then if it
IS so,
why is India in the shape it is? Or why do
Indians in these forums like our own, ask the
kind of questions they do or make the comments
they do? And finally how many from a class of
fifty or even a hundred ( with one teacher
riding herd as they have to in many Indian
schools; as you are oblivious of ) come out to be
the 'brilliant' products they get to be known as?
What percentage of an Indian school or college
get that minimum of what could be considered a
reasonably rounded EDUCATION , never mind
well-rounded?
We don't expect you to speak for what you have
never seen or experienced that goes on outside
your sphere of awareness. But can you enlighten
us from your own experiences ? I realize it was
from a distant past as our modern day friends
would readily counter. But how much has it
changed, do you have any idea?
At 12:39 AM -0600 11/23/07, Alpana B. Sarangapani wrote:
Didn't these NRAs get their education in that
Indian system itself to begin with? Or, did they
just grow wings to fly to the US right after
they were born in Assam/India?
I thought they say that the standard
of secondary school (not college) education in
India is higher than that of many western
countries, no?
In order to make spiritual progress you must be
patient like a tree and humble like a blade of
grass
- Lakshmana
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
To: assam@assamnet.org
Date: Fri, 23 Nov 2007 00:16:32 -0600
Subject: Re: [Assam] From Outlook India: An
Indictment of In dianHigher Education
.ExternalClass .EC_hmmessage P
{padding-right:0px;padding-left:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-top:0px;}
.ExternalClass EC_BODY.hmmessage
{font-size:10pt;font-family:Tahoma;}
So at Thanksgiving 2007 after Turkey and
Cranberry pudding they should pledge to work out
a very well thought out plan to enable Direction
to Purposeful Education for all in Oxom now
and for the Future.
Time and tide waits for no man.
Mukulda:
Nice! . And if we have been asked to work out a
plan for Purposeful Education for Oxom, then
what do you think in your mind it will be. I
have a plan what I call, Get On Demand Plan. You
get whatever you demand. I call it the GOD plan
imagining that money is not the problem (which
probably is a fact for Oxom), that is what we
would ask GOD to give for Oxom.
Let us discuss what such a Purposeful Education
System would be for Oxom or rather the North
East?
Rajen
- Original Message -
From: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]mc mahant
To: mailto:assam@assamnet.orgA Mailing list
for people interested in Assam from around the
world
Sent: Thursday, November 22, 2007 7:59 PM
Subject: Re: [Assam] From Outlook India: An
Indictment of In dianHigher Education
Education is what brought many Assamnetters to where they are.
They surely want their old country folk to be
properly educated to do something better-live
better-healthier-happier-more useful to the
world/humanity.
So at Thanksgiving 2007 after Turkey and
Cranberry pudding they should pledge to work out
a very well thought out plan to enable Direction
to Purposeful Education for all in Oxom now
and for the Future.
Time and tide waits for no man.
mm
Date: Thu, 22 Nov 2007 12:56:41 -0600
To: assam@assamnet.org
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: [Assam] From Outlook India: An Indictment of In dian Higher Education
.ExternalClass EC_ExternalClass blockquote,
.ExternalClass .EC_ExternalClass dl,
.ExternalClass .EC_ExternalClass ul,
.ExternalClass EC_ExternalClass ol,
.ExternalClass .EC_ExternalClass li
{padding-top:0;padding-bottom:0;}
( Highlighting mine: cm)
We Do Need That Education...
China is re-orienting and investing in its
higher education sector to meet the challenges
of the future, but India continues to ignore the
systemic collapse that is crying out for an
urgent and drastic overhaul.
HARSH V. PANT
A few days back, two news stories appeared in
the Indian media. One was the absence of Indian
universities from a list of top 200 (not 100!)
higher educational institutions in the world
while as many as 10 Chinese universities made it
to the list. The other was about the letter that
the Aligarh Muslim University Vice Chancellor
has been forced to write to the parents of his
students threatening to convert the academic
session
Re: [Assam] From Outlook India: An Indictment of IndianHigher Education
Really love this concept: GOD You be the collector/moderator of mission GOD-NE(of course). Let us begin with a serial flow of random thoughts from all . None will be accepted/rejected. They will be edited/moderated/presented finally in Assamnet to Powers Coming up: Can I offer a few to start with? Only One foreign Language per area-Say Digboi -Thai; Pasighat-Tibetan,Rangia- Bhutia,Dibrugarh-Cantonese, Sibsagar-Russian,Jorhat-Mandarin ;Nagaon- Korean ;Guahati-French;Dhuburi - Farsi; Silchar-Arabic, Kokrajhar-Magyar--- in School/college/Signboards/Newspaper Language-Brides from those lands preferred---. Universal free primary School-cum-creche -walking distance - from3yrs till age7 - mostly in THE Foreign Language. Extensive use of Video,Calligraphy,Phonetics,customs,Music,dance.Universal Internet Co-Ed MiddleSchool 711 yrs. Prime Language=FOREIGN + Some formal mother Tongue-Assamese/Bodo/Bengali/Khasi in the Foreign Land' s best Curriculum. Self-Assessment as often as you wish.Course material will be E-format -constantly updated into the IntraNet by a Teacher/Compiler Group. Girls'Boys'High School 11+16+ will stress on Agro/Soil/Green/LifeScience/sexEducation + Problem Solving mentally/Physically.Each will finish as expert hands on-- Cad/CNC/ChipTechnician/Crane-Earthmoving operator Welder---.One Sport predominates in the area (see 1 above) same as sport preferred in the Foreign Land. Main Practice I am Done for now. mm From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]: [EMAIL PROTECTED]: Fri, 23 Nov 2007 00:16:32 -0600Subject: Re: [Assam] From Outlook India: An Indictment of In dianHigher Education So at Thanksgiving 2007 after Turkey and Cranberry pudding they should pledge to work out a very well thought out plan to enable Direction to Purposeful Education for all in Oxom now and for the Future. Time and tide waits for no man. Mukulda: Nice! . And if we have been asked to work out a plan for Purposeful Education for Oxom, then what do you think in your mind it will be. I have a plan what I call, Get On Demand Plan. You get whatever you demand. I call it the GOD plan imagining that money is not the problem (which probably is a fact for Oxom), that is what we would ask GOD to give for Oxom. Let us discuss what such a Purposeful Education System would be for Oxom or rather the North East? Rajen - Original Message - From: mc mahant To: A Mailing list for people interested in Assam from around the world Sent: Thursday, November 22, 2007 7:59 PM Subject: Re: [Assam] From Outlook India: An Indictment of In dianHigher Education Education is what brought many Assamnetters to where they are. They surely want their old country folk to be properly educated to do something better-live better-healthier-happier-more useful to the world/humanity.So at Thanksgiving 2007 after Turkey and Cranberry pudding they should pledge to work out a very well thought out plan to enable Direction to Purposeful Education for all in Oxom now and for the Future. Time and tide waits for no man.mm Date: Thu, 22 Nov 2007 12:56:41 -0600To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]: [EMAIL PROTECTED]: [Assam] From Outlook India: An Indictment of In dian Higher Education ( Highlighting mine: cm) We Do Need That Education...China is re-orienting and investing in its higher education sector to meet the challenges of the future, but India continues to ignore the systemic collapse that is crying out for an urgent and drastic overhaul.HARSH V. PANTA few days back, two news stories appeared in the Indian media. One was the absence of Indian universities from a list of top 200 (not 100!) higher educational institutions in the world while as many as 10 Chinese universities made it to the list. The other was about the letter that the Aligarh Muslim University Vice Chancellor has been forced to write to the parents of his students threatening to convert the academic session into a Zero Year in case of a repeat of campus violence -- in mid-September, earlier in the year, the university had been forced to close down after violence and arson on the campus in protest against the murder of a student. These news items are symptomatic of the rot that has set in the Indian higher education system, which seems to be in the news only for wrong reasons.Amid all the claims about the rise of India as a major player in the international system, it is often ignored that India continues to face some fundamental obstacles in its drive to achieve its full potential. One of the most significant of which is the crisis in India's higher education system, something that gets drowned in the din of those feel-good stories about the engineers and managers emerging from India's premier professional institutions such as the IITs and the IIMs. Sometime back, inaugurating a national conference of Vice Chancellors (VCs), organised by the University Grant Commission, the union human resources development
Re: [Assam] From Outlook India: An Indictment ofIndianHigher Education
Dear Mukulda: Very well!!! I support point # 2,3,4 fully except for 'foreign language' term. Could not understand the 'Only one foreign language per area cocept' in item # 1. We also need higher education and technical education. Engineering Degree College, Diploma College, Technical Training college, Agricultural College, Petroleum Engineering college, Tea Training college, Rice Research center, Medical college, Nursing college, Homeopathic college, Vetenary college, Chyropractic college, Acupunture college, Ayurvedic college, Community college for adult education, etc. Let us try to find out what will be these and where in North East will be these. Thanks Rajen - Original Message - From: mc mahant To: A Mailing list for people interested in Assam from around the world Sent: Friday, November 23, 2007 7:23 AM Subject: Re: [Assam] From Outlook India: An Indictment ofIndianHigher Education Really love this concept: GOD You be the collector/moderator of mission GOD-NE(of course). Let us begin with a serial flow of random thoughts from all . None will be accepted/rejected. They will be edited/moderated/presented finally in Assamnet to Powers Coming up: Can I offer a few to start with? 1.. Only One foreign Language per area-Say Digboi -Thai; Pasighat-Tibetan,Rangia- Bhutia,Dibrugarh-Cantonese, Sibsagar-Russian,Jorhat-Mandarin ;Nagaon- Korean ;Guahati-French;Dhuburi - Farsi; Silchar-Arabic, Kokrajhar-Magyar--- in School/college/Signboards/Newspaper Language-Brides from those lands preferred---. 2.. Universal free primary School-cum-creche -walking distance - from3yrs till age7 - mostly in THE Foreign Language. Extensive use of Video,Calligraphy,Phonetics,customs,Music,dance.Universal Internet 3.. Co-Ed MiddleSchool 711 yrs. Prime Language=FOREIGN + Some formal mother Tongue-Assamese/Bodo/Bengali/Khasi in the Foreign Land' s best Curriculum. Self-Assessment as often as you wish.Course material will be E-format -constantly updated into the IntraNet by a Teacher/Compiler Group. 4.. Girls'Boys'High School 11+16+ will stress on Agro/Soil/Green/LifeScience/sexEducation + Problem Solving mentally/Physically.Each will finish as expert hands on-- Cad/CNC/ChipTechnician/Crane-Earthmoving operator Welder---.One Sport predominates in the area (see 1 above) same as sport preferred in the Foreign Land. Main Practice I am Done for now. mm From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: assam@assamnet.org Date: Fri, 23 Nov 2007 00:16:32 -0600 Subject: Re: [Assam] From Outlook India: An Indictment of In dianHigher Education So at Thanksgiving 2007 after Turkey and Cranberry pudding they should pledge to work out a very well thought out plan to enable Direction to Purposeful Education for all in Oxom now and for the Future. Time and tide waits for no man. Mukulda: Nice! . And if we have been asked to work out a plan for Purposeful Education for Oxom, then what do you think in your mind it will be. I have a plan what I call, Get On Demand Plan. You get whatever you demand. I call it the GOD plan imagining that money is not the problem (which probably is a fact for Oxom), that is what we would ask GOD to give for Oxom. Let us discuss what such a Purposeful Education System would be for Oxom or rather the North East? Rajen - Original Message - From: mc mahant To: A Mailing list for people interested in Assam from around the world Sent: Thursday, November 22, 2007 7:59 PM Subject: Re: [Assam] From Outlook India: An Indictment of In dianHigher Education Education is what brought many Assamnetters to where they are. They surely want their old country folk to be properly educated to do something better-live better-healthier-happier-more useful to the world/humanity. So at Thanksgiving 2007 after Turkey and Cranberry pudding they should pledge to work out a very well thought out plan to enable Direction to Purposeful Education for all in Oxom now and for the Future. Time and tide waits for no man. mm Date: Thu, 22 Nov 2007 12:56:41 -0600 To: assam@assamnet.org From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: [Assam] From Outlook India: An Indictment of In dian Higher Education ( Highlighting mine: cm) We Do Need That Education... China is re-orienting and investing in its higher education sector to meet the challenges of the future, but India continues to ignore the systemic collapse that is crying out for an urgent and drastic overhaul. HARSH V. PANT A few days back, two news stories appeared in the Indian media. One was the absence of Indian universities from a list of top
Re: [Assam] From Outlook India: An Indictment ofIndianHigher Education
Baruasaab, Ok for a quicky. By foreign means no Assamese,no English-only IN the Foreign Language, force-fed. We also need higher education and technical education I only went to 16+. And you list 15 Types of colleges?campuses+Universities? Maybe we can lump all these in one GOD-NE. But these- later. what will be these and where in North East will be these : GOD -NE should be everywhere! You should wait for all participants to gather their thoughts- an they will come out with gems. Do not rush anybody.Let out a long Rope! mm From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]: [EMAIL PROTECTED]: Fri, 23 Nov 2007 09:16:51 -0600Subject: Re: [Assam] From Outlook India: An Indictment ofIndianHigher Education Dear Mukulda: Very well!!! I support point # 2,3,4 fully except for 'foreign language' term. Could not understand the 'Only one foreign language per area cocept' in item # 1. We also need higher education and technical education. Engineering Degree College, Diploma College, Technical Training college, Agricultural College, Petroleum Engineering college, Tea Training college, Rice Research center, Medical college, Nursing college, Homeopathic college, Vetenary college, Chyropractic college, Acupunture college, Ayurvedic college, Community college for adult education, etc. Let us try to find out what will be these and where in North East will be these. Thanks Rajen - Original Message - From: mc mahant To: A Mailing list for people interested in Assam from around the world Sent: Friday, November 23, 2007 7:23 AM Subject: Re: [Assam] From Outlook India: An Indictment ofIndianHigher Education Really love this concept: GOD You be the collector/moderator of mission GOD-NE(of course). Let us begin with a serial flow of random thoughts from all . None will be accepted/rejected.They will be edited/moderated/presented finally in Assamnet to Powers Coming up:Can I offer a few to start with? Only One foreign Language per area-Say Digboi -Thai; Pasighat-Tibetan,Rangia- Bhutia,Dibrugarh-Cantonese, Sibsagar-Russian,Jorhat-Mandarin ;Nagaon- Korean ;Guahati-French;Dhuburi - Farsi; Silchar-Arabic, Kokrajhar-Magyar--- in School/college/Signboards/Newspaper Language-Brides from those lands preferred---. Universal free primary School-cum-creche -walking distance - from3yrs till age7 - mostly in THE Foreign Language. Extensive use of Video,Calligraphy,Phonetics,customs,Music,dance.Universal Internet Co-Ed MiddleSchool 711 yrs. Prime Language=FOREIGN + Some formal mother Tongue-Assamese/Bodo/Bengali/Khasi in the Foreign Land' s best Curriculum. Self-Assessment as often as you wish.Course material will be E-format -constantly updated into the IntraNet by a Teacher/Compiler Group. Girls'Boys'High School 11+16+ will stress on Agro/Soil/Green/LifeScience/sexEducation + Problem Solving mentally/Physically.Each will finish as expert hands on-- Cad/CNC/ChipTechnician/Crane-Earthmoving operator Welder---.One Sport predominates in the area (see 1 above) same as sport preferred in the Foreign Land. Main Practice I am Done for now.mm From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]: [EMAIL PROTECTED]: Fri, 23 Nov 2007 00:16:32 -0600Subject: Re: [Assam] From Outlook India: An Indictment of In dianHigher Education So at Thanksgiving 2007 after Turkey and Cranberry pudding they should pledge to work out a very well thought out plan to enable Direction to Purposeful Education for all in Oxom now and for the Future. Time and tide waits for no man. Mukulda: Nice! . And if we have been asked to work out a plan for Purposeful Education for Oxom, then what do you think in your mind it will be. I have a plan what I call, Get On Demand Plan. You get whatever you demand. I call it the GOD plan imagining that money is not the problem (which probably is a fact for Oxom), that is what we would ask GOD to give for Oxom. Let us discuss what such a Purposeful Education System would be for Oxom or rather the North East? Rajen - Original Message - From: mc mahant To: A Mailing list for people interested in Assam from around the world Sent: Thursday, November 22, 2007 7:59 PM Subject: Re: [Assam] From Outlook India: An Indictment of In dianHigher Education Education is what brought many Assamnetters to where they are. They surely want their old country folk to be properly educated to do something better-live better-healthier-happier-more useful to the world/humanity.So at Thanksgiving 2007 after Turkey and Cranberry pudding they should pledge to work out a very well thought out plan to enable Direction to Purposeful Education for all in Oxom now and for the Future. Time and tide waits for no man.mm Date: Thu, 22 Nov 2007 12:56:41 -0600To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]: [EMAIL PROTECTED]: [Assam] From Outlook India: An Indictment of In dian Higher Education ( Highlighting mine: cm) We Do Need That Education...China is re-orienting and investing in its higher education sector to meet
[Assam] From Outlook India: An Indictment of In dian Higher Education
( Highlighting mine: cm) We Do Need That Education... China is re-orienting and investing in its higher education sector to meet the challenges of the future, but India continues to ignore the systemic collapse that is crying out for an urgent and drastic overhaul. HARSH V. PANT A few days back, two news stories appeared in the Indian media. One was the absence of Indian universities from a list of top 200 (not 100!) higher educational institutions in the world while as many as 10 Chinese universities made it to the list. The other was about the letter that the Aligarh Muslim University Vice Chancellor has been forced to write to the parents of his students threatening to convert the academic session into a Zero Year in case of a repeat of campus violence -- in mid-September, earlier in the year, the university had been forced to close down after violence and arson on the campus in protest against the murder of a student. These news items are symptomatic of the rot that has set in the Indian higher education system, which seems to be in the news only for wrong reasons. Amid all the claims about the rise of India as a major player in the international system, it is often ignored that India continues to face some fundamental obstacles in its drive to achieve its full potential. One of the most significant of which is the crisis in India's higher education system, something that gets drowned in the din of those feel-good stories about the engineers and managers emerging from India's premier professional institutions such as the IITs and the IIMs. Sometime back, inaugurating a national conference of Vice Chancellors (VCs), organised by the University Grant Commission, the union human resources development minister, Arjun Singh, described higher education in India as a sick child and asked that it should be given a new direction so as to be able to better serve the cause of the nation's youth. Seeking a road map on higher education from the VCs, he asked them to define what should be the content, extent, methodology and basic ingredients of higher education. While Singh's comments certainly need to be welcomed, especially if they are able to generate a debate in the country on the future of higher education, it is indeed surprising that it took him more than three years to address what should have been his top priority when he assumed office. It is also interesting to note that some of the minister's own actions in the past three years have not exactly served the goals of improving the quality of higher education in the country. Knowledge is the key variable that will define the global distribution of power in the 21st century and India has also embarked on a path of economic success relying on its high-tech industries. But given the fragile state of India's higher education system, it is not clear if India will be able to sustain its present growth trajectory. While India's nearest competitor, China is re-orienting and investing in its higher education sector to meet the challenges of the future, India continues to ignore the problem as if the absence of world-class research in Indian universities is something that will rectify itself on its own. While India may be producing well-trained engineers and managers from its flagship IITs and IIMs, it is not doing so in sufficient numbers. There is also a growing concern that while private engineering and management institutions are flourishing due to rising demand, their products are not of the quality that can help India compete effectively in the global marketplace. India has the third largest higher education system in the world, behind only the US and China, that is churning out around 2.5 million graduates every year. Not only is this catering to just about 10 percent of India's youth but the quality of this output is also below par.If we leave aside the IITs, the IIMs, and some other institutions such as the AIIMs, the Indian Institute of Science, and Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, we will find a higher education sector that is increasingly unwilling and unable to bear the weight of the rising expectations of an emerging India. The Indian universities, which should have been the centre of cutting edge research and hub of intellectual activity, are more in the news for political machinations than for research excellence. Years of under-investment in higher education and a mistaken belief in providing uniform support to all universities irrespective of the quality of their output has made sure that the academics have neither the adequate support to provide top-quality education to their students nor do they have any incentive to undertake cutting-edge research. India desperately needs research-oriented globally recognised universities to be able to participate in the modern-day knowledge-based global economy to its full potential.
Re: [Assam] From Outlook India: An Indictment of In dian Higher Education
Education is what brought many Assamnetters to where they are. They surely want their old country folk to be properly educated to do something better-live better-healthier-happier-more useful to the world/humanity. So at Thanksgiving 2007 after Turkey and Cranberry pudding they should pledge to work out a very well thought out plan to enable Direction to Purposeful Education for all in Oxom now and for the Future. Time and tide waits for no man. mm Date: Thu, 22 Nov 2007 12:56:41 -0600To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]: [EMAIL PROTECTED]: [Assam] From Outlook India: An Indictment of In dian Higher Education ( Highlighting mine: cm) We Do Need That Education...China is re-orienting and investing in its higher education sector to meet the challenges of the future, but India continues to ignore the systemic collapse that is crying out for an urgent and drastic overhaul.HARSH V. PANTA few days back, two news stories appeared in the Indian media. One was the absence of Indian universities from a list of top 200 (not 100!) higher educational institutions in the world while as many as 10 Chinese universities made it to the list. The other was about the letter that the Aligarh Muslim University Vice Chancellor has been forced to write to the parents of his students threatening to convert the academic session into a Zero Year in case of a repeat of campus violence -- in mid-September, earlier in the year, the university had been forced to close down after violence and arson on the campus in protest against the murder of a student. These news items are symptomatic of the rot that has set in the Indian higher education system, which seems to be in the news only for wrong reasons.Amid all the claims about the rise of India as a major player in the international system, it is often ignored that India continues to face some fundamental obstacles in its drive to achieve its full potential. One of the most significant of which is the crisis in India's higher education system, something that gets drowned in the din of those feel-good stories about the engineers and managers emerging from India's premier professional institutions such as the IITs and the IIMs. Sometime back, inaugurating a national conference of Vice Chancellors (VCs), organised by the University Grant Commission, the union human resources development minister, Arjun Singh, described higher education in India as a sick child and asked that it should be given a new direction so as to be able to better serve the cause of the nation's youth. Seeking a road map on higher education from the VCs, he asked them to define what should be the content, extent, methodology and basic ingredients of higher education. While Singh's comments certainly need to be welcomed, especially if they are able to generate a debate in the country on the future of higher education, it is indeed surprising that it took him more than three years to address what should have been his top priority when he assumed office. It is also interesting to note that some of the minister's own actions in the past three years have not exactly served the goals of improving the quality of higher education in the country. Knowledge is the key variable that will define the global distribution of power in the 21st century and India has also embarked on a path of economic success relying on its high-tech industries. But given the fragile state of India's higher education system, it is not clear if India will be able to sustain its present growth trajectory. While India's nearest competitor, China is re-orienting and investing in its higher education sector to meet the challenges of the future, India continues to ignore the problem as if the absence of world-class research in Indian universities is something that will rectify itself on its own. While India may be producing well-trained engineers and managers from its flagship IITs and IIMs, it is not doing so in sufficient numbers. There is also a growing concern that while private engineering and management institutions are flourishing due to rising demand, their products are not of the quality that can help India compete effectively in the global marketplace. India has the third largest higher education system in the world, behind only the US and China, that is churning out around 2.5 million graduates every year. Not only is this catering to just about 10 percent of India's youth but the quality of this output is also below par.If we leave aside the IITs, the IIMs, and some other institutions such as the AIIMs, the Indian Institute of Science, and Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, we will find a higher education sector that is increasingly unwilling and unable to bear the weight of the rising expectations of an emerging India. The Indian universities, which should have been the centre of cutting edge research and hub of intellectual activity, are more in the news for political
Re: [Assam] From Outlook India: An Indictment of In dianHigher Education
Didn't these NRAs get their education in that Indian system itself to begin with? Or, did they just grow wings to fly to the US right after they were born in Assam/India? I thought they say that the standard of secondary school (not college) education in India is higher than that of many western countries, no? “In order to make spiritual progress you must be patient like a tree and humble like a blade of grass” - Lakshmana From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]: [EMAIL PROTECTED]: Fri, 23 Nov 2007 00:16:32 -0600Subject: Re: [Assam] From Outlook India: An Indictment of In dianHigher Education So at Thanksgiving 2007 after Turkey and Cranberry pudding they should pledge to work out a very well thought out plan to enable Direction to Purposeful Education for all in Oxom now and for the Future. Time and tide waits for no man. Mukulda: Nice! . And if we have been asked to work out a plan for Purposeful Education for Oxom, then what do you think in your mind it will be. I have a plan what I call, Get On Demand Plan. You get whatever you demand. I call it the GOD plan imagining that money is not the problem (which probably is a fact for Oxom), that is what we would ask GOD to give for Oxom. Let us discuss what such a Purposeful Education System would be for Oxom or rather the North East? Rajen - Original Message - From: mc mahant To: A Mailing list for people interested in Assam from around the world Sent: Thursday, November 22, 2007 7:59 PM Subject: Re: [Assam] From Outlook India: An Indictment of In dianHigher Education Education is what brought many Assamnetters to where they are. They surely want their old country folk to be properly educated to do something better-live better-healthier-happier-more useful to the world/humanity.So at Thanksgiving 2007 after Turkey and Cranberry pudding they should pledge to work out a very well thought out plan to enable Direction to Purposeful Education for all in Oxom now and for the Future. Time and tide waits for no man.mm Date: Thu, 22 Nov 2007 12:56:41 -0600To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]: [EMAIL PROTECTED]: [Assam] From Outlook India: An Indictment of In dian Higher Education ( Highlighting mine: cm) We Do Need That Education...China is re-orienting and investing in its higher education sector to meet the challenges of the future, but India continues to ignore the systemic collapse that is crying out for an urgent and drastic overhaul.HARSH V. PANTA few days back, two news stories appeared in the Indian media. One was the absence of Indian universities from a list of top 200 (not 100!) higher educational institutions in the world while as many as 10 Chinese universities made it to the list. The other was about the letter that the Aligarh Muslim University Vice Chancellor has been forced to write to the parents of his students threatening to convert the academic session into a Zero Year in case of a repeat of campus violence -- in mid-September, earlier in the year, the university had been forced to close down after violence and arson on the campus in protest against the murder of a student. These news items are symptomatic of the rot that has set in the Indian higher education system, which seems to be in the news only for wrong reasons.Amid all the claims about the rise of India as a major player in the international system, it is often ignored that India continues to face some fundamental obstacles in its drive to achieve its full potential. One of the most significant of which is the crisis in India's higher education system, something that gets drowned in the din of those feel-good stories about the engineers and managers emerging from India's premier professional institutions such as the IITs and the IIMs. Sometime back, inaugurating a national conference of Vice Chancellors (VCs), organised by the University Grant Commission, the union human resources development minister, Arjun Singh, described higher education in India as a sick child and asked that it should be given a new direction so as to be able to better serve the cause of the nation's youth. Seeking a road map on higher education from the VCs, he asked them to define what should be the content, extent, methodology and basic ingredients of higher education. While Singh's comments certainly need to be welcomed, especially if they are able to generate a debate in the country on the future of higher education, it is indeed surprising that it took him more than three years to address what should have been his top priority when he assumed office. It is also interesting to note that some of the minister's own actions in the past three years have not exactly served the goals of improving the quality of higher education in the country. Knowledge is the key variable that will define the global distribution of power in the 21st century and India has also embarked on a path of economic success relying on its
Re: [Assam] From Outlook India: An Indictment of In dianHigher Education
So at Thanksgiving 2007 after Turkey and Cranberry pudding they should pledge to work out a very well thought out plan to enable Direction to Purposeful Education for all in Oxom now and for the Future. Time and tide waits for no man. Mukulda: Nice! . And if we have been asked to work out a plan for Purposeful Education for Oxom, then what do you think in your mind it will be. I have a plan what I call, Get On Demand Plan. You get whatever you demand. I call it the GOD plan imagining that money is not the problem (which probably is a fact for Oxom), that is what we would ask GOD to give for Oxom. Let us discuss what such a Purposeful Education System would be for Oxom or rather the North East? Rajen - Original Message - From: mc mahant To: A Mailing list for people interested in Assam from around the world Sent: Thursday, November 22, 2007 7:59 PM Subject: Re: [Assam] From Outlook India: An Indictment of In dianHigher Education Education is what brought many Assamnetters to where they are. They surely want their old country folk to be properly educated to do something better-live better-healthier-happier-more useful to the world/humanity. So at Thanksgiving 2007 after Turkey and Cranberry pudding they should pledge to work out a very well thought out plan to enable Direction to Purposeful Education for all in Oxom now and for the Future. Time and tide waits for no man. mm Date: Thu, 22 Nov 2007 12:56:41 -0600 To: assam@assamnet.org From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: [Assam] From Outlook India: An Indictment of In dian Higher Education ( Highlighting mine: cm) We Do Need That Education... China is re-orienting and investing in its higher education sector to meet the challenges of the future, but India continues to ignore the systemic collapse that is crying out for an urgent and drastic overhaul. HARSH V. PANT A few days back, two news stories appeared in the Indian media. One was the absence of Indian universities from a list of top 200 (not 100!) higher educational institutions in the world while as many as 10 Chinese universities made it to the list. The other was about the letter that the Aligarh Muslim University Vice Chancellor has been forced to write to the parents of his students threatening to convert the academic session into a Zero Year in case of a repeat of campus violence -- in mid-September, earlier in the year, the university had been forced to close down after violence and arson on the campus in protest against the murder of a student. These news items are symptomatic of the rot that has set in the Indian higher education system, which seems to be in the news only for wrong reasons. Amid all the claims about the rise of India as a major player in the international system, it is often ignored that India continues to face some fundamental obstacles in its drive to achieve its full potential. One of the most significant of which is the crisis in India's higher education system, something that gets drowned in the din of those feel-good stories about the engineers and managers emerging from India's premier professional institutions such as the IITs and the IIMs. Sometime back, inaugurating a national conference of Vice Chancellors (VCs), organised by the University Grant Commission, the union human resources development minister, Arjun Singh, described higher education in India as a sick child and asked that it should be given a new direction so as to be able to better serve the cause of the nation's youth. Seeking a road map on higher education from the VCs, he asked them to define what should be the content, extent, methodology and basic ingredients of higher education. While Singh's comments certainly need to be welcomed, especially if they are able to generate a debate in the country on the future of higher education, it is indeed surprising that it took him more than three years to address what should have been his top priority when he assumed office. It is also interesting to note that some of the minister's own actions in the past three years have not exactly served the goals of improving the quality of higher education in the country. Knowledge is the key variable that will define the global distribution of power in the 21st century and India has also embarked on a path of economic success relying on its high-tech industries. But given the fragile state of India's higher education system, it is not clear if India will be able to sustain its present growth trajectory. While India's nearest competitor, China is re-orienting and investing in its higher education sector to meet the challenges of the future, India continues to ignore the problem as if the absence of world-class research in Indian universities is something that will rectify
Re: [Assam] From Outlook India: An Indictment of In dian Higher Education
Well said.
At 7:29 AM +0530 11/23/07, mc mahant wrote:
Education is what brought many Assamnetters to where they are.
They surely want their old country folk to be
properly educated to do something better-live
better-healthier-happier-more useful to the
world/humanity.
So at Thanksgiving 2007 after Turkey and
Cranberry pudding they should pledge to work out
a very well thought out plan to enable Direction
to Purposeful Education for all in Oxom now
and for the Future.
Time and tide waits for no man.
mm
Date: Thu, 22 Nov 2007 12:56:41 -0600
To: assam@assamnet.org
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: [Assam] From Outlook India: An Indictment of In dian Higher Education
.ExternalClass blockquote, .ExternalClass dl,
.ExternalClass ul, .ExternalClass ol,
.ExternalClass li
{padding-top:0;padding-bottom:0;}
( Highlighting mine: cm)
We Do Need That Education...
China is re-orienting and investing in its
higher education sector to meet the challenges
of the future, but India continues to ignore the
systemic collapse that is crying out for an
urgent and drastic overhaul.
HARSH V. PANT
A few days back, two news stories appeared in
the Indian media. One was the absence of Indian
universities from a list of top 200 (not 100!)
higher educational institutions in the world
while as many as 10 Chinese universities made it
to the list. The other was about the letter that
the Aligarh Muslim University Vice Chancellor
has been forced to write to the parents of his
students threatening to convert the academic
session into a Zero Year in case of a repeat
of campus violence -- in mid-September, earlier
in the year, the university had been forced to
close down after violence and arson on the
campus in protest against the murder of a
student. These news items are symptomatic of the
rot that has set in the Indian higher education
system, which seems to be in the news only for
wrong reasons.
Amid all the claims about the rise of India as a
major player in the international system, it is
often ignored that India continues to face some
fundamental obstacles in its drive to achieve
its full potential. One of the most significant
of which is the crisis in India's higher
education system, something that gets drowned in
the din of those feel-good stories about the
engineers and managers emerging from India's
premier professional institutions such as the
IITs and the IIMs.
Sometime back, inaugurating a national
conference of Vice Chancellors (VCs), organised
by the University Grant Commission, the union
human resources development minister, Arjun
Singh, described higher education in India as a
sick child and asked that it should be given a
new direction so as to be able to better serve
the cause of the nation's youth. Seeking a road
map on higher education from the VCs, he asked
them to define what should be the content,
extent, methodology and basic ingredients of
higher education. While Singh's comments
certainly need to be welcomed, especially if
they are able to generate a debate in the
country on the future of higher education, it is
indeed surprising that it took him more than
three years to address what should have been his
top priority when he assumed office. It is also
interesting to note that some of the minister's
own actions in the past three years have not
exactly served the goals of improving the
quality of higher education in the country.
Knowledge is the key variable that will define
the global distribution of power in the 21st
century and India has also embarked on a path of
economic success relying on its high-tech
industries. But given the fragile state of
India's higher education system, it is not clear
if India will be able to sustain its present
growth trajectory. While India's nearest
competitor, China is re-orienting and investing
in its higher education sector to meet the
challenges of the future, India continues to
ignore the problem as if the absence of
world-class research in Indian universities is
something that will rectify itself on its own.
While India may be producing well-trained
engineers and managers from its flagship IITs
and IIMs, it is not doing so in sufficient
numbers. There is also a growing concern that
while private engineering and management
institutions are flourishing due to rising
demand, their products are not of the quality
that can help India compete effectively in the
global marketplace.
India has the third largest higher education
system in the world, behind only the US and
China, that is churning out around 2.5 million
graduates every year. Not only is this catering
to just about 10 percent of India's youth but
the quality of this output is also below par.If
we leave aside the IITs, the IIMs, and some
other institutions such as the AIIMs, the Indian
Institute of Science, and Tata Institute of
Fundamental Research, we will find a higher
education sector
[Assam] From Outlook India/ Pankaj Mishra
Superman Never Returns India can go ape-or it can learn to talk to itself and the world PANKAJ MISHRA For some years now, the English press has treated us to such headlines as 'India, the Next Superpower', 'India's Global Takeover', or 'Bollywood Fever Sweeps the West'. This enthusiasm has even infected American and European policymakers and journalists who, increasingly wary of China, seem to be hoping for a likeable Asian counterweight to the inscrutable Middle Empire. For much of its 60 years of existence, India appeared in the Western press as a land of maharajahs, beggars and deluded socialists. Abruptly now, Time, Newsweek and Foreign Affairs hail India as a 'roaring capitalist success story', hoping that the country will be the US's new 'strategic partner'. Plainly, the American business and foreign policy establishments have no choice but to seek new markets and allies in an uncertain post-9/11 world. As always, their geopolitical calculations are marked by wishful thinking. Faced with imminent decline, great powers like the US become particularly prone to ideological illusion. But why should we-a big but largely poor country with a superpower complex-deny our own reality? It is tempting to bask in the glory of a 'rising' India-indeed there is much money to be made out of peddling that image. But most writers and intellectuals know that the truth about a place as big and diverse as India is always multi-faceted. Hoping to provide some nuance to recent discussions on India, I recently published an article in the American press. I pointed out a few obvious facts: the poor state of public health and primary education, the high unemployment rate, the minuscule proportion of Indians working in IT and business processing industries (1.3 million out of a labour force of 400 million), the deep agrarian crisis, and the rise of militant Communism in some of the poorest parts of India. No sooner had the article been published than responses began to flood in. Many aid and NGO workers working to alleviate rural poverty, disease and illiteracy wrote to express their gratitude that I had acknowledged at least some of the problems they confront every day. Other messages conveyed, mostly politely, their disagreement with my implicit belief that India-and China-have to make their model of economic growth both politically and environmentally sustainable. But most people who wrote angrily accused me of bringing shame upon India by washing her dirty linen in public. Not surprisingly, these letters were either from Indians in America, who long for the India they left behind to become a superpower, on a par with the country in which they presently live, or from the generation and class of Indians who have benefited from India's integration into the global economy. These globalised Indians evidently wish to identify themselves with Indian achievements and American power; they seemed convinced that I am a deluded socialist and anti-globalisation activist, in addition to being a dedicated hater of Hindus and India. I have grown accustomed to such outbursts. But they still puzzle me, partly because I think of myself as part of the generation of Indians privileged by globalisation. India, where I have spent most of my life, is not only a perennially complex and enriching subject for me; it also gives me a place in the world and I feel bound to the country in many ways, not all of which are expressible. The Indian nation-state may be only 60 years old but there is an even longer and more continuous entity: the Indian civilisation to which belong most of my heroes, the Buddha, Ashoka, Gandhi and Tagore. The breathtaking originality and sophistication of these thinkers and activists long convinced me that the country in which they flourished has something more profound to offer to the world than its ability to imitate the consumer societies of the West.Imbued with this confidence, I am startled by the insecure and anxious nationalism I often find among many well-educated Indians: a self-esteem that is evidently so fragile that it can be undermined by a single dissenting article in the New York Times. It becomes imperative then to examine this expectation of Indian greatness, and the role assigned in it to writers and intellectuals. At almost every level this nationalism seems to stem from a desire to achieve the kind of full-spectrum dominance the United States enjoyed in the second half of the 20th century, when American presidents shaped world events, American CEOs as well as Hollywood stars became global celebrities, and the American neo-liberal ideology of capitalism appeared the terminus of history. History, however, has moved on. Its military bogged down in Iraq and Afghanistan, its international credibility shattered, and its economy massively indebted to China, the United States is struggling to hold on to its pre-eminent status. Challenges to
Re: [Assam] From Outlook India/ Pankaj Mishra
C'da Thanks for forwarding PM's article. I had come across his articles some time back also. He does write very well. But, sadly, I have come to the conclusion that India seems to lack down-to-earth, middle-of-the-road columnists. They somehow seem to fall into two broad groups - anti-India or pro-India, and both sides pretend to beat drums in the middle. Any issue these columnists take are laced with political ends, be they dams, human rights, or development in India. The more unfortunate thing is that many of us are very eager to put them up on a pedestal. Could be because we think they take up our pet 'causes' too. I will be glad to be proven wrong. --Ram On 8/13/07, Chan Mahanta [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Superman Never Returns India can go ape-or it can learn to talk to itself and the world PANKAJ MISHRA For some years now, the English press has treated us to such headlines as 'India, the Next Superpower', 'India's Global Takeover', or 'Bollywood Fever Sweeps the West'. This enthusiasm has even infected American and European policymakers and journalists who, increasingly wary of China, seem to be hoping for a likeable Asian counterweight to the inscrutable Middle Empire. For much of its 60 years of existence, India appeared in the Western press as a land of maharajahs, beggars and deluded socialists. Abruptly now, Time, Newsweek and Foreign Affairs hail India as a 'roaring capitalist success story', hoping that the country will be the US's new 'strategic partner'. Plainly, the American business and foreign policy establishments have no choice but to seek new markets and allies in an uncertain post-9/11 world. As always, their geopolitical calculations are marked by wishful thinking. Faced with imminent decline, great powers like the US become particularly prone to ideological illusion. But why should we-a big but largely poor country with a superpower complex-deny our own reality? It is tempting to bask in the glory of a 'rising' India-indeed there is much money to be made out of peddling that image. But most writers and intellectuals know that the truth about a place as big and diverse as India is always multi-faceted. Hoping to provide some nuance to recent discussions on India, I recently published an article in the American press. I pointed out a few obvious facts: the poor state of public health and primary education, the high unemployment rate, the minuscule proportion of Indians working in IT and business processing industries (1.3 million out of a labour force of 400 million), the deep agrarian crisis, and the rise of militant Communism in some of the poorest parts of India. No sooner had the article been published than responses began to flood in. Many aid and NGO workers working to alleviate rural poverty, disease and illiteracy wrote to express their gratitude that I had acknowledged at least some of the problems they confront every day. Other messages conveyed, mostly politely, their disagreement with my implicit belief that India-and China-have to make their model of economic growth both politically and environmentally sustainable. But most people who wrote angrily accused me of bringing shame upon India by washing her dirty linen in public. Not surprisingly, these letters were either from Indians in America, who long for the India they left behind to become a superpower, on a par with the country in which they presently live, or from the generation and class of Indians who have benefited from India's integration into the global economy. These globalised Indians evidently wish to identify themselves with Indian achievements and American power; they seemed convinced that I am a deluded socialist and anti-globalisation activist, in addition to being a dedicated hater of Hindus and India. I have grown accustomed to such outbursts. But they still puzzle me, partly because I think of myself as part of the generation of Indians privileged by globalisation. India, where I have spent most of my life, is not only a perennially complex and enriching subject for me; it also gives me a place in the world and I feel bound to the country in many ways, not all of which are expressible. The Indian nation-state may be only 60 years old but there is an even longer and more continuous entity: the Indian civilisation to which belong most of my heroes, the Buddha, Ashoka, Gandhi and Tagore. The breathtaking originality and sophistication of these thinkers and activists long convinced me that the country in which they flourished has something more profound to offer to the world than its ability to imitate the consumer societies of the West.Imbued with this confidence, I am startled by the insecure and anxious nationalism I often find among many well-educated Indians: a self-esteem that is evidently so fragile that it can be undermined by a single dissenting article in the New York Times. It becomes imperative then to examine
Re: [Assam] From Outlook India
How did US police get rid of the mafia in 50s and 60s? *** this really different: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mafia American Cosa Nostra The Sicilian and Italian Mafia continues to dominate organized crime in the U.S., despite aggressive FBI investigations in the 1970s and 1980s. It uses this status to maintain control over much of both Chicago's and New York City's organized criminal activity, as well as criminal activity in other cities in the Northeast and across the country, such as Philadelphia, Las Vegas, New Orleans, and many others. The Mafia and its reputation have become entrenched in American popular culture, being portrayed in movies, TV shows, commercial advertising and even video games. The American Mafia, specifically the Five Families of New York, has its roots in the Sicilian Mafia, but has been a separate organization in the United States for many years. Today, American Cosa Nostra cooperates in various criminal activities with the different Italian organized crime groups, such as Camorra, which are headquartered in Italy. It is wrongly known as the original Mafia, although it was neither the oldest criminal organization, nor the first to act in the U.S. In 1986, according to government reports, it was estimated that there are 1,700 members of La Cosa Nostra and thousands of associate members. Reports also are said to include the Italian-American Mafia as the largest organized crime group in the United States and continues to hold dominance over the National Crime Syndicate, despite the increasing numbers of street gangs and other organizations of neither Italian nor Sicilian ethnicity. American Cosa Nostra is most active in the New York metropolitan area, Philadelphia, New England (see the Patriarca crime family), Detroit, and Chicago, but there are actually a total of 26 La Cosa Nostra family cities around the United States[2]. Canada also has its mafia families. The Martiello family, headed by an ailing Domenico Martiello, rules the Toronto area while the Bracaglia family, ruled by a very violent father/son combo of Angelo and Mike Bracaglia are in control of Vancouver. These two families seem to be the most powerful in the country. Umesh Chan Mahanta [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Who is to blame for this -- the politicians and media, or the middle class? *** Where have we heard this before? cm ( Highlighting mine) The Real Fake Encounter Not the middle-class, but political parties and the media have always distanced themselves from this ugly reality of law and order. RAJINDER PURI The alleged fake encounter perpetrated by the Gujarat police is horrendous. Sympathizers of the Gujarat government dwell on the reputation of the victim, Sohrabuddin Sheikh, allegedly a criminal with possible links to terrorists. Does this unproven fact justify cold-blooded murder? That politicians justify police excess by questioning the nature of the victim is nothing new. Decades ago the police paraded Maya Tyagi naked through the streets of a UP town for alleged misdemeanor. Indira Gandhi as Prime Minister justified the police action by describing Maya Tyagi as a woman of dubious character. So much for a woman PM defending the rights of women! In the current fake encounter case, two women witnesses to the murder, not described as criminals, were allegedly killed by the police to ensure their silence. More cases of fake encounters by the same police officers are surfacing. Is it too cynical to suggest that the revelations in Gujarat have surfaced only because of a silent power struggle within the BJP? The Hindu wrongly attributed a police report related to the Gujarat fake encounter to one officer. The Gujarat government rebutted the news. The Hindu conceded that the report had not been officially submitted but was in its preparatory stage. Significantly, The Hindu editor claimed that the report had been leaked by a senior BJP leader. BJP leaders maintained a diplomatic silence over the editor's claim. The current buzz against police fake encounters lends hope that it will lead eventually to a systemic reform. To ensure that any such effort is not derailed one must recognize reality. The hard reality is that police excess in India has decades-old origins. It was allowed to flourish under criminalized politicians and a subservient media. Political parties and the media have always distanced themselves from this ugly reality of law and order. Last week, the leading columnist of a national daily commented that India could not claim to be a democracy if it countenances rogue police officers playing God. The leading columnist of another national daily, while deploring the police excess in Gujarat, suggested that the ultimate responsibility lay with India's middle class which condoned police crimes. Was the distinguished columnist including media as part of the middle class? Politicians across
[Assam] From Outlook India
*** This is very long. But anyone interested in Indian justice, Kashmir and Assam ought to take the time to read it. cm Afzal Hanging 'And His Life Should Become Extinct' The Very Strange Story of the Attack on the Indian Parliament ARUNDHATI ROY We know this much: On December 13, 2001, the Indian Parliament was in its winter session. (The NDA government was under attack for yet another corruption scandal.) At 11.30 in the morning, five armed men in a white Ambassador car fitted out with an Improvised Explosive Device drove through the gates of Parliament House. When they were challenged, they jumped out of the car and opened fire. In the gun battle that followed, all the attackers were killed. Eight security personnel and a gardener were killed too. The dead terrorists, the police said, had enough explosives to blow up the Parliament building, and enough ammunition to take on a whole battalion of soldiers. Unlike most terrorists, these five left behind a thick trail of evidence-weapons, mobile phones, phone numbers, ID cards, photographs, packets of dry fruit, and even a love letter. Not surprisingly, PM A.B. Vajpayee seized the opportunity to compare the assault to the September 11 attacks in the US that had happened only three months previously. On December 14, 2001, the day after the attack on Parliament, the Special Cell of the Delhi Police claimed it had tracked down several people suspected to have been involved in the conspiracy. A day later, on December 15, it announced that it had cracked the case: the attack, the police said, was a joint operation carried out by two Pakistan-based terrorist groups, Lashkar-e-Toiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed. Twelve people were named as being part of the conspiracy. Ghazi Baba of the Jaish (Usual Suspect I), Maulana Masood Azhar also of the Jaish (Usual Suspect II); Tariq Ahmed (a Pakistani); five deceased Pakistani terrorists (we still don't know who they are). And three Kashmiri men, S.A.R. Geelani, Shaukat Hussain Guru, and Mohammed Afzal; and Shaukat's wife Afsan Guru. These were the only four to be arrested. In the tense days that followed, Parliament was adjourned. On December 21, India recalled its high commissioner from Pakistan, suspended air, rail and bus communications and banned over-flights. It put into motion a massive mobilisation of its war machinery, and moved more than half-a-million troops to the Pakistan border. Foreign embassies evacuated their staff and citizens, and tourists travelling to India were issued cautionary travel advisories. The world watched with bated breath as the subcontinent was taken to the brink of nuclear war. (All this cost India an estimated Rs 10,000 crore of public money. A few hundred soldiers died just in the panicky process of mobilisation.) Almost three-and-a-half years later, on August 4, 2005, the Supreme Court delivered its final judgement in the case. It endorsed the view that the Parliament attack be looked upon as an act of war.It said, The attempted attack on Parliament is an undoubted invasion of the sovereign attribute of the State including the Government of India which is its alter ego...the deceased terrorists were roused and impelled to action by a strong anti-Indian feeling as the writing on the fake home ministry sticker found on the car (Ex PW1/8) reveals. It went on to say the modus operandi adopted by the hardcore 'fidayeens' are all demonstrative of launching a war against the Government of India. The text on the fake home ministry sticker read as follows: INDIA IS A VERY BAD COUNTRY AND WE HATE INDIA WE WANT TO DESTROY INDIA AND WITH THE GRACE OF GOD WE WILL DO IT GOD IS WITH US AND WE WILL TRY OUR BEST. THIS EDIET WAJPAI AND ADVANI WE WILL KILL THEM. THEY HAVE KILLED MANY INNOCENT PEOPLE AND THEY ARE VERY BAD PERSONS THERE BROTHER BUSH IS ALSO A VERY BAD PERSON HE WILL BE NEXT TARGET HE IS ALSO THE KILLER OF INNOCENT PEOPLE HE HAVE TO DIE AND WE WILL DO IT. This subtly worded sticker-manifesto was displayed on the windscreen of the car bomb as it drove into Parliament. (Given the amount of text, it's a wonder the driver could see anything at all. Maybe that's why he collided with the Vice-President's cavalcade?) The police chargesheet was filed in a special fast-track trial court designated for cases under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (POTA). The trial court sentenced Geelani, Shaukat and Afzal to death. Afsan Guru was sentenced to five years of rigorous imprisonment. The high court subsequently acquitted Geelani and Afsan, but it upheld Shaukat's and Afzal's death sentence. Eventually, the Supreme Court upheld the acquittals, and reduced Shaukat's punishment to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment. However it not just confirmed, but enhanced Mohammed Afzal's sentence. He has been given three life sentences and a double death sentence. In its August 4, 2005, judgement, the Supreme Court clearly says that there was no evidence that Mohammed Afzal belonged to
[Assam] From Outlook India---Quality of Justice
While scanning the Outlook I came upon the following. A little perusing drew me into the article, piquing more curiosity by the paragraph. I invite Netters to think of the quality of Indian justice -- even in its highest ranks --- this article lays bare. Because justice cannot be separated from the quality of the people who render them. And last but not the least, to reflect on the INDEPENDENCE of these justices, as could be gleaned from the medieval servility expressed both in the language and substance of the conversation between the Chief Justice and Justice Majumdar. cm 'Just A Little Bit...' Is transferring the two Gujarat High Court judges, who were involved in a public squabble about a month ago, outside the state enough? Full text of the letter of complaint by Justice PB Majmudar to the Chief Justice of Gujarat High Court. P.B. MAJUMDAR Justice B J Shethana and Justice P B Majumdar, the two Gujarat High Court judges who were involved in a public squabble about a month ago, are being transferred outside the state, Law Ministry sources indicated today. Justice Shethna, who had allegedly showed his fist and tried to attack Justice Majmudar at his residence on January 11 following an altercation, has been transferred to Sikkim High Court, the sources said. Deeply offended by the unseemly behaviour of the two judges, a collegium of judges of the Supreme Court also decided to transfer Justice Majumdar to a high court other than where Justice Shethna is being sent. . Both the judges, when questioned by the collegium for their behaviour, had defended their position. Alleging discrimination and vindictiveness of his colleagues, Justice Shethna also reportedly threatened to resign if he was transferred. At one stage, he denied having raised his hand his colleague. Just three days before the skirmish, the former president of the Gujarat High Court Bar Association had sent a petition to the then Chief Justice of India, Y K Sabharwal, objecting to Justice Shethna posing for a local health club.In the 50-second advertisement clip for Parsana Fitness and Gym, Justice Shethna is shown pumping iron and flexing his muscles. The decision to transfer both the judges has been taken so that one may not think that he has been discriminated against because of other. Moreover, removing both of them from Gujarat High Court seemed the best way out of the embarrassment they caused to the judiciary at large, the sources said. Full text of the letter by Justice PB Majmudar of Gujarat High Court to the Chief Justice of Gujarat High Court, YR Meena, on January 11, complaining about Justice BJ Shethna, a copy of which was also sent to Chief Justice of India KG Balakrishnan: *** During my entire judicial career, I have never written any letter of any kind to any of the judges or to the Chief Justice. However, with a heavy heart, I am constrained to write this letter to Your Lordship as the atmosphere at present is such that no Judge of this High Court is in a position to discharge their duties fearlessly. Today morning, whatever happened, has already been narrated to Your Lordship by me at your Lordship's bungalow in the morning, but I would like to put it in black and white. Today, when I was returning from my morning walk along with my wife in my car, Justice Shethna asked me to wait and stopped my car, and then started talking with me and my wife. He addressed my wife, Mayuri, how are you? Why the flowers in the car are not fresh and tried to take little bit liberty with my wife for which I would not like to give any details. Though I was little bit annoyed, at that time I did not say anything. Thereafter he asked me to park my car and start walking in the High Court Judges' facility. Reluctantly, I joined him in such walking. At that time, he started saying as to why I am not coming to his house though I have come to stay in the Judges' bungalow. I told him frankly that he is not that close with me that I should visit his house. He then stated that a few days back, he came to my house, and I replied that I could not have prevented his entry into my house. As we were strolling in the lane, at that time, Mrs Shethna also met us on the way as she was going out. She also stated as to why we are not coming to their house. I said that she should better ask Mr Shethna for that. Thereafter, Justice Shethna compelled me to come to his house and physically dragged me to his compound as he is physically stronger as compared to me. Thereafter, he said that he is not maintaining any relations with his son and brother (who are advocates). I told him that I cannot believe that a father may not have any relations with his son or a brother with his elder brother and that he is saying so only to make a show that he has no one and a person need not be a hypocrite. Thereafter, he started saying that his brother,Kersasp (K J
Re: [Assam] From Outlook India: 'IITians Are Big Fools'
he joined the wrong educational organization. Instead of IIT he should have (like me) chosen a degree in Economic development or Education. I opted out of engineering college (I never joined one despite being selected in state and national exams) and chose Economics. There should be better career advice ofor guys like him. Umesh Chan Mahanta [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: ENCOUNTER 'IITians Are Big Fools' ( Highlights minecm) No, it wasn't a frustrated or failed aspirant but a former IITian who said this last week at a lecture, while addressing a crowd of nearly a thousand IITians. Rajesh Gajra No, it wasn't a frustrated or failed aspirant but a former IITian who said this last week at a lecture while addressing a crowd of nearly a thousand IITians and other college students during the annual Techfest at Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay (IITB). But coming from Dunu Roy, who, unlike his colleagues and peers, decided to pursue grassroot integration of technology with local and practical requirements, it shouldn't have been a surprise to anyone who has followed this IITian's career. But for a first-timer, the 90-minute talk and the subsequent QA could well have been an eye-opener. Provoking his audience by calling them big fools who know nothing about India and its village life, Roy said the IITians are victims of the politics of education and science. He added that the first lesson he learnt was that technologists and engineers are under an illusion that they get to take the decisions. That was not all. He went on to say that environmental dynamics aren't understood by engineers who seem to specialise in solving one problem to create another one, thereby creating a sustainability for the engineering profession-and not for the people. How many of you will end up working for the Haliburtons and Microsofts of the world? he asked. And then proceeded to answer by pointing out that many of the students would do so because Indian technical education is geared to meet global demands. The collapse of the US education system has led to a shortage of scientists and technologists, he said, which is why the courses they [the IITians] are learning are required for the US. Since Indian engineers are also cheaper than the American counterparts, it made good sense for the Indian government to promote technical education so that you can provide cheap service to the US. Therefore, he suggested, the curriculum has changed. Earlier, he pointed out, IITs had a more integrated approach and also taught humanities, ethics and logic. But these subjects were removed in order to hasten the production of 'unreal' technologists. The original vision to set up IITs stemmed from the independence movement. The Indian leaders at that time realised the need to have trained scientists and technologists who could provide equal rights to food, shelter, education and work to the people. The idea was to take the best from universal education, invest in pockets like IITs (so that) they would return their expertise to the common pool of the country. Which is why the money to fund the IITs comes from the exchequer, he pointed out. And then came perhaps the most thought-provoking part of the lecture. Referring to the hyped-up success stories of IITians -he cited the example of Kanwal Rekhi, a Silicon Valley-based venture capitalist- who have earned millions of dollars, Roy posited that while the ostensible aim of education is to teach us about success, most of our learnings comes from analysing and understanding failures. For every one IITian who makes money, there are 10 others who don't. And no one talks about the thousands of IITians who stay back and work for the country despite encountering victimisation by domestic politics of science and technology. Urging the young students to ask questions, and not just be receivers of wisdom, Roy asked them to learn the laws of motion of society and not just the laws of motion of science. And coming from him, it did not sound phoney. For after his post-graduation from IITB, Roy moved to Shahdol district of Madhya Pradesh and started the Vidushak Karkhana as part of the Shahdol Group carrying out focussed work on building a development model for the district and its implementation, in conjunction with local people.He was involved in this for 17 years during which he earned his income primarily out of repairing bicycles in the village district. He then shifted to Delhi for a four-year stint with the World Wide Fund for Nature, and later set up the Hazards Centre, a multi-disciplinary consultancy group. It's rare for IITians to be the recipients of such blunt talk. And it should be noted that the student organisers of Techfest invited Dunu Roy to give this talk after accepting his condition that there would be no restriction on the content of his lecture. So perhaps the IITians are not such big
[Assam] From Outlook India
http://www.outlookindia.com/full.asp?fodname=20070108fname=assamsid=1 ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
Re: [Assam] From Outlook India
multi-tasking!! it seems Indians are picking up this latest western fad:-) Umesh Chan Mahanta [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Enjoyed this piece by Rajinder Puri. He says it like it oughta be. :-). cm Bull's Eye RAJINDER PURI Versatility is a great attribute. It creates men for all seasons. India has many versatile men. Take K.P.S. Gill. He is hailed as the nation's foremost expert on terrorist insurgency. He is advisor to the Chhattisgarh state for fighting terrorism. Chhattisgarh is the heart of Maoist activity. With a third of the districts of rural India under Maoist control, terrorist insurgency poses a huge threat. But this 24-hour responsibility does not prevent the versatile Gill from pursuing his other passion: hockey. Though president of IHF, one isn't sure if Gill ever held a hockey stick except when clobbering someone on the head. But one cant question his passion. Alas, he loves hockey too well, but not too wisely. After he took over, India's hockey team has slid down to last-but-one in world rankings. Meanwhile, terrorist insurgency escalates unchecked. Consider another versatile genius, Sharad Pawar. He is among India's shrewdest politicians. He is the agriculture minister. He must look after farmers. Farmers, unfortunately, are committing suicide in hundreds across the nation due to debt. Pawar's hands are full, but not so full as to prevent him from grabbing a cricket bat. Using his formidable political skills, Pawar got elected as the BCCI president. It was a magnificent achievement. The BCCI chief is not ranked as high as the president of India. But he is considerably richer. Cricket has become a lucrative commercial pursuit. Indeed, one is unsure whether Pawar's passion is aroused by the game or by its riches. Unfortunately, as Indian cricket grows richer, its quality tends to become poorer. After Pawar's ascendancy it has sunk to its lowest ebb. However, until now neither cricketers nor cricket fans have committed suicide. One is sure Pawar will prevent them from undergoing the fate that befell the unfortunate farmers who were beyond his help. Cricket, after all, is a priority issue. It feeds entertainment to the entire nation. Or does it? Last week, an NDTV-Hindi opinion poll discovered that 96 per cent thought the national attention paid to cricket was ridiculous and insane. Only four per cent justified cricket's equation with religion. But this was a Hindi TV channel. Does its audience matter? An opinion poll in an English channel would give us a correct picture-- such as was projected by our honourable MPs. Cutting across parties they demanded the expulsion of our cricket team's coach, Greg Chappell. Foreigners, quit our cricket! Inquilab zindabad! ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org Umesh Sharma 5121 Lackawanna ST College Park, (Washington D.C. Metro Region) MD 20740 1-202-215-4328 [Cell Phone] Ed.M. - International Education Policy Harvard Graduate School of Education, Harvard University, Class of 2005 weblog: http://jaipurschool.bihu.in/ website: www.gse.harvard.edu/iep - Try the all-new Yahoo! Mail . The New Version is radically easier to use The Wall Street Journal___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
Re: [Assam] From Outlook India
You missed the whole idea here Umesh. At 8:59 PM + 12/15/06, umesh sharma wrote: multi-tasking!! it seems Indians are picking up this latest western fad:-) Umesh Chan Mahanta [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Enjoyed this piece by Rajinder Puri. He says it like it oughta be. :-). cm Bull's Eye RAJINDER PURI Versatility is a great attribute. It creates men for all seasons. India has many versatile men. Take K.P.S. Gill. He is hailed as the nation's foremost expert on terrorist insurgency. He is advisor to the Chhattisgarh state for fighting terrorism. Chhattisgarh is the heart of Maoist activity. With a third of the districts of rural India under Maoist control, terrorist insurgency poses a huge threat. But this 24-hour responsibility does not prevent the versatile Gill from pursuing his other passion: hockey. Though president of IHF, one isn't sure if Gill ever held a hockey stick except when clobbering someone on the head. But one cant question his passion. Alas, he loves hockey too well, but not too wisely. After he took over, India's hockey team has slid down to last-but-one in world rankings. Meanwhile, terrorist insurgency escalates unchecked. Consider another versatile genius, Sharad Pawar. He is among India's shrewdest politicians. He is the agriculture minister. He must look after farmers. Farmers, unfortunately, are committing suicide in hundreds across the nation due to debt. Pawar's hands are full, but not so full as to prevent him from grabbing a cricket bat. Using his formidable political skills, Pawar got elected as the BCCI president. It was a magnificent achievement. The BCCI chief is not ranked as high as the president of India. But he is considerably richer. Cricket has become a lucrative commercial pursuit. Indeed, one is unsure whether Pawar's passion is aroused by the game or by its riches. Unfortunately, as Indian cricket grows richer, its quality tends to become poorer. After Pawar's ascendancy it has sunk to its lowest ebb. However, until now neither cricketers nor cricket fans have committed suicide. One is sure Pawar will prevent them from undergoing the fate that befell the unfortunate farmers who were beyond his help. Cricket, after all, is a priority issue. It feeds entertainment to the entire nation. Or does it? Last week, an NDTV-Hindi opinion poll discovered that 96 per cent thought the national attention paid to cricket was ridiculous and insane. Only four per cent justified cricket's equation with religion. But this was a Hindi TV channel. Does its audience matter? An opinion poll in an English channel would give us a correct picture-- such as was projected by our honourable MPs. Cutting across parties they demanded the expulsion of our cricket team's coach, Greg Chappell. Foreigners, quit our cricket! Inquilab zindabad! ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org Umesh Sharma 5121 Lackawanna ST College Park, (Washington D.C. Metro Region) MD 20740 1-202-215-4328 [Cell Phone] Ed.M. - International Education Policy Harvard Graduate School of Education, Harvard University, Class of 2005 weblog: http://jaipurschool.bihu.in/ website: www.gse.harvard.edu/iep Try the http://us.rd.yahoo.com/mail/uk/taglines/default/nowyoucan/wall_st_2/*http://us.rd.yahoo.com/evt=40565/*http://uk.docs.yahoo.com/nowyoucan.htmlall-new Yahoo! Mail . The New Version is radically easier to use The Wall Street Journal ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
Re: [Assam] From Outlook India
C-da, I was just being sarcastic - trying to learn from u. I may add that last Sunday I was with a group outside Indian embassy in DC - shouting slogals and held a candlelight vigil - to protest against the spate of about 150,000 farmers' suicides in India over the past decade. A farmer from Tamil Nadu was with us. We later submitted a memorandum to embassy officials. Most farmers are dying in Maharashtra - from where Sharad Pawar -the current Agriculture minister (and former Maharashtra state Chief Minister) hails from. Umesh Chan Mahanta [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: You missed the whole idea here Umesh. At 8:59 PM + 12/15/06, umesh sharma wrote: multi-tasking!! it seems Indians are picking up this latest western fad:-) Umesh Chan Mahanta [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Enjoyed this piece by Rajinder Puri. He says it like it oughta be. :-). cm Bull's Eye RAJINDER PURI Versatility is a great attribute. It creates men for all seasons. India has many versatile men. Take K.P.S. Gill. He is hailed as the nation's foremost expert on terrorist insurgency. He is advisor to the Chhattisgarh state for fighting terrorism. Chhattisgarh is the heart of Maoist activity. With a third of the districts of rural India under Maoist control, terrorist insurgency poses a huge threat. But this 24-hour responsibility does not prevent the versatile Gill from pursuing his other passion: hockey. Though president of IHF, one isn't sure if Gill ever held a hockey stick except when clobbering someone on the head. But one cant question his passion. Alas, he loves hockey too well, but not too wisely. After he took over, India's hockey team has slid down to last-but-one in world rankings. Meanwhile, terrorist insurgency escalates unchecked. Consider another versatile genius, Sharad Pawar. He is among India's shrewdest politicians. He is the agriculture minister. He must look after farmers. Farmers, unfortunately, are committing suicide in hundreds across the nation due to debt. Pawar's hands are full, but not so full as to prevent him from grabbing a cricket bat. Using his formidable political skills, Pawar got elected as the BCCI president. It was a magnificent achievement. The BCCI chief is not ranked as high as the president of India. But he is considerably richer. Cricket has become a lucrative commercial pursuit. Indeed, one is unsure whether Pawar's passion is aroused by the game or by its riches. Unfortunately, as Indian cricket grows richer, its quality tends to become poorer. After Pawar's ascendancy it has sunk to its lowest ebb. However, until now neither cricketers nor cricket fans have committed suicide. One is sure Pawar will prevent them from undergoing the fate that befell the unfortunate farmers who were beyond his help. Cricket, after all, is a priority issue. It feeds entertainment to the entire nation. Or does it? Last week, an NDTV-Hindi opinion poll discovered that 96 per cent thought the national attention paid to cricket was ridiculous and insane. Only four per cent justified cricket's equation with religion. But this was a Hindi TV channel. Does its audience matter? An opinion poll in an English channel would give us a correct picture-- such as was projected by our honourable MPs. Cutting across parties they demanded the expulsion of our cricket team's coach, Greg Chappell. Foreigners, quit our cricket! Inquilab zindabad! ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org Umesh Sharma 5121 Lackawanna ST College Park, (Washington D.C. Metro Region) MD 20740 1-202-215-4328 [Cell Phone] Ed.M. - International Education Policy Harvard Graduate School of Education, Harvard University, Class of 2005 weblog: http://jaipurschool.bihu.in/ website: www.gse.harvard.edu/iep - Try the all-new Yahoo! Mail . The New Version is radically easier to use The Wall Street Journal Umesh Sharma 5121 Lackawanna ST College Park, (Washington D.C. Metro Region) MD 20740 1-202-215-4328 [Cell Phone] Ed.M. - International Education Policy Harvard Graduate School of Education, Harvard University, Class of 2005 weblog: http://jaipurschool.bihu.in/ website: www.gse.harvard.edu/iep - Inbox full of spam? Get leading spam protection and 1GB storage with All New Yahoo! Mail.___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
[Assam] From Outlook India
It is one of those rare, insightful articles that we get to see from the Indian Press. cm ** Web| Nov 27, 2006 Opinion No Look, No See What accounts for the negligible interest in the six-year long satyagraha of Irom Sharmila? Why is it that we either never seem to look towards the East, or if and when we do, we look but do not see? Perhaps it is time to resurrect Gandhi in these vulgar times BADRI RAINA I have before me a national English daily which is much given to spreading the word about the beauties of reform and modern development in India. Never a day passes when it does not remind us- and the world -how India is just about to breast the tape to superpowerdom. As in the case of other English dailies (bar one), if and when it reports on farmer's suicides, atrocities on Dalits, the wretched state of superstition in India's vast hinterland, or other such unpleasant details of national life, it does so with a quality of impatience very reminiscent of that dismissive gesture of Mr.Podsnaps' forearm in Dickens' Little Dorrit (a novel that Bernard Shaw recommended over Marx for an understanding of the workings of finance capital) which says 'do not bring such things to spoil my appetite.' Be that as it may, the November 17 issue of this avant-garde daily announces that the government of the day is all set now to inaugurate a Look East policy. We are informed that a two-day North-Eastern Council Meet has determined to plough the 'seven sisters' (Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Tripura) for purposes of exploiting their potential for export. Be it noted that some six decades after India's independence from colonial rule, these states remain largely bereft of roads, electricity, educational institutions, hospitals, not to speak of industry or other sources of steady employment, regional variations notwithstanding. Now, however, access corridors from these regions to neighbouring countries are proposed to be opened, as well as air connectivity within the region. Such are the charms of reform. If you have no bread, eat cake. The question as to what percentage of North-Easterners might be equipped to participate in the bounties of access corridors and air connectivity hardly needs to be asked. The observation seems warranted that while our post-Washington Consensus ruling elites remain mortally opposed to pampering the creamy layer among the downtrodden social groups of India, everywhere else it is the creamy layer for which now the Indian state opens its purse strings and, one might add, its system of justice. Reading this Look East news report, it just struck me that after all we do see only what we wish to see. Looking East, not one worthy in that two-day conference seemed to see Irom Sharmila of Manipur who continues to be on her soul-wrenching satyagraha since October, 2000, refusing food and water, against the draconian Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act,1958. Through this six-year long odyssey, unparalleled since the days of Gandhi-and, in some respects, more heroic than any of the many fasts he undertook-this iron lady has either been in one jail after another, or one hospital after another, where she continues to be force-fed through nasal drips. It is doubtful that the British colonialists would have waited through a six-year long saga of self-mortification to address a public issue. Indeed, even a Cindy Sheehan seems to have pulled greater punch with the American media and public than our own Irom Sharmila Chanu. Such is our self-absorption in project superpowerdom. Soon this hero of substance might actually die, and Manipur go up in flames. What will that matter? After all we do have the AFSPA in place, an Act that allows all manner of control. Now this Act empowers not just any commissioned officer but any warrant or non-commissioned officer operating in a disturbed area to: * fire even to the extent of causing death if in the opinion of such it is necessary for the maintenance of public order; * destroy any shelter from which armed attacks are.. . likely to be made; * arrest without warrant any person. . . likely to commit a cognizable offence or against whom a reasonable suspicion exists; * enter and search without warrant any premises to make an arrest. . . . Thus wherever AFSPA is in force, the right to protest, and the right to legal redress remain rescinded. Many activists who have simply wanted to document excesses committed by the army have been picked up, tortured and killed(1). Since all appeals to that package of assurances we call the Constitution of India seem to have fallen on the deaf ear of a state that has vowed to keep such noises out of hearing range, Irom Sharmila's heroism may find resonance from a throwback to an unforgettably decisive chapter of India's struggle for
Re: [Assam] From Outlook India
Ram-da, I am not saying that English is not useful but that in UN and other such bodies the focus is on Education For All -- and not on ENGLISH Edu For All. Umesh --- Ram Sarangapani [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Umesh, Thank you for agreeing with me, partways at least. Anyway I wonder why English literacy is any indicator of Indian's development thru education - Why would you wonder? English literacy is paramount for any state to progress. Yes, they could get by in English - probably even make the IAS (in Hindi), but without English they are severely limited in any number of things - from the sciences to the arts. English has also been a big factor for India being considered as one of the best places for outsourcing. Regional or national language jingoism is great for filling the population with pride, but doesn't get much more than that. States that fought to throw English out and opt for their own state language in its stead, now find out that whole generations of their educated can't speak and barely write English. Well versed in Hindi may get them jobs in the Hindi belt, maybe Maharastra/Gujarat/Punjab, but in the rest of the country, they are basically square pegs in round holes. Regional languages MUST be taught. The best is to have students learn both the regional and English alongside each other. That way it will also be easier to help some of the regional languages develop. Anyway, that my take. -Ram da On 9/22/06, umesh sharma [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: I agree with you Ram-da whole-heartedly. Anyway I wonder why English literacy is any indicator of Indian's development thru education --when the whole world is merely content with learning their own language. Umesh --- Ram Sarangapani [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: C'da, This is a little worrying. One would have expected the big K to be far better than the Bimaru states. According to the report, Karnataka ranks much below even 'Bimaru' states like Bihar and Chhattisgarh on the learning index. I sincerely want to believe this story, but unfortuantely, I also seriously doubt anything fruitful comes out of state like Bihar. Been to the Godforsaken place a couple of times, and I would find it difficult to believe that stuff like stats are not actually made up or at the very least accurate. Writing or speaking English is just not there. They my know Hindi and Bojhpuri very well, but without an iota of English, we all know, there would be serious limitations. I am not saying Karnataka doesn't have problems in education (or in other areas) - but if I were a betting man, I would place my bets on the Big K any day over Bihar. --Ram On 9/22/06, Chan Mahanta [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: This in the land of Bangalore? cm The A,B,C Abyss Karnataka's primary school education has bottomed out SUGATA SRINIVASARAJU K For Can't * Karnataka ranks below Bimaru states on learning index * Ranks fourth from bottom in reading abilities, and is at the bottom in math skills * 52.9% kids in 7-10 age group can't read a simple paragraph * The problem is common to government/private schools Following the International Literacy Day jamboree on September 8, the coalition government here has been taking out huge ads trumpeting its achievements in the area of primary and secondary education. If the propaganda machine is to be believed, the JD(S)-BJP coalition has released Rs 5,103 crore for the education sector. The funding and intentions seem impressive. But data thrown up in the latest Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) India for rural Karnataka tells a rather different, grim story. A survey covering 15,628 children in 540 villages and 534 schools across the state's 27 districts found that 52.9 per cent of the children in the 7-10 age group can't read even a simple small paragraph (Level 1) and 72.5 per cent cannot read a story (Level 2). And 59.7 per cent cannot solve numerical sums of subtraction and 90.6 per cent cannot do simple division. While the all-India statistics spelled out in the ASER India report is itself worrisome, the Karnataka data is shocking. The report is a coordinated effort of Pratham Resource Centre with hundreds of ngos working in the education sector across the nation. In Karnataka, the survey was supported by 18 organisations, including the Azim Premji Foundation. According to the report, Karnataka ranks much below even 'Bimaru' states like Bihar and Chhattisgarh on the learning index. Bihar fares badly when it comes to school infrastructure,
Re: [Assam] From Outlook India
Ram-da, I am not saying that English is not useful but that in UN and other such bodies the focus is on Education For All -- and not on ENGLISH Edu For All. Umesh --- Ram Sarangapani [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Umesh, Thank you for agreeing with me, partways at least. Anyway I wonder why English literacy is any indicator of Indian's development thru education - Why would you wonder? English literacy is paramount for any state to progress. Yes, they could get by in English - probably even make the IAS (in Hindi), but without English they are severely limited in any number of things - from the sciences to the arts. English has also been a big factor for India being considered as one of the best places for outsourcing. Regional or national language jingoism is great for filling the population with pride, but doesn't get much more than that. States that fought to throw English out and opt for their own state language in its stead, now find out that whole generations of their educated can't speak and barely write English. Well versed in Hindi may get them jobs in the Hindi belt, maybe Maharastra/Gujarat/Punjab, but in the rest of the country, they are basically square pegs in round holes. Regional languages MUST be taught. The best is to have students learn both the regional and English alongside each other. That way it will also be easier to help some of the regional languages develop. Anyway, that my take. -Ram da On 9/22/06, umesh sharma [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: I agree with you Ram-da whole-heartedly. Anyway I wonder why English literacy is any indicator of Indian's development thru education --when the whole world is merely content with learning their own language. Umesh --- Ram Sarangapani [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: C'da, This is a little worrying. One would have expected the big K to be far better than the Bimaru states. According to the report, Karnataka ranks much below even 'Bimaru' states like Bihar and Chhattisgarh on the learning index. I sincerely want to believe this story, but unfortuantely, I also seriously doubt anything fruitful comes out of state like Bihar. Been to the Godforsaken place a couple of times, and I would find it difficult to believe that stuff like stats are not actually made up or at the very least accurate. Writing or speaking English is just not there. They my know Hindi and Bojhpuri very well, but without an iota of English, we all know, there would be serious limitations. I am not saying Karnataka doesn't have problems in education (or in other areas) - but if I were a betting man, I would place my bets on the Big K any day over Bihar. --Ram On 9/22/06, Chan Mahanta [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: This in the land of Bangalore? cm The A,B,C Abyss Karnataka's primary school education has bottomed out SUGATA SRINIVASARAJU K For Can't * Karnataka ranks below Bimaru states on learning index * Ranks fourth from bottom in reading abilities, and is at the bottom in math skills * 52.9% kids in 7-10 age group can't read a simple paragraph * The problem is common to government/private schools Following the International Literacy Day jamboree on September 8, the coalition government here has been taking out huge ads trumpeting its achievements in the area of primary and secondary education. If the propaganda machine is to be believed, the JD(S)-BJP coalition has released Rs 5,103 crore for the education sector. The funding and intentions seem impressive. But data thrown up in the latest Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) India for rural Karnataka tells a rather different, grim story. A survey covering 15,628 children in 540 villages and 534 schools across the state's 27 districts found that 52.9 per cent of the children in the 7-10 age group can't read even a simple small paragraph (Level 1) and 72.5 per cent cannot read a story (Level 2). And 59.7 per cent cannot solve numerical sums of subtraction and 90.6 per cent cannot do simple division. While the all-India statistics spelled out in the ASER India report is itself worrisome, the Karnataka data is shocking. The report is a coordinated effort of Pratham Resource Centre with hundreds of ngos working in the education sector across the nation. In Karnataka, the survey was supported by 18 organisations, including the Azim Premji Foundation. According to the report, Karnataka ranks much below even 'Bimaru' states like Bihar and Chhattisgarh on the learning index. Bihar fares badly when it comes to school infrastructure,
[Assam] From Outlook India
This in the land of Bangalore? cm The A,B,C Abyss Karnataka's primary school education has bottomed out SUGATA SRINIVASARAJU K For Can't * Karnataka ranks below Bimaru states on learning index * Ranks fourth from bottom in reading abilities, and is at the bottom in math skills * 52.9% kids in 7-10 age group can't read a simple paragraph * The problem is common to government/private schools Following the International Literacy Day jamboree on September 8, the coalition government here has been taking out huge ads trumpeting its achievements in the area of primary and secondary education. If the propaganda machine is to be believed, the JD(S)-BJP coalition has released Rs 5,103 crore for the education sector. The funding and intentions seem impressive. But data thrown up in the latest Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) India for rural Karnataka tells a rather different, grim story. A survey covering 15,628 children in 540 villages and 534 schools across the state's 27 districts found that 52.9 per cent of the children in the 7-10 age group can't read even a simple small paragraph (Level 1) and 72.5 per cent cannot read a story (Level 2). And 59.7 per cent cannot solve numerical sums of subtraction and 90.6 per cent cannot do simple division. While the all-India statistics spelled out in the ASER India report is itself worrisome, the Karnataka data is shocking. The report is a coordinated effort of Pratham Resource Centre with hundreds of ngos working in the education sector across the nation. In Karnataka, the survey was supported by 18 organisations, including the Azim Premji Foundation. According to the report, Karnataka ranks much below even 'Bimaru' states like Bihar and Chhattisgarh on the learning index. Bihar fares badly when it comes to school infrastructure, out-of-school-children percentage and access to learning material, but its children manage to top the nation's list when it comes to learning abilities. This when out-of-school-children percentage was highest in the country at 13.5 per cent, while Karnataka's was just 1.9 per cent. Only about 52.4 per cent had access to textbooks in the eastern state's primary schools, but in Karnataka nearly 90 per cent had access. Yet, when it came to learning skills, Bihar's children came in fifth in the country for reading skills and third for their arithmetic skills. Karnataka occupied fourth place from the bottom when it came to reading and took the last place in the country when it came to arithmetic skills! The huge surprise is that the situation in Karnataka, TN and Gujarat is far worse than Bihar and Chhattisgarh The situation with respect to mathematics is also alarming. IT hub Karnataka needs to seriously think about the way mathematics is taught in schools-government as well as private..., says the report. The ASER data makes the feelgood nature of the state propaganda on school education seem a bit bizarre. The government has declared its intention to achieve 85 per cent literacy in the state by 2007. But what about the quality of education imparted? If schoolkids at primary level are not picking up basic reading or math skills, what hope for the future when the syllabus gets tougher? So is all the money the government is spending going down the drain? Bhamy Shenoy, trustee of Pratham (Mysore) who helped put the ASER report together, isn't optimistic: This data would've made headlines in any civilised country. Surprisingly, there is neither a mention nor a statement by our state leadership. Karnataka education minister Basavaraj Horatti, busy attending literacy rallies in rural areas, was unavailable for comment. ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
Re: [Assam] From Outlook India
Bangalore gets graduates from across the nation and the world --the situation is perhaps similar to economically vibrant New York City's where the school system is dysfunctional like in Karnataka. Umesh --- Chan Mahanta [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: This in the land of Bangalore? cm The A,B,C Abyss Karnataka's primary school education has bottomed out SUGATA SRINIVASARAJU K For Can't * Karnataka ranks below Bimaru states on learning index * Ranks fourth from bottom in reading abilities, and is at the bottom in math skills * 52.9% kids in 7-10 age group can't read a simple paragraph * The problem is common to government/private schools Following the International Literacy Day jamboree on September 8, the coalition government here has been taking out huge ads trumpeting its achievements in the area of primary and secondary education. If the propaganda machine is to be believed, the JD(S)-BJP coalition has released Rs 5,103 crore for the education sector. The funding and intentions seem impressive. But data thrown up in the latest Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) India for rural Karnataka tells a rather different, grim story. A survey covering 15,628 children in 540 villages and 534 schools across the state's 27 districts found that 52.9 per cent of the children in the 7-10 age group can't read even a simple small paragraph (Level 1) and 72.5 per cent cannot read a story (Level 2). And 59.7 per cent cannot solve numerical sums of subtraction and 90.6 per cent cannot do simple division. While the all-India statistics spelled out in the ASER India report is itself worrisome, the Karnataka data is shocking. The report is a coordinated effort of Pratham Resource Centre with hundreds of ngos working in the education sector across the nation. In Karnataka, the survey was supported by 18 organisations, including the Azim Premji Foundation. According to the report, Karnataka ranks much below even 'Bimaru' states like Bihar and Chhattisgarh on the learning index. Bihar fares badly when it comes to school infrastructure, out-of-school-children percentage and access to learning material, but its children manage to top the nation's list when it comes to learning abilities. This when out-of-school-children percentage was highest in the country at 13.5 per cent, while Karnataka's was just 1.9 per cent. Only about 52.4 per cent had access to textbooks in the eastern state's primary schools, but in Karnataka nearly 90 per cent had access. Yet, when it came to learning skills, Bihar's children came in fifth in the country for reading skills and third for their arithmetic skills. Karnataka occupied fourth place from the bottom when it came to reading and took the last place in the country when it came to arithmetic skills! The huge surprise is that the situation in Karnataka, TN and Gujarat is far worse than Bihar and Chhattisgarh The situation with respect to mathematics is also alarming. IT hub Karnataka needs to seriously think about the way mathematics is taught in schools-government as well as private..., says the report. The ASER data makes the feelgood nature of the state propaganda on school education seem a bit bizarre. The government has declared its intention to achieve 85 per cent literacy in the state by 2007. But what about the quality of education imparted? If schoolkids at primary level are not picking up basic reading or math skills, what hope for the future when the syllabus gets tougher? So is all the money the government is spending going down the drain? Bhamy Shenoy, trustee of Pratham (Mysore) who helped put the ASER report together, isn't optimistic: This data would've made headlines in any civilised country. Surprisingly, there is neither a mention nor a statement by our state leadership. Karnataka education minister Basavaraj Horatti, busy attending literacy rallies in rural areas, was unavailable for comment. ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org Umesh Sharma 5121 Lackawanna ST College Park, MD 20740 USA Current temp. address: 5649 Yalta Place , Vancouver, Canada 1-202-215-4328 [Cell Phone] Canada # (607) 221-9433 Ed.M. - International Education Policy Harvard Graduate School of Education, Harvard University, Class of 2005 weblog: http://jaipurschool.bihu.in/ ___ All new Yahoo! Mail The new Interface is stunning in its simplicity and ease of use. - PC Magazine http://uk.docs.yahoo.com/nowyoucan.html ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
Re: [Assam] From Outlook India
C'da, This is a little worrying. One would have expected the big K to be far better than the Bimaru states. According to the report, Karnataka ranks much below even 'Bimaru' states like Bihar and Chhattisgarh on the learning index. I sincerely want to believe this story, but unfortuantely, I also seriously doubt anything fruitful comes out of state like Bihar. Been to the Godforsaken place a couple of times, and I would find it difficult to believe that stuff like stats are not actually made up orat the very leastaccurate. Writing or speaking English is just not there. They my know Hindi and Bojhpuri very well, but without an iota of English, we all know, there would be serious limitations. I am not saying Karnataka doesn't have problems in education (or in other areas) - but if I were a betting man, I would place my bets on the Big K any day over Bihar. --Ram On 9/22/06, Chan Mahanta [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: This in the land of Bangalore?cmThe A,B,C AbyssKarnataka's primary school education has bottomed out SUGATA SRINIVASARAJUK For Can't * Karnataka ranks below Bimaru states on learning index * Ranks fourth from bottom in reading abilities, and isat the bottom in math skills * 52.9% kids in 7-10 age group can't read a simple paragraph * The problem is common to government/private schoolsFollowing the International Literacy Day jamboree on September 8, thecoalition government here has been taking out huge ads trumpeting its achievements in the area of primary and secondary education. If thepropaganda machine is to be believed, the JD(S)-BJP coalition hasreleased Rs 5,103 crore for the education sector.The funding and intentions seem impressive. But data thrown up in the latest Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) India for ruralKarnataka tells a rather different, grim story. A survey covering15,628 children in 540 villages and 534 schools across the state's 27districts found that 52.9 per cent of the children in the 7-10 agegroup can't read even a simple small paragraph (Level 1) and 72.5 percent cannot read a story (Level 2). And 59.7 per cent cannot solvenumerical sums of subtraction and 90.6 per cent cannot do simpledivision.While the all-India statistics spelled out in the ASER India reportis itself worrisome, the Karnataka data is shocking. The report is acoordinated effort of Pratham Resource Centre with hundreds of ngos working in the education sector across the nation. In Karnataka, thesurvey was supported by 18 organisations, including the Azim PremjiFoundation.According to the report, Karnataka ranks much below even 'Bimaru' states like Bihar and Chhattisgarh on the learning index. Bihar faresbadly when it comes to school infrastructure, out-of-school-childrenpercentage and access to learning material, but its children manageto top the nation's list when it comes to learning abilities. This when out-of-school-children percentage was highest in the country at13.5 per cent, while Karnataka's was just 1.9 per cent. Only about52.4 per cent had access to textbooks in the eastern state's primaryschools, but in Karnataka nearly 90 per cent had access. Yet, when it came to learning skills, Bihar's children came in fifth in thecountry for reading skills and third for their arithmetic skills.Karnataka occupied fourth place from the bottom when it came toreading and took the last place in the country when it came to arithmetic skills!The huge surprise is that the situation in Karnataka, TN and Gujaratis far worse than Bihar and Chhattisgarh The situation withrespect to mathematics is also alarming. IT hub Karnataka needs to seriously think about the way mathematics is taught inschools-government as well as private..., says the report.The ASER data makes the feelgood nature of the state propaganda onschool education seem a bit bizarre. The government has declared its intention to achieve 85 per cent literacy in the state by 2007. Butwhat about the quality of education imparted? If schoolkids atprimary level are not picking up basic reading or math skills, whathope for the future when the syllabus gets tougher? So is all the money the government is spending going down the drain?Bhamy Shenoy, trustee of Pratham (Mysore) who helped put the ASERreport together, isn't optimistic: This data would've made headlines in any civilised country. Surprisingly, there is neither a mentionnor a statement by our state leadership. Karnataka educationminister Basavaraj Horatti, busy attending literacy rallies in ruralareas, was unavailable for comment. ___assam mailing listassam@assamnet.orghttp://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
Re: [Assam] From Outlook India
Title: Re: [Assam] From Outlook India Ram: It matters little whether there is truth to the suggestion that even Bimaru states performing better than Karnataka. What is striking is that the question even arises, about Karnataka's performance. Not that I am surprised about Indian states' performance u in this area. But I did not expect to hear it about Karnataka. Obviously something is seriously wrong. And we know, by and large, what it is. Don't we :-)? c-da At 5:12 PM -0500 9/22/06, Ram Sarangapani wrote: C'da, This is a little worrying. One would have expected the big K to be far better than the Bimaru states. According to the report, Karnataka ranks much below even 'Bimaru' states like Bihar and Chhattisgarh on the learning index. I sincerely want to believe this story, but unfortuantely, I also seriously doubt anything fruitful comes out of state like Bihar. Been to the Godforsaken place a couple of times, and I would find it difficult to believe that stuff like stats are not actually made up orat the very leastaccurate. Writing or speaking English is just not there. They my know Hindi and Bojhpuri very well, but without an iota of English, we all know, there would be serious limitations. I am not saying Karnataka doesn't have problems in education (or in other areas) - but if I were a betting man, I would place my bets on the Big K any day over Bihar. --Ram On 9/22/06, Chan Mahanta [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: This in the land of Bangalore? cm The A,B,C Abyss Karnataka's primary school education has bottomed out SUGATA SRINIVASARAJU K For Can't * Karnataka ranks below Bimaru states on learning index * Ranks fourth from bottom in reading abilities, and is at the bottom in math skills * 52.9% kids in 7-10 age group can't read a simple paragraph * The problem is common to government/private schools Following the International Literacy Day jamboree on September 8, the coalition government here has been taking out huge ads trumpeting its achievements in the area of primary and secondary education. If the propaganda machine is to be believed, the JD(S)-BJP coalition has released Rs 5,103 crore for the education sector. The funding and intentions seem impressive. But data thrown up in the latest Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) India for rural Karnataka tells a rather different, grim story. A survey covering 15,628 children in 540 villages and 534 schools across the state's 27 districts found that 52.9 per cent of the children in the 7-10 age group can't read even a simple small paragraph (Level 1) and 72.5 per cent cannot read a story (Level 2). And 59.7 per cent cannot solve numerical sums of subtraction and 90.6 per cent cannot do simple division. While the all-India statistics spelled out in the ASER India report is itself worrisome, the Karnataka data is shocking. The report is a coordinated effort of Pratham Resource Centre with hundreds of ngos working in the education sector across the nation. In Karnataka, the survey was supported by 18 organisations, including the Azim Premji Foundation. According to the report, Karnataka ranks much below even 'Bimaru' states like Bihar and Chhattisgarh on the learning index. Bihar fares badly when it comes to school infrastructure, out-of-school-children percentage and access to learning material, but its children manage to top the nation's list when it comes to learning abilities. This when out-of-school-children percentage was highest in the country at 13.5 per cent, while Karnataka's was just 1.9 per cent. Only about 52.4 per cent had access to textbooks in the eastern state's primary schools, but in Karnataka nearly 90 per cent had access. Yet, when it came to learning skills, Bihar's children came in fifth in the country for reading skills and third for their arithmetic skills. Karnataka occupied fourth place from the bottom when it came to reading and took the last place in the country when it came to arithmetic skills! The huge surprise is that the situation in Karnataka, TN and Gujarat is far worse than Bihar and Chhattisgarh The situation with respect to mathematics is also alarming. IT hub Karnataka needs to seriously think about the way mathematics is taught in schools-government as well as private..., says the report. The ASER data makes the feelgood nature of the state propaganda on school education seem a bit bizarre. The government has declared its intention to achieve 85 per cent literacy in the state by 2007. But what about the quality of education imparted? If schoolkids at primary level are not picking up basic reading or math skills, what hope for the future when the syllabus gets tougher? So is all the money the government is spending going down the drain? Bhamy Shenoy, trustee of Pratham (Mysore) who helped put the ASER report together, isn't optimistic: This data would've made headlines in any civilised country. Surprisingly, there is neither a mention nor a statement by our state leadership
Re: [Assam] From Outlook India
I agree with you Ram-da whole-heartedly. Anyway I wonder why English literacy is any indicator of Indian's development thru education --when the whole world is merely content with learning their own language. Umesh --- Ram Sarangapani [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: C'da, This is a little worrying. One would have expected the big K to be far better than the Bimaru states. According to the report, Karnataka ranks much below even 'Bimaru' states like Bihar and Chhattisgarh on the learning index. I sincerely want to believe this story, but unfortuantely, I also seriously doubt anything fruitful comes out of state like Bihar. Been to the Godforsaken place a couple of times, and I would find it difficult to believe that stuff like stats are not actually made up or at the very least accurate. Writing or speaking English is just not there. They my know Hindi and Bojhpuri very well, but without an iota of English, we all know, there would be serious limitations. I am not saying Karnataka doesn't have problems in education (or in other areas) - but if I were a betting man, I would place my bets on the Big K any day over Bihar. --Ram On 9/22/06, Chan Mahanta [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: This in the land of Bangalore? cm The A,B,C Abyss Karnataka's primary school education has bottomed out SUGATA SRINIVASARAJU K For Can't * Karnataka ranks below Bimaru states on learning index * Ranks fourth from bottom in reading abilities, and is at the bottom in math skills * 52.9% kids in 7-10 age group can't read a simple paragraph * The problem is common to government/private schools Following the International Literacy Day jamboree on September 8, the coalition government here has been taking out huge ads trumpeting its achievements in the area of primary and secondary education. If the propaganda machine is to be believed, the JD(S)-BJP coalition has released Rs 5,103 crore for the education sector. The funding and intentions seem impressive. But data thrown up in the latest Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) India for rural Karnataka tells a rather different, grim story. A survey covering 15,628 children in 540 villages and 534 schools across the state's 27 districts found that 52.9 per cent of the children in the 7-10 age group can't read even a simple small paragraph (Level 1) and 72.5 per cent cannot read a story (Level 2). And 59.7 per cent cannot solve numerical sums of subtraction and 90.6 per cent cannot do simple division. While the all-India statistics spelled out in the ASER India report is itself worrisome, the Karnataka data is shocking. The report is a coordinated effort of Pratham Resource Centre with hundreds of ngos working in the education sector across the nation. In Karnataka, the survey was supported by 18 organisations, including the Azim Premji Foundation. According to the report, Karnataka ranks much below even 'Bimaru' states like Bihar and Chhattisgarh on the learning index. Bihar fares badly when it comes to school infrastructure, out-of-school-children percentage and access to learning material, but its children manage to top the nation's list when it comes to learning abilities. This when out-of-school-children percentage was highest in the country at 13.5 per cent, while Karnataka's was just 1.9 per cent. Only about 52.4 per cent had access to textbooks in the eastern state's primary schools, but in Karnataka nearly 90 per cent had access. Yet, when it came to learning skills, Bihar's children came in fifth in the country for reading skills and third for their arithmetic skills. Karnataka occupied fourth place from the bottom when it came to reading and took the last place in the country when it came to arithmetic skills! The huge surprise is that the situation in Karnataka, TN and Gujarat is far worse than Bihar and Chhattisgarh The situation with respect to mathematics is also alarming. IT hub Karnataka needs to seriously think about the way mathematics is taught in schools-government as well as private..., says the report. The ASER data makes the feelgood nature of the state propaganda on school education seem a bit bizarre. The government has declared its intention to achieve 85 per cent literacy in the state by 2007. But what about the quality of education imparted? If schoolkids at primary level are not picking up basic reading or math skills, what hope for the future when the syllabus gets tougher? So is all the money the government is spending going down the drain? Bhamy Shenoy, trustee of Pratham (Mysore) who helped put the ASER report together, isn't optimistic: This data would've made headlines in any civilised country. Surprisingly, there is neither a mention nor a statement by our state
Re: [Assam] From Outlook India
Umesh, Thank you for agreeing with me, partways at least. Anyway I wonder why English literacy is any indicator ofIndian's development thru education - Why would you wonder? English literacy is paramount for any state to progress. Yes, they could get by in English - probably even make the IAS (in Hindi), but without English they are severely limited in any number of things - from the sciences to the arts. English has also been a big factor for India being considered as one of the best places for outsourcing. Regional or national language jingoism is great for filling the population with pride, but doesn't get much more than that. States that fought to throw English out and opt for their own state language in its stead, now find out that whole generations of their educated can't speak and barely write English. Well versed in Hindi may get them jobs in the Hindi belt, maybe Maharastra/Gujarat/Punjab, but in the rest of the country, they are basically square pegs in round holes. Regional languages MUST be taught. The best is to have students learn both the regional and English alongside each other. That way it will also be easier to help some of the regional languages develop. Anyway, that my take. -Ram da On 9/22/06, umesh sharma [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: I agree with you Ram-da whole-heartedly. Anyway Iwonder why English literacy is any indicator ofIndian's development thru education --when the whole world is merely content with learning their ownlanguage.Umesh--- Ram Sarangapani [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: C'da, This is a little worrying. One would have expected the big K to be far better than the Bimaru states. According to the report, Karnataka ranks much below even 'Bimaru' states like Bihar and Chhattisgarh on the learning index. I sincerely want to believe this story, but unfortuantely, I also seriously doubt anything fruitful comes out of state like Bihar. Been to the Godforsaken place a couple of times, and I would find it difficult to believe that stuff like stats are not actually made up or at the very least accurate. Writing or speaking English is just not there. They my know Hindi and Bojhpuri very well, but without an iota of English, we all know, there would be serious limitations. I am not saying Karnataka doesn't have problems in education (or in other areas) - but if I were a betting man, I would place my bets on the Big K any day over Bihar. --Ram On 9/22/06, Chan Mahanta [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: This in the land of Bangalore? cm The A,B,C Abyss Karnataka's primary school education has bottomed out SUGATA SRINIVASARAJU K For Can't * Karnataka ranks below Bimaru states on learning index * Ranks fourth from bottom in reading abilities, and is at the bottom in math skills * 52.9% kids in 7-10 age group can't read a simple paragraph * The problem is common to government/private schools Following the International Literacy Day jamboree on September 8, the coalition government here has been taking out huge ads trumpeting its achievements in the area of primary and secondary education. If the propaganda machine is to be believed, the JD(S)-BJP coalition has released Rs 5,103 crore for the education sector. The funding and intentions seem impressive. But data thrown up in the latest Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) India for rural Karnataka tells a rather different, grim story. A survey covering 15,628 children in 540 villages and 534 schools across the state's 27 districts found that 52.9 per cent of the children in the 7-10 age group can't read even a simple small paragraph (Level 1) and 72.5 per cent cannot read a story (Level 2). And 59.7 per cent cannot solve numerical sums of subtraction and 90.6 per cent cannot do simple division. While the all-India statistics spelled out in the ASER India report is itself worrisome, the Karnataka data is shocking. The report is a coordinated effort of Pratham Resource Centre with hundreds of ngos working in the education sector across the nation. In Karnataka, the survey was supported by 18 organisations, including the Azim Premji Foundation. According to the report, Karnataka ranks much below even 'Bimaru' states like Bihar and Chhattisgarh on the learning index. Bihar fares badly when it comes to school infrastructure, out-of-school-children percentage and access to learning material, but its children manage to top the nation's list when it comes to learning abilities. This when out-of-school-children percentage was highest in the country at 13.5 per cent, while Karnataka's was just 1.9 per cent. Only about 52.4 per cent had access to textbooks in the eastern state's primary schools, but in Karnataka nearly 90 per cent had access. Yet, when it came to learning skills, Bihar's children came in fifth in the country for reading skills and third for their arithmetic skills. Karnataka occupied fourth place from the bottom when it came to reading and took the last place in
[Assam] From Outlook India
The following by Wasbir Hussain from Outlook India: cm ASSAM Speaking In Tongues New Delhi has come up with an Independence Day gambit in Assam . by suddenly suspending Army operations against the outlawed ULFA, but as usual, the right hand of the government seems not to know what the left is doing. WASBIR HUSSAIN | e-mail | one page format | feedback: send - read | New Delhi has come up with an Independence Day gambit in Assam . On Sunday, August 13, 2006, central authorities suddenly suspended Army operations against the outlawed United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) at a time when the insurgent group was engaged in a routine stepping up of violence ahead of Independence Day. Specifically, the Sunday announcement came hours after ULFA rebels shot and killed a petty trader in Joypur town, in the eastern district of Dibrugarh, hurled a grenade at the private residence of a senior Assam minister at Digboi in the adjacent Tinsukia district (the minister was present but there was no casualties), and made an abortive grenade attack on the police in the western district town of Nalbari. In ten days, beginning August 4, 2006, the ULFA had launched several grenade or bomb attacks, killing a dozen people, including six security personnel, five of them of the Assam Police, and injured up to 40 others. Assam Chief Secretary S. Kabilan, who also heads the policy-making Strategy Group of the Unified Command Headquarters of the Army, Police and Paramilitary Forces in the state, was quick to confirm the central government's decision to suspend Army operations. Offensive action against ULFA will remain suspended for 10 days in a goodwill gesture by the government, he told this writer late Sunday night. He clarified though that it cannot be called a ceasefire yet. Pressed for the immediate reasons for this go-slow order to the Army, Kabilan said, There may have been some positive feelers from the other side. He did not elaborate, but his comment did indicate that the ULFA on its own or the People's Consultative Group (PCG), the 11-member peace panel appointed by the rebel outfit, may have succeeded in convincing New Delhi that such a gesture would result in the insurgent group reciprocating by putting violence on hold. There was, however, significant evidence of confusion and a wide diversity of perceptions within the government. On the morning of August 14, the Assam Chief Minister, Tarun Gogoi, told this writer, This is certainly a unilateral ceasefire. There can be no other meaning to a suspension of operations by the government. He added, however, that We cannot lower our vigilance. Day to day policing will go on, and further, The ball is now in ULFA's court, and it must respond positively and come forward for talks, now that the government has taken this major initiative. The government's decision to halt Army operations before Independence Day, that too, when the ULFA has called for a boycott of the celebrations and has sought to enforce it through a 17-hour general strike beginning 1 a.m. on August 15, is certainly significant. The ULFA would now be under tremendous pressure to reciprocate and enter into the process of direct talks with New Delhi. Over the past few weeks, civil society organizations in Assam have been vocal in asking the government to act first and take some major initiatives, like a temporary ceasefire, to break the current impasse over the holding of direct ULFA-New Delhi talks. At a civil society Round Table last fortnight organized by Gauhati University, the state's premier institution for higher learning, a resolution was adopted urging the government of India to initiate immediate steps like a ceasefire, that would 'have to be reciprocated' by the ULFA. Another resolution called for the release of five top ULFA leaders, all members of the group's highest policy-making body, the central executive committee. ULFA has been seeking their release so that it could discuss the issue of entering into direct talks with New Delhi and take things forward. Groups like the PCG itself have been drawing flak, just like several other components of the State's disjointed civil society, for not condemning violence by the militants in the same way as they condemn killing of rebels by security forces engaged in counter-insurgency operations. On August 13, 2006, however, the PCG issued a significant press statement where it called upon both the ULFA and the government to maintain restraint for the sake of peace in Assam, and condemned the killing of innocent people by the two sides. The acts of violence since the peace process started have hurt the PCG, the statement said. This plain and straightforward condemnation of violence and killing of innocent people by the PCG, whose members were hand-picked by the ULFA in September 2005, and the group's decision to meet with India's National Security Adviser and Home Secretary in
Re: [Assam] From Outlook India
Thanks for sharing this with us, C'da. I rather like Hussain's writings. But this time, I think, he too got infected with this 'blame the GOI' syndrome that some netters are often aflicted with. :-). From what one can deduce, the ULFA sent out some 'feelers' (wonder what those are). The GOI may have wanted to stem the usual violence leading up to Aug. 15, and could be at some high level suddenly decide for the 10 day military halt. But Hussain, himself agrees that by evening all officials and the GOA were on the same page. The fact is, the Army operations were stopped - it is not as if the GOI stated it and some army personnel were still on the rampage because the orders didn't filter down. I didn't think it was a big deal. What we need to look forward is that such a measure is longer than 10 days (I read somewhere its been extended to 20) ie at least a few months. That would give both parties to think of some positive way out of this whole sordid mess. Hussain's article is never the less still a good read and he did touch on all the salient points. --Ram On 8/17/06, Chan Mahanta [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: The following by Wasbir Hussain from Outlook India: cm ASSAM Speaking In Tongues New Delhi has come up with an Independence Day gambit in Assam . by suddenly suspending Army operations against the outlawed ULFA, but as usual, the right hand of the government seems not to know what the left is doing. WASBIR HUSSAIN | e-mail | one page format | feedback: send - read | New Delhi has come up with an Independence Day gambit in Assam . On Sunday, August 13, 2006, central authorities suddenly suspended Army operations against the outlawed United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) at a time when the insurgent group was engaged in a routine stepping up of violence ahead of Independence Day. Specifically, the Sunday announcement came hours after ULFA rebels shot and killed a petty trader in Joypur town, in the eastern district of Dibrugarh, hurled a grenade at the private residence of a senior Assam minister at Digboi in the adjacent Tinsukia district (the minister was present but there was no casualties), and made an abortive grenade attack on the police in the western district town of Nalbari. In ten days, beginning August 4, 2006, the ULFA had launched several grenade or bomb attacks, killing a dozen people, including six security personnel, five of them of the Assam Police, and injured up to 40 others. Assam Chief Secretary S. Kabilan, who also heads the policy-making Strategy Group of the Unified Command Headquarters of the Army, Police and Paramilitary Forces in the state, was quick to confirm the central government's decision to suspend Army operations. Offensive action against ULFA will remain suspended for 10 days in a goodwill gesture by the government, he told this writer late Sunday night. He clarified though that it cannot be called a ceasefire yet. Pressed for the immediate reasons for this go-slow order to the Army, Kabilan said, There may have been some positive feelers from the other side. He did not elaborate, but his comment did indicate that the ULFA on its own or the People's Consultative Group (PCG), the 11-member peace panel appointed by the rebel outfit, may have succeeded in convincing New Delhi that such a gesture would result in the insurgent group reciprocating by putting violence on hold. There was, however, significant evidence of confusion and a wide diversity of perceptions within the government. On the morning of August 14, the Assam Chief Minister, Tarun Gogoi, told this writer, This is certainly a unilateral ceasefire. There can be no other meaning to a suspension of operations by the government. He added, however, that We cannot lower our vigilance. Day to day policing will go on, and further, The ball is now in ULFA's court, and it must respond positively and come forward for talks, now that the government has taken this major initiative. The government's decision to halt Army operations before Independence Day, that too, when the ULFA has called for a boycott of the celebrations and has sought to enforce it through a 17-hour general strike beginning 1 a.m. on August 15, is certainly significant. The ULFA would now be under tremendous pressure to reciprocate and enter into the process of direct talks with New Delhi. Over the past few weeks, civil society organizations in Assam have been vocal in asking the government to act first and take some major initiatives, like a temporary ceasefire, to break the current impasse over the holding of direct ULFA-New Delhi talks. At a civil society Round Table last fortnight organized by Gauhati University, the state's premier institution for higher learning, a resolution was adopted urging the government of India to initiate immediate steps like a ceasefire, that would 'have to be reciprocated' by the ULFA. Another resolution called for the release of five top
Re: [Assam] From Outlook India
Why do the amendments matter so much? Isn't it true that even in the US or other developed countries the public is only on "need to know basis" (aswas Nicholas Cage -in the movie The Rock ). Will notthe public still have the right to know whether any action has been taken regarding anything by the govt. Will they not come to know that regarding a specific contract who got the bid clinched and how on what terms and conditions --also whose files have been cleared and whose haven't?Why do we really need to know what govt official said what about - any particular issue (the noting on the file) --we should be worried about the end result --amd the modified RTI will allow us to know about the end resukt.Umesh[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: *** And this from the INTELLECTUAL PM's office?cmWhat They Don't Want You To Know The PM has not outgrown his bureaucratic background. The PMO is being brazen and disingenuous in suggesting that the amendments to the RTI Act would 'for the first time empower the citizens to access file-notings'. They emasculate the Act, and are clearly unconstitutional. PRASHANT BHUSHAN The amendments proposed to the Right to Information [RTI] Act is a very substantial roll back of the Act. The persistent manner in which the government is pushing this roll-back, despite mounting public criticism, indicates that the PM has not outgrown his bureaucratic background. The disclosure of the text of the proposed amendments has given the lie to the statement put out by the Prime Minister's Office [PMO] to the effect that the amendments actually for the first time empower the citizens to access file-notings, and that the restrictions relate only to notings on defence and personnel related matters.Apart from the fact that the Central Information Commission [CIC] had repeatedly ruled that the unamended Act did not restrict access to file notings, it can be seen that the text of the amendment restricts access to all file notings except "substantial file notings on plans schemes, programmes of the central government or a state government, as the case may be that relate to development and social issues". This is done by amending the definition of records in the Act.This amendment will by itself take the life out of the Act. Afterall, it is the notings which deal with the reasons and rationale for any order or decision of the government. Very often, it is the noting by an honest officer which explains what is wrong with a proposed decision of the government. For instance, in the Panna-Mukta Oil deal, it was the noting of the then S.P. CBI, which gave the reasons and circumstances which explained why the decision to hand over ONGCâs developed oilfields to Enron and Reliance was a clear case of corruption, and against public interest . Moreover it the only the notings by various officers which will often reveal whether an officerâs role was above board or whether he was acting on extraneous considerations. The notings are thus critical for fixing accountability. In the absence of notings, it would often not be possible for people to fully appreciate the official rationale for a decision.ÂThough the proposed amendment restricts notings on most subjects, it may be noted that even if it related to only defence and personnel related matters, it would still be objectionable. This is because information (including notings) on defence and security matters are already exempt under Sec 8(1) (a) of the Act, and there is no justification for exempting notings on personnel related matters. The transfers, postings, disciplinary proceedings, suspensions, and promotions of government servants play a critical role in governance.ÂIt is well known that there is a lot of corruption and extraneous influence in such matters, which has a very deleterious effect on governance. Honest officers are often victimized by punishment postings. Corrupt officers are often rewarded with postings on crucial positions. It is well known that often bribes are fixed for postings and transfer of officers in "lucrative" departments like police, excise, Income Tax etc.ÂIn Maharashtra, it was discovered in response to an application under the RTI Act, that the postings of most police officers were on the recommendations of MPs and ministers. By far, the most effective way of checking such arbitrariness in such personnel related matters is to have complete transparency in such matters, so that people can see not just the final decision (which is always said to be on exigencies of service), but also the rationale and the entire decision making process which led to the decision.ÂIt is often said that such disclosure of notings related to personnel matters would inhibit officers from expressing themselves freely and frankly.The truth however is, that no honest officer is likely to be inhibited from frankly expressing himself for fear that what he writes may become known. It is only the dishonest officer wanting to make a dishonest noting who
Re: [Assam] From Outlook India --Right to Info Repealed
Why do the amendments matter so much? Isn't it true that even in the US or other developed countries the public is only on "need to know basis" (aswas Nicholas Cage -in the movie The Rock ). Will notthe public still have the right to know whether any action has been taken regarding anything by the govt. Will they not come to know that regarding a specific contract who got the bid clinched and how on what terms and conditions --also whose files have been cleared and whose haven't?Why do we really need to know what govt official said what about - any particular issue (the noting on the file) --we should be worried about the end result --amd the modified RTI will allow us to know about the end resukt.Umesh[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: *** And this from the INTELLECTUAL PM's office?cmWhat They Don't Want You To Know The PM has not outgrown his bureaucratic background. The PMO is being brazen and disingenuous in suggesting that the amendments to the RTI Act would 'for the first time empower the citizens to access file-notings'. They emasculate the Act, and are clearly unconstitutional. PRASHANT BHUSHAN The amendments proposed to the Right to Information [RTI] Act is a very substantial roll back of the Act. The persistent manner in which the government is pushing this roll-back, despite mounting public criticism, indicates that the PM has not outgrown his bureaucratic background. The disclosure of the text of the proposed amendments has given the lie to the statement put out by the Prime Minister's Office [PMO] to the effect that the amendments actually for the first time empower the citizens to access file-notings, and that the restrictions relate only to notings on defence and personnel related matters.Apart from the fact that the Central Information Commission [CIC] had repeatedly ruled that the unamended Act did not restrict access to file notings, it can be seen that the text of the amendment restricts access to all file notings except "substantial file notings on plans schemes, programmes of the central government or a state government, as the case may be that relate to development and social issues". This is done by amending the definition of records in the Act.This amendment will by itself take the life out of the Act. Afterall, it is the notings which deal with the reasons and rationale for any order or decision of the government. Very often, it is the noting by an honest officer which explains what is wrong with a proposed decision of the government. For instance, in the Panna-Mukta Oil deal, it was the noting of the then S.P. CBI, which gave the reasons and circumstances which explained why the decision to hand over ONGCâs developed oilfields to Enron and Reliance was a clear case of corruption, and against public interest . Moreover it the only the notings by various officers which will often reveal whether an officerâs role was above board or whether he was acting on extraneous considerations. The notings are thus critical for fixing accountability. In the absence of notings, it would often not be possible for people to fully appreciate the official rationale for a decision.ÂThough the proposed amendment restricts notings on most subjects, it may be noted that even if it related to only defence and personnel related matters, it would still be objectionable. This is because information (including notings) on defence and security matters are already exempt under Sec 8(1) (a) of the Act, and there is no justification for exempting notings on personnel related matters. The transfers, postings, disciplinary proceedings, suspensions, and promotions of government servants play a critical role in governance.ÂIt is well known that there is a lot of corruption and extraneous influence in such matters, which has a very deleterious effect on governance. Honest officers are often victimized by punishment postings. Corrupt officers are often rewarded with postings on crucial positions. It is well known that often bribes are fixed for postings and transfer of officers in "lucrative" departments like police, excise, Income Tax etc.ÂIn Maharashtra, it was discovered in response to an application under the RTI Act, that the postings of most police officers were on the recommendations of MPs and ministers. By far, the most effective way of checking such arbitrariness in such personnel related matters is to have complete transparency in such matters, so that people can see not just the final decision (which is always said to be on exigencies of service), but also the rationale and the entire decision making process which led to the decision.ÂIt is often said that such disclosure of notings related to personnel matters would inhibit officers from expressing themselves freely and frankly.The truth however is, that no honest officer is likely to be inhibited from frankly expressing himself for fear that what he writes may become known. It is only the dishonest officer wanting to make a dishonest noting who
[Assam] From Outlook India
*** And this from the INTELLECTUAL PM's office? cm What They Don't Want You To Know The PM has not outgrown his bureaucratic background. The PMO is being brazen and disingenuous in suggesting that the amendments to the RTI Act would 'for the first time empower the citizens to access file-notings'. They emasculate the Act, and are clearly unconstitutional. PRASHANT BHUSHAN The amendments proposed to the Right to Information [RTI] Act is a very substantial roll back of the Act. The persistent manner in which the government is pushing this roll-back, despite mounting public criticism, indicates that the PM has not outgrown his bureaucratic background. The disclosure of the text of the proposed amendments has given the lie to the statement put out by the Prime Minister's Office [PMO] to the effect that the amendments actually for the first time empower the citizens to access file-notings, and that the restrictions relate only to notings on defence and personnel related matters. Apart from the fact that the Central Information Commission [CIC] had repeatedly ruled that the unamended Act did not restrict access to file notings, it can be seen that the text of the amendment restricts access to all file notings except substantial file notings on plans schemes, programmes of the central government or a state government, as the case may be that relate to development and social issues. This is done by amending the definition of records in the Act. This amendment will by itself take the life out of the Act. Afterall, it is the notings which deal with the reasons and rationale for any order or decision of the government. Very often, it is the noting by an honest officer which explains what is wrong with a proposed decision of the government. For instance, in the Panna-Mukta Oil deal, it was the noting of the then S.P. CBI, which gave the reasons and circumstances which explained why the decision to hand over ONGC’s developed oilfields to Enron and Reliance was a clear case of corruption, and against public interest . Moreover it the only the notings by various officers which will often reveal whether an officer’s role was above board or whether he was acting on extraneous considerations. The notings are thus critical for fixing accountability. In the absence of notings, it would often not be possible for people to fully appreciate the official rationale for a decision. Though the proposed amendment restricts notings on most subjects, it may be noted that even if it related to only defence and personnel related matters, it would still be objectionable. This is because information (including notings) on defence and security matters are already exempt under Sec 8(1) (a) of the Act, and there is no justification for exempting notings on personnel related matters. The transfers, postings, disciplinary proceedings, suspensions, and promotions of government servants play a critical role in governance. It is well known that there is a lot of corruption and extraneous influence in such matters, which has a very deleterious effect on governance. Honest officers are often victimized by punishment postings. Corrupt officers are often rewarded with postings on crucial positions. It is well known that often bribes are fixed for postings and transfer of officers in lucrative departments like police, excise, Income Tax etc. In Maharashtra, it was discovered in response to an application under the RTI Act, that the postings of most police officers were on the recommendations of MPs and ministers. By far, the most effective way of checking such arbitrariness in such personnel related matters is to have complete transparency in such matters, so that people can see not just the final decision (which is always said to be on exigencies of service), but also the rationale and the entire decision making process which led to the decision. It is often said that such disclosure of notings related to personnel matters would inhibit officers from expressing themselves freely and frankly.The truth however is, that no honest officer is likely to be inhibited from frankly expressing himself for fear that what he writes may become known. It is only the dishonest officer wanting to make a dishonest noting who is likely to be deterred by such transparency. In fact such transparency would act as a shield for honest officers who are less likely to be victimized if the entire transaction were open to public gaze. Apart from the amendment to exclude file notings, four amendments have been proposed to Section 8 dealing with exemptions, each of which widens the exemptions under the Act. Firstly, the amendment to the proviso to clause (i) of Section 8, now restricts access to Cabinet papers to only the actual decisions and reasons thereof, after the decision, rather than to all papers. This is absolutely unreasonable. In a democracy where the Cabinet is just the
[Assam] From Outlook India
With this kind of approach can India become a global power? *** Good question! cm Bull's eye Delhi is India's capital. Consider its misgovernance. Then say hello to India's brand of democracy. RAJINDER PURI | e-mail | one page format | feedback: send | Delhi is India's capital. Consider its misgovernance. Then say hello to India's brand of democracy. The Supreme Court ordered the government to demolish all illegal buildings. That meant almost the whole of Delhi would be demolished. There arose panic, protests, threats and tears. How was this extraordinary situation created? Let's begin at the beginning. The central government made successive five-year plans. Despite that, for 50 years village uplift remained neglected. Great attention was paid to augmenting food production. After all, cities consume food. But villages lacked power, drinking water, roads, healthcare and even literacy. Building rural infrastructure would have created jobs. It would have tapped India's most precious resource-human talent. Instead, villages became unlivable. In search of jobs villagers migrated to cities. For 50 years the influx continued. No new cities were built. Thanks to Partition, only Chandigarh was built to compensate the loss of Lahore. Inevitably, Delhi and the state capitals were choked with migrants. The poor built unauthorised jhuggis. The rich built unauthorised houses. Both bribed politicians and officials. The poor created votebanks. The rich created bank balances. Delhi grew vertically. Its water became polluted. Its residential colonies were swamped by factories and offices. It, too, was becoming unlivable. Then the Supreme Court intervened. And all hell broke loose. What was the government doing all these decades? In 1962, the first Delhi Master Plan was released. It announced guidelines and building bye-laws. Minor violations of these laws were compoundable by fines. Only major violations attracted demolition. With these laws in place, how was most of Delhi built illegally? The answer is simple. During the 40 years of the first plan it was amended 65 times to accommodate law-breakers. Corruption and vested interests triumphed each time. In 2001, the second Delhi Master Plan was conceived. But the Delhi government refuses to change its ways. It is pursuing a crafty strategy. It targeted elite schools for demolition. Parents set up a howl. It demolished fashion stores. Weeping models and designers created good media publicity. Meanwhile, to circumvent the court, the Delhi government framed an ordinance to legalise all residential construction before this year. The PM obliged by setting up a committee to study the ordinance. That is where matters rest. Even this ordinance would have made sense if it had reflected a genuine resolve to end the rot. But it seems done only for electoral advantage. With this kind of approach can India become a global power? ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
