Letters to the EDITOR: Coaching culture needs to be regulated

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Coaching culture needs to be regulated

The news headline 'Bill to regulate coaching institutes' published in your esteemed daily on March 22 has drawn the attention of all, as it is a much laudable move by the state government, especially for parents and students who are quite often given misleading promises or guarantees of rank or good marks by the state's private coaching centres in competitive examinations for higher education in engineering, medicine, and other professional careers to enrol them in their coaching institutes. The unregulated growth of coaching institutes is not a matter of the state's concern, but it has become a country-wide phenomenon today. It has become possible due to a lack of an oversight mechanism.

The editorial 'Regulatory measures to curb coaching culture' published in your esteemed daily has rightly said that the introduction of the Assam Coaching Institutes (Control and Regulation) Bill, 2025, in the State Assembly will not only enable parents and students to choose the right coaching institute, but it also seeks to enforce a code of conduct such as mandatory mental health workshops and counselling by the institutes that will go a long way in reducing the stress of students, apart from supporting marginalised groups, providing disability-friendly facilities and inspection of coaching institutes by the district authorities. No doubt, the proposed bill, tabled by the state government, will give more teeth to the enforcement authorities. Now, a simple question arises: Why do we need coaching institutes if the govt-run educational institutions provide quality education to the students right from the beginning of their schoolings? It is indeed a matter of serious thought for all.  The importance of adopting the NEP 2020's focus on regular formative assessment for learning rather than summative assessment to ensure a quality teaching and learning ecosystem cannot be ruled out, as it has become an utmost necessity to eliminate the mushrooming of coaching institutes in the state. We cannot deny the fact that there are many mediocre, worth-emulating students in the state who crack highly competitive examinations without taking help from coaching institutes. Their hard work and persistent and unwavering determination are a source of inspiration and guidance for other aspirants. The university entrance examinations, therefore, need to test students' conceptual understanding and ability to apply knowledge in different competitive examinations, and it will definitely prove result-oriented to protect students from exploitation by the profit-driven private coaching institutes.

Iqbal Saikia,

Guwahati.

Riyan Parag and captaincy

The Indian Premier League (IPL) is like a festival in India where young people of India generally engage themselves in enjoying this gorgeous battle of bat and ball. The son of Assam, Riyan Parag, is an integral part of the Rajasthan Royals team, where he has been playing since 2019. That franchise supported Riyan in his ups and downs and always backed him. This time, with the absence of their regular captain, Sanju Samson, due to finger injury, Riyan got the chance of doing captaincy for the team. Riyan Parag will lead Rajasthan Royals for the first three matches against SRH, CSK and KKR. The latter two matches will be played in Guwahati. Riyan Parag was a total flop in the 2020-2023 IPL seasons but was still trusted by the Rajasthan Royals, and he developed his skills to showcase tremendous performance in IPL 2024, where he scored 573 runs with an average of 52.09 and a strike rate of 149.22. He played some brilliant match-winning innings against DC, LSG, etc. Because of his tremendous performance, he was also selected for the senior team. After his injury, he lost the chance of playing in the regular team. But IPL 2025 will be crucial for him. He will need to keep his calmness and show his batting tactics along with his rare bowling skills. He captained the Assam team in domestic cricket, and this may be an important reason for selecting him as a captain over Yashasvi Jaiswal and others. I hope he will do very well in captaincy for RR and try to find his place in the national team again. Best wishes to Assamese boy, Riyan.

Sankalpajit Saikia

Nowgong College

 Platform security

After the NDA government took over, shrill cries over the privatisation of Railways grew in some quarters. When the government opened up new projects and technology for private players, the cries only grew louder. It was believed that privatisation would bring into being a semblance of order in an elephantine public sector unit mired in disorder. That said, railways are a huge employment provider, and privatisation posed a serious threat to job security and job opportunities. The government did not do much to allay the apprehensions of the trade unions on this count. Be that as it may, recent stampedes at different stations called for urgent action, and the Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has announced a slew of measures in that direction. It is planned to allow only bona bonafide confirmed  ticket holders onto the platforms at 60 important stations, and a pilot project is being undertaken at 4 major north Indian stations. Sealing of unauthorised entries, setting up of war rooms and multiple cameras at strategic locations, and appointment of a station director, with full independence to control ticket sales, are a few other proposed steps. One problem with the Railways is the issuance of too many tickets, and the provision for a station director may sort things out. Working on practical implementation of the proposed changes is, however, critical for changes on the ground.

Dr Ganapathi  Bhat

(gbhat13@gmail.com

Commission for senior citizens

Kerala has become the first state in India to pass a law creating a commission for senior citizens. This new commission would focus on protecting the rights, welfare, and rehabilitation of the elderly. Today's elderly section faces a lot of difficulties, including neglect and abuse, and in many cases are denied safety and peace of mind in the last phase of their lives. The commission will address the hardships and problems faced by the elderly, including neglect, exploitation, and loneliness. It will be responsible for providing the necessary guidelines to tackle issues faced by the elderly. This initiative, worth emulating, helps in tackling the challenges of the aged. The commission, besides safeguarding the elderly, ensures their rehabilitation, legal aid, and social integration. The commission will be playing a vital role in matters related to the aged – advising the government on new welfare programmes for senior citizens, addressing complaints related to elderly abuse, denial of rights or violence against them and also providing legal aid through authorised agencies in cases where elderly citizens face rights violations and overall monitoring of the well-being of the elderly.

The commission will no doubt act as a saviour to senior citizens.

Pradyu Mukund

(pradyumukund22@gmail.com)

 SC inquiry into tainted judge

Even as the Supreme Court initiated an in-house enquiry on Friday over reports that a huge amount of unaccounted cash was found at the official bungalow of sitting Delhi High Court judge Yashwant Varma, the decision to transfer the judge back to Allahabad has provoked protests. "Allahabad High Court is not a trash bin that anything can be dumped here,” Allahabad HC bar association president Anil Tiwari was quoted as telling Bar and Bench. "We will not accept corrupt people. We will stop the court's work if need be." The unaccounted cash was discovered accidentally on Friday, March 14, when a fire broke out at the bungalow of the Delhi High Court judge. He was not at home when the fire brigade was called in at around 11.00 pm. The firefighters brought the fire under control, but in the course of the operation, they stumbled on the cash stashed in one of the rooms. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court collegium, which on Thursday evening decided to immediately transfer Justice Varma back to Allahabad, initiated an in-house enquiry on Friday. As per the procedure adopted by the Supreme Court, when there are allegations against a high court judge, the chief justice of India, after a preliminary enquiry, forms a committee of three Supreme Court judges to enquire into the matter after seeking the response of the judge in question. Based on the report of the in-house panel, further action can be taken. A high court judge can, however, be removed from office only through an impeachment motion passed by Parliament. No judge has been impeached in India's history. Though some faced impeachment proceedings, they resigned before the proceedings concluded.

Bhagwan Thadani

(bhagwan_thadani@yahoo.co.in)