Letters to THE EDITOR: Marks-centred Learning

Marks-centred Learning

Most of the guardians are nowadays obsessed with good marks for their children. They think that only private junior colleges can ensure certificates with excellent marks for their children. So they are running after the 'famous' junior colleges just after the announcement of the matriculation result.

It is a fact that in most of these junior colleges, the teachers appointed do not have adequate educational qualifications. Managements are collecting a good sum of money as fees from students. Guardians are not bothered about the fees and are more concerned with marks. These junior colleges do not have enough space for students to breathe, not to speak of playground for sports. This is mainly happening after the semester system was introduced at the undergraduate level of education in universities.

Higher secondary courses in government and provincialized colleges are hampered due to the shift of time and energy of teachers to UG, PG and professional courses after the introduction of semester system and education policy at the Centre. In these changed circumstances, private junior colleges now produce maximum HS toppers in all the streams. At the cost of development of mental faculty of their children, our parents are hankering after top ranks in board examinations. It is a bitter truth that development of mental and physical faculties of these students are blocked and pruned at the growing stage by marks-centred learning in these institutes. In the current education scenario, parents perhaps do not have better options.

Dr Nripen Chandra Das,

Associate Professor,

Kaliabor College, Nagaon.

Time for Rigid Stand

Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal at one point of time could endear himself to all the people in the State. For his great contribution to safeguarding the interests of the people, he had been adorned with the title Jaatiya Naayak. But time is very cruel! The same Sarbananda Sonowal now is all set to take a U-turn by taking his stand in unison with his party's high command in Delhi. At least the outcome of the meeting with AASU leaders and their allied 28 ethnic organizations of the State speaks volumes of his vacillating stand.

All the leaders representing AASU and 28 other ethnic organizations wanted that the chief minister, along with his cabinet colleagues, should convince the BJP high-ups in Delhi of the need for taking measures in scrapping the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill. Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh also assured the former that no further step would be taken on the Bill without consultations with all concerned in the State. The statement by the chairman of the JPC suggests that the Government of India will wait till June 30, the date earmarked for declaring the final list of NRC. It is really pathetic to see our AGP leaders not even mustering courage to raise the issue in the cabinet. When asked about the reason behind, they beat about the bush, faltering to answer. The AGP should rather rise to the occasion. We have had enough of the game of opportunistic politicians.

Ashok Bordoloi,

Dibrugarh.

For 'No NE' in Bill

The Union government is going to introduce the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016 for our country and it is taking the opinion of citizens of almost all States. But in view of mass protests, including by various organizations and intellectuals, against the Bill in almost the whole of Assam and the rest of the northeastern States, I would like to request the Union government to introduce the Bill with the clause "except Assam and other northeastern States" in the Bill.

Putul Sarma,

Biswanath Chariali.