food for thought

The HSLC and higher secondary examition results this year brought out several heart-warming stories of students from poor families making it with flying colours. Some such position holders spoke to the media of the troubles they had in getting hold of text books, their gwing anxieties about collecting enough money for admission to further studies. The State government has now come out with much needed support to make college admissions free for poor students. Recently, Mangaldoi MLA Gurujyoti Das sent out a positive message with his first salary as legislator. At a function organized in cooperation with the Mangaldoi Press Club at the district library, the newly elected MLA distributed textbooks free among 350 students of hard up families. This is an initiative that social organizations and literary bodies can also take up to help supplement government efforts. After all, if economic barriers close out a large section of the young from education, they have very little hope of ever lifting themselves and their families out of poverty’s vicious cycle. There can be few issues graver than this for civil society. With jobs not being created in sufficient numbers to occupy the hands available, a cut throat competition has resulted. Textbooks are hardly enough in this rate race; those who can muster reference books, teaching aids and expensive coaching usually get that extra edge. It is ucceptable that many youngsters seeking an education, some very bright minds among them, find it hard to access even basic textbooks. The once small neighborhood libraries and book clubs have now become nearly extinct with the decline in reading habits. Can these at least survive by sharing some up-to-date textbooks and reference books? And when people are downloading digital books and reading these on tablets and phablets, surely ways and means can be devised to make e-textbooks readily available at nomil cost. With vast digital libraries only a click or ‘touch’ away on cheap devices, an eager mind getting its food for thought to go ahead in life should not remain a pipe dream.