MyVoice: Views of our readers 13th October 2022

A perfect blend of educational bodies

The merger of UGC, AICTE and NCTE, in order to oversee higher education institutions in India, into the Higher Education Commission of India (HECI) has been the topic of discussion among the academic circles for the last few months. In fact this was one of the bold transformative steps that the Government of India has taken in order to implement the National Education Policy effectively. The elementary preparations seem to be over except the final amalgamation. The long-felt superiority over other institutions has to be given up. The boundaries that the older organisations developed earlier have to be erased. The mental blocks of the officials have to be wiped off. GOI also has plans of merging the accreditation bodies and ranking bodies like NAAC, NBA and NIRF. The process for this was also initiated. This merger has a lot of advantages. Time and labour of the teachers that they spent in non-academic activities like piling and filing the records, in some cases creation and reverse engineering, will be reduced to minimal.

Dr MV Ramana, Hyderabad

Nation appalled by Kerala killings

The cold blooded killings of two women in a case of 'human sacrifice' or narabali in this day and age and that too, in a State famed for its literacy and progressivism has appalled the nation. The issue is not Kerala's besmirched image, but the cause behind it. The gory details about the brutal murders that emerged from the preliminary investigation don't bear thinking about; they could not be found even in a gory movie. What lent a certain eeriness to the grisly murders is that they were apparently committed as part of black magic and occult ritual for the economic wellbeing of a couple. Obviously it was superstition of the highest order to delude oneself into thinking that 'human sacrifice' would bring a change in fortunes that resulted in the double murder. The sordid twin killings showed not just blind faith but also primal human evil of an unfathomable kind. It is time we repudiated superstation and irrationality and replaced them with science and rationality.

G David Milton, Maruthancode (TN)

Stop move to replace English in IITs

The Committee of Parliament on Official Languages is reported to have recommended that the medium of instruction in technical and non-technical higher education institutes like IITs in Hindi speaking states should be in Hindi and in other parts of India in their local respective languages. The local language taking precedence in non-Hindi speaking states is a good idea. But what causes concern is that in these prestigious institutes English is the medium of instruction. If it is done in the local language, the standard of education will surely come down. Prospects of employment offers in many foreign countries to our students will be certainly deprived. The government should think twice before the recommendations are accepted since it cannot provide jobs to all IITians.

Sravana Ramachandran, Chennai

Teaching is a noble profession

This refers to ' Teacher beats student to death, FIR registered ' (The Hans India, Oct 11). A teacher has been charged with beating a student to death in a private school in Gautam Buddha Nagar of Greater Noida and an FIR has been filed against the teacher who is at large. Why do teachers forget that they are second parents? A teacher must be a person with cheerful disposition. He/She must be role model, an epitome of decency, ethics and an embodiment of character and truthfulness. A teacher must be lenient and soft in dealing with students. Consequences of a teacher getting beside himself/herself with rage are formidable. Students should bear it in mind not to irritate or anger their teachers.

Zubair Khan, Hyderabad

DJs causing heart attacks

Hearing the sounds of the DJ will make even the heart skip a beat. When the festivals come, DJs have to play in the streets. Some also use DJs in wedding ceremonies. Elderly people and people with children get scared by DJ sounds. They are afraid to come out of their houses. They are closing the doors as a precaution to prevent heart attack. Doctors suggest that elderly people have chances of heart attack due to DJ sounds. Students are unable to concentrate on studies due to DJs. Even in the pub, the youth are spilling over to the sound of the DJ. There is chance of hearing problems and heart attack in future. Govt should control DJ sounds. Traditional mela talas and musical programs should be encouraged during festivals and weddings.

T V S Suchitra, Khammam

Karnataka to acquire 350 electric buses

Mangaluru: The Chairman of the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC), M Chandrappa stated that 350 new electric buses will soon be commissioned in the state.

In a press conference, Chandrappa mentioned that a request to acquire 350 electric buses was submitted to the Chief Minister of Karnataka. "About 50 e-buses will be received by the state in another month. 300 other e-buses will be inducted during the next phase. The acquired buses will start plying from October 15", Chandrappa said.

Speaking about KSRTC's offering for the coastal belt, Chandrappa said that tour packages for the weekends would be introduced on the Kundapura, Udupi and Mangaluru belt. The Deepavali season could also have package tours within cultural hubs of Karnataka.

MP defends renaming of Tipu Express

Mysuru: Mysore-Kodagu MP Pratap Simha has responded to the criticism expressed by opposition leaders after the name change of Tipu Express train. He justified his decision by saying that he changed Tipu's name on purpose.

Speaking to media persons here on Wednesday he said : 'Let me tell you the hundred contributions that the Mysuru Wadiyar dynasty Maharajas gave to Mysuru He challenged Tipu Sultan's supporters to mention the three contributions that Tipu gave to state. He queried: 'What is the relationship between Tipu and Mysuru? Is Tipu from Mysore? He is from Srirangapatna. The contribution of the kings in the development that took place in Mysuru was by Wadiyars only and not by Tipu.