Congratulations to the winners and finalists of the TCS-EW Teachers Awards 2009 (EW December cover story ‘India’s most innovative school teachers’). All eight teachers must be commended for going beyond the call of duty to make learning an enjoyable and memorable experience for students.
I am particularly impressed that the finalists of this prestigious all-India teachers awards were from little known schools in small towns and cities across India such as Ambala, Coorg, Pune and Bhopal. That teachers in provincial India are playing an important role in stimulating student interest in learning and improving learning outcomes, gives hope for the future of Indian education.
However in the same issue, I was saddened to read the Expert Comment column ‘Scandalous teacher absent-eeism’ by Dr. Neeraj Kaushal of Columbia University, USA. It’s shocking to learn that so many government school teachers are chronically absent from work, and even when they do attend, they are seldom engaged in teaching activities. This is shameful neglect of duty and work, for which they are being well paid. I wholly agree with Dr. Kaushal that such teachers should be uncerem-oniously fired from their jobs. They bring disgrace to this noble profession, and undo the good work done by teachers such as the finalists of the TCS-EW Teachers Awards.
Sanjana Mathur
Delhi
Schools lacuna
Thanks for your insightful special report ‘Uttar Pradesh’s islands of academic excellence’ (EW December). The success of premier higher education institutions such as IIM-Lucknow, IIT-Kanpur and BHU-Varanasi demonstrates that it’s possible for institutions with determined leaders and efficient faculty to maintain high academic and research standards even in educationally back-ward and corrupt Uttar Pradesh.
I’m happy that EducationWorld has chosen to highlight UP’s model universities and institutes rather than lament the degradation of its higher education system. Invariably, the media gives too much space to incidents of student violence and excesses, without caring about education success sto-ries. The determination to excel of the few institutions highlighted by you in an unfavourable socio-political environment serves as an example to others.
However I’m surprised that you haven’t included any schools in your list. UP and in particular Lucknow, has some excellent schools such as La Martiniere, Study Hall and City Montessori. Schools generally receive less government support than higher education institutions and discharge the vital role of preparing children for higher education. They certainly deserve to be profiled for the great public service they are doing in an unsupportive and often hostile environment.
Urvashi Tripathi
Lucknow
Unfair surveys
I wish to draw your attention to the fact that C fore, your partner in the EW-C fore annual school surveys (EW September), has been conducting hurried, unfair surveys together with the Hindustan Times in each of the four satellite towns of NCR (National Capital Region). This has caused much anguish among some school managements which, even after dedicating more than two decades of service to education, didn’t find their names in the so-called ‘elite list’.
Quite a few of the parameters chosen for comparing the schools are not even measurable! How does one measure academic rigour or moral values? How can the competence of faculty be judged without visiting schools and observing the lessons of teachers? The irony is that some schools which have been rated high in academic rigour have not even sent a batch for board exams, having been in existence only for a couple of years. In a school ranked No.1, charges of sexual harassment against a former principal have been confirmed by the Times of India (October 13).
I believe schools are temples of learning: temples do not crave for positions. Educational institutions should be places of enlightenment showing students the path to new knowledge. The glitter and spark in a student’s eye should not be dampened by hollow, mindless actions such as schools rankings. The HT-C fore ‘surveyors’ have taken a very low view of education and hence diminished themselves. The media should not indulge in such thoughtless exercises, given the role it plays in opinion formation and nation building.
Mitul Jain
Noida
Anniversary best wishes
Congratulations on the occasion of completing ten years of uninterrupted publication of EducationWorld. It’s very useful for teachers, students and other stakeholders of the Kendriya Vidyalayas.
The magazine is very informative, thought provoking and full of new ideas in the field of education. I believe it will definitely help in developing a positive public opinion on the educational scenario in India and worldwide. I also expect this magazine to provide a platform for debate of various issues on quality schooling, to enable policy interventions at organisational and government level for achieving excell-ence in all areas of school education.
I convey my best wishes to everyone in EducationWorld, with the hope that it will expand the horizons of readers on issues/problems of education in the country.
Ranglal Jamuda
Commissioner, Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan
New Delhi
Apology insistence
You have strangely published my letter to you dated October 3 in your issue of November 2009 in the Mailbox section, to which you have added your comment insisting that you have a fundamental right of comment under article 19 (1) (a) of the Constitution of India.
We reiterate that you have no such right to make arbitrary and totally perceptual statements (as admitted by you) and that too, without even visiting the school to see whether such statements are true or not. Article 19 (1) (a) of the Constitution like other fundamental rights, is subject to reasonable restrictions which includes veracity of statements made.
You have exceeded your fundamental rights; that is why we had sent the letter demanding your apology. Instead of apologising for your conduct, you have tried to substantiate your unreasonable stand.
We hereby insist that you publish your regret for having made the admittedly perceptual and totally assumptive remarks about our school, and call upon you to refrain from indulging in such random reflections in the future.
We do not require any unsolicited comments without proper verification. Also, we do not need any publicity from a magazine like yours. You have to refrain from such self-serving exercises, as it unnecessarily harms institutions like ours when we have neither sought your help nor been given the opportunity of revealing your totally erroneous perceptions.
P.C. Thomas
Principal, Good Shepherd
International School, Ooty
Institutional ratings and rankings based on public perception are a universal norm. We maintain our right to conduct the annual EW-C fore survey of schools. All further arguments to the contrary should be addressed to a judge of a competent court of law — Editor
Worse than terrorists
Your postscript ‘Thackeray’s waterloo’ (EW December) rightly censured Raj Thackeray of MNS, and Bal Thackeray of Shiv Sena. The workers of both these parties have crossed all limits of tolerance by resorting to violence against the state assembly, offices of IBN Lokmat and demeaning remarks against Sachin Tendulkar.
These so-called champions of Marathi people are only furthering their personal interests and doing harm to the cause of Marathi manoos and Maharashtra state. Whatever name and fame Mumbai has acquired as the commercial capital of India, is only because of the contribution of people from across India, not just Maharashtrians!
The MNS is anti-national and acting unconstitutionally. The trivial issues of language and regionalism in Indian politics are going too far, and if unchecked, they will destroy our country’s unity. Such people who advocate regionalism are worse than terrorists. It’s regretable that the judiciary didn’t entertain your plea to lock up Bal Thackeray and throw away the key 20 years ago.
Mahesh Kumar on e-mail
Further light
Further to my letter dated October 30, published in your December issue under the heading ‘See the light’, as promised I continue in this letter with the focus on sports and adventure activities in the Rashtriya Indian Military College, Dehradun — a sphere in which very few institutions can match our record.
In providing sports education, we participate in national and international events. To highlight some of our unique achievements: one of our cadets competed in the International Sub-Junior Equestrian Championship at Sydney in the latter half of 2008; another bagged the best swimmer in under-14 category at the IPSC Championships; our shooters and squash players perform creditably at national and state levels, winning scores of medals on multiple occasions.
Our adventure activities span a bewildering range — from the skies to mountains, seas and oceans and include mountaineering, skiing, trekking, parasailing, hot air ballooning, rock climbing, white-water rafting, kayaking, wind surfing, yatching.
Moreover, our cadets participated in an exclusive civilian Siachen Glacier trek, climbing to 17,000 ft in 2009. You may already be aware that RIMC cadets were felicitated by none other than President Pratibha Patil, a little over two months ago for summiting a glacial peak in the Garhwal Himalayas, reaching a dizzy height of 20,340 ft. RIMC gets such wide media coverage that I really wonder how it misses the eyes of your ‘esteemed’ journal. Many leading schools ask me if you are miffed with us.
Following these inputs, I hope your journal sees us in a different light.
K.S. Ahlawat
Vice Principal
Rashtriya Indian Military College
Dehradun
Morale booster survey
Thanks for taking the initiative to publish India’s Most Respected Schools Survey 2009 (EW September). It has definitely come as a morale booster to the team at DPS (Delhi Public School), Vadodara. In the short span of six years since its inception, DPS Vadodara has risen in the public esteem to be ranked among the top 25 day schools in Western India and second in Gujarat.
This is the outcome of our dedicated staff making strenuous efforts to make learning — curricular and co-curricular — a joyous experience for all students. Every child is encouraged to develop the aptitudes and faculties he/she possesses to carve a niche for himself/herself in society.
The EW-C fore India’s Most Respected Schools Survey 2009 based on the perceptions of 2,066 knowled-geable respondents, has recognised our sincere efforts in making DPS Vadodara one of Western India’s best seats of learning. It will encourage us in all our future endeavours.
N.K. Sinha
Principal, DPS, Vadodara
A correction
I would like to point out an error in an otherwise wonderful cover story titled ‘India’s most innovative school teachers’ (EW December). I was promoted to the post of ‘Head Teacher Junior School’ in May 2009 and not as ‘Principal’ as mentioned in my profile. I’m sure it was an inadvertent slip, but would appreciate a correction.
Kaveri Chatterjee
Kolkata
We regret the error — Editor