Thank you for the cover story titled ‘Success formula of India’s most admired day schools chain’ (EW February). I am grateful for the generous coverage given to the DPS Society as well as DPS R.K. Puram. Your cover story has shown good understanding of the spirit and talent of our students, staff and management of the DPS Society.
EducationWorld holds the key to reform the education system of this great nation, especially of school education. I appreciate your contri-bution, experience, capability, sincerity and hard work towards the noble cause of education.
D.R. Saini
Principal, DPS R.K. Puram
Delhi
Conspicuous omission
I enjoyed reading your cover story on the Delhi Public Schools (EW February) success story. The DPS Society deser-ves full credit for masterminding the growth and development of 140 excellent K-12 schools across the country. Despite internal differences and clashes, the management has done well by not letting these issues adversely affect the reputation of their schools. Also in a rare instance, the country’s powerful bureaucrats have used their ‘IAS network’ for the public good.
However I was surprised and disapp-ointed that the story didn’t feature inputs from one of Delhi’s most celebrated educationists — Dr. Shyama Chona — who served as principal of DPS R.K. Puram for close to two decades (1992-2009). With her astute management and public relations skills she should have been given due credit for firmly placing DPS R.K. Puram among the country’s top day schools.
Madhu Mishra
Delhi
Ill-conceived legislation
Thanks for the detailed special report on the Higher Education and Research Bill, 2010 which proposes establishment of a National Commission for Higher Education and Research (NCHER) to supersede the UGC, AICTE, NCTE etc (EW February).
While a single sup-ervisory apex body for all higher education disciplines seems a good idea, it’s disap-pointing that the NCHER wants to use controls rather than incentives for reform-ing and upgrading Indian higher educa-tion. As Radha Vishwanathan and Dr. Leena Wadia of the Observer Research Foundation (whom you have quoted) say, at a time when the education sector needs liberalisation and institutional autonomy, NCHER has been invested with wide supervisory and regulatory powers.
Therefore NCHER is swimming against the global tide and is fundamentally ill-conceived. For higher education institutions to improve and excel, administrative, academic and financial autonomy is crucial.
P. Raju
Chennai
Inflation cause and cure
Re your editorial ‘Shocking ignorance of elementary economics’ (EW February), the Indian economy is growing at a much faster rate than the world economy. The middle class has increased, as has its purchasing power. This is a major cause of inflation. Too much money is in circulation with aggregate demand rising much faster than supply.
The prime victims of inflation are the country’s poor majority whose incomes are rising slowly, if at all. Therefore to control rising food prices, supply must be increased. This is not possible in the short term. Hence the government must subsidise food and vegetables for the poor through targeted subsidisation. Simultaneously it must severely punish hoarders and black marketers.
Mahesh Kapasi
Delhi
Doomed to failure
‘Rising rte despair’ (Education News, EW January) is an apt headline to sum up the growing confusion and helpless-ness surrounding the implementation of the historic Right to Education Act, 2009. Nothing seems to be going right with its execution — most state govern-ments are yet to finalise model Rules; private schools are challenging the constitutional validity of RTE in the Supreme Court, and there seems to be no money to implement this right.
Obviously the message from all stakeholders is that RTE in its existing form is difficult to enforce and hence doomed to failure.
Sarojini Deshpande
Mumbai
Why the world hates Indians
Your edit calling for teaching manners and soft skills in the country’s K-12 schools and colleges was long overdue (EW January). As evidenced by the unruly behaviour of our leaders in Parliament, there’s very little awareness about the importance of courtesy and soft skills in Indian society.
This explains why the whole world hates us. Your edit should have also highlighted that the manners of youth in top-end private schools are usually much worse than of children in government schools.
P. Vaidyanathan
Bangalore
Gullibility charge
You sure are gullible! Do you really believe that Microsoft is worried about the future of Indian education (EW January cover story ‘Microsoft’s deepening engagement with Indian education’)? This company is notorious for creating monopoly markets for itself.
That’s what its education initiatives are all about. Get real!
R. Unnikrishnan on e-mail
Lakshmi not Saraswati
Re the shabby treatment meted out to your marketing director by the Dhirubhai Ambani School (EW January Postscript ‘Contribution query’). Serves you right!
You should have known better than to expect good behaviour from the principal of a school devoted to the worship of Lakshmi rather than Saraswati.
Rakesh on e-mail