Teachers without qualification

  THE practice of appointing volunteer teachers in Himachal Pradesh and their subsequent regularisation without any proper screening test has affected the educational standards in government schools badly.

Lack of qualified youths is not the reason for such appointments. Most of the volunteer teachers were appointed on the basis of their political and bureaucratic links and majority of such teachers do not fulfil even the basic intellectual standards and requirements. Already due to the indifference of regular teachers towards sincere teaching, the standard of education in government schools has gone down considerably. The matriculates coming out of such schools cannot teach even the students of 1st standard properly. If such matriculates are first recruited as volunteer teachers and subsequently regularised as teachers, one can easily imagine further degradation in the education standards in government schools. Adhocism and casual approach in the vital sector of education responsible for shaping the future citizens of the country should be stopped. It would be better if all teachers whether working as volunteers or on a contract basis, are subjected to a proper screening test and only those qualifying are regularised.

BHOLA NATH NAG
Shamnagar

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Fulfil commitment

Quite a sizeable number of Haryana pensioners are in their late sixties and seventies, faced with increased pressure on their meagre resources in the late evening of their life, requiring adequate financial leverage to eke out existence in their forlorn loneliness. They do not make any demands. What is solicited is the continued fulfilment of commitment by way of speedier implementation of the Central Government decision made towards rectification of anomalous situation in the fixation of pension floor ceiling, under the recommendations of the Fifth Central Pay Commission, as lately ordered through the Government of India, Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions notification.

Expeditious ratification and enforcement of this decision involving small financial implication is sought by the senior-citizen Haryana Government pensioners.

In this year of the old, the senior citizen would also be doubly grateful for the swift release of the second instalment of their pension arrears, as contemplated in the Haryana Finance Department notification No. 1/2(8) 98-2FR-II (Part-I) dated 9.3.1998.

H.K. MITTAL
Chandigarh

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A monumental aberration

Setting ablaze an Australian missionary and his two sons in Manoharpur village of Keonjhar district of Orissa is a monumental aberration that belongs to the world’s inventory of black deeds. This blackest deed coming in the wake of a spurt in attacks on Christians in Gujarat unfortunately gives the lie to the myth that ours is a tolerant and non-violent society. The outrage perpetrated in Manoharpur is most shocking.

It is evidently part of a systematic campaign against Christians conducted by the Bajrang Dal, the VHP and Hindu Jagran Manch.

More shocking is that the Union Home Minister has given a clean chit to the Bajrang Dal. Unless the Prime Minister takes strong, determined action and comes down heavily on these militant groups to save the secular fabric of the country the future of secular democracy — rather the very unity and integrity of the country — is doomed.

M. HASHIM KIDWAI
Aligarh

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Spitting on roads

Chandigarh is one of the beautiful cities. Wide roads and beautiful roundabouts also attract the people to visit this city. But one thing which is most disturbing is spitting on the roads by rickshaw pullers/ cyclists/ scooterists/ pedestrians/ passengers travelling in the buses.

Sometimes, it is seen that while going on roads, some people spit in such a way that its splinters fall on the persons coming behind them. At this time, the position of the affected person is the most embarrassing and sympathetic. By the time, this affected person realises the situation, the spitter is away and seen nowhere.

To get rid of this evil, the only remedy is to educate the people through media/writing on the boards on the roads. The Chandigarh Traffic Police should hold seminars from time to time for educating the people for observance of rules and regulations on road safety. During these seminars, special stress should also be laid on educating the people.

It would be more appropriate if some volunteer organisations came forward and educate the people against spitting, particularly in public places.

K. MEHNDIRATTA
Manimajra

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Boorish cops

This is with reference to the news-item in The Tribune (Jan 31) regarding the behaviour of the police in the escort vehicles with the Haryana Chief Minister. The VIP users of the public roads have become a source of great nuisance and inconvenience to other users. The escorts with the VIPs are most rude and crude and are in fact criminals in police uniform. Since they are grossly misused, even for criminal acts by some of the so-called VIPs, these police personnel come to consider themselves above the law. This state of affairs needs to be corrected and some sanity brought into this craze for security and consequent wasteful expenditure of public money.

A.S. SODHI
Chandigarh