A good decision

The recent Supreme Court orders permitting the private medical colleges to conduct entrance tests and admit students on the basis thereof has come as a great relief to aspiring students, private colleges and the medical system in the country. The Education Regulatory Authority of Himachal Pradesh needs to take a leaf out of this judgment and permit the private universities to conduct their respective entrance tests and admit students. At present, the authority has prescribed the JEE (Mains) as an essential prerequisite for admission to B.Tech courses in any university of Himachal Pradesh. Ironically, it harms the very interests of the students it purports to safeguard.

As many as 90% of students in Himachal Pradesh come from rural areas who have no access to the kind of coaching as their urban counterparts have for as formidable an examination as JEE (Mains). Some of the students might not have even heard of the JEE examination, let alone sit for it. Has the regulatory authority taken any steps to spread awareness about the JEE examination in the state?

However, Himachal students, like any other students in the country, have great potential for taking any course, albeit their present standard may vary from region to region. They can also be groomed up to the standards required for the engineering profession during their course of studies by the university teachers.

G S BEDI, Mohali

Eradicate malnutrition

Nowadays, the Indian government is leaving no stone unturned to eradicate the age-old problem of malnutrition and its related deficiencies among a large section of youth and children, claiming many lives every year. And to provide iron tablets, vitamins and minerals to needy children and teenagers is a commendable step by the government. These tablets can help greatly in increasing the red substance in haemoglobin and remove malnutrition.

Moreover, we should also plant fruit trees in our neighbourhoods, societies, villages, cities and everywhere so that we can be able to provide natural iron and other vitamins to everybody  in future.

SHREEYA KHANNA, Chandigarh

Commendable roles  

The CBI Director, Ranjit Sinha, needs to be patted for showing some kind of spine by telling the truth in the SC in the Coalgate scandal, thus bringing the corrupt system to limelight as well as giving the jitters to the ruling party, which otherwise had taken it  for a ride.

The CBI’s role in exposing the involvement of certain leaders of the UPA-II in Railgate is also commendable. A similar appreciation is due to the CAG head who had been instrumental in exposing many scams. Unfortunately, he is going to retire soon.

DR RANBIR SINGH PANNU, Amritsar  

Power woes

Power cuts have become a routine affair in Sector 6 of Panchkula. And it has become difficult for one to carry out domestic chores and other works with frequent power cuts happening day and night. Shopkeepers and students are a harried lot.

These cuts, despite the fact that the exam season is on, show that how serious our government is towards the future of students. The power department, as usual, hardly picks up the distress calls of its consumers. One hopes the government must look into the matter and ensure a 24-hour power supply till the exams are over.

MAYANK DHIMAN, Panchkula

Education in HP

The standard of education in government schools of Himachal Pradesh has nosedived. As a result, most of the people are getting their wards admitted in private schools and the strength of students in government schools is falling every year. And old and new students are now joining private schools. If the standard of education is not improved in government schools, it will add to the benefit of private schools which will get more students and charge more fee. Government schools are hot favourites with only poor students who cannot afford private schools. One hopes that the government must take concrete steps in this regard.

RIKHI DASS THAKUR, Hamirpur