Two in one move
In a practical sense, there is nothing significant about the University Grants Commission’s new policy allowing students in higher education to pursue two full time courses simultaneously. Even completing one course in earnest is a hard job for a vast majority of students! Instead, the UGC’s endeavour should be to impart deeper and more competitive quality to higher education. Now, the ‘two-in-one move’ will only undermine existing quality. Also, there will not be many who can make use of the offer of flexibility of subjects, except by experimenting. Of course, those who are exceptionally smart and intelligent (and who constitute a very thin minority) may quickly spot the gains from the new system. Let us not try and imitate some foreign countries where education is a money-minting business. In India, the new system may give a boost to the commercialisation of education, resulting in a widening of the gap between academic qualifications and employability.
P. Mangalachandran,
West Ponniam, Kannur, Kerala
Helpline merger
The Government’s proposal to merge the dedicated helpline for children (1098) with the emergency helpline (112) is not a good idea (Page 1, April 17). Police personnel who answer the calls to 112 are not trained like social workers to deal with calls related to abuse and to build confidence in children who are traumatised and scared. The police are already overworked and may not have the patience like trained social workers to identify the problem, find solutions and counsel children in distress.
Also, a single helpline number (112) may not work like 911 in the United States.
Dr. Thomas Palocaren,
Vellore, Tamil Nadu
A mindset
The article, “Dowry sharks” (‘Open page’, April 17), was moving. A very simple wedding is becoming rare these days. The anti-dowry law is there in namesake. Recently, my friend conducted his daughter’s marriage. The bridegroom’s father wanted nothing except an imported car for the boy, the reason being the boy’s ‘status’. Some years ago, in Chennai, a bold bride stopped her marriage against the wishes of her parents. In her case, the relatives of the bridegroom were making a series of demands almost till the hour of the wedding. Irked, the bride lodged a police compliant. Such bold steps are necessary to curb the menace of dowry.
D. Sethuraman,
Chennai
