Need to revamp the education system

Sir, It is very unfortunate to see students committing suicides during examination time. Parental pressure on children to score high percentage of marks in examinations, particularly SSC/HSC exams, results in such tragedies. The fear of failure, the daunting task of competing with intelligent students in the class and domineering teachers can compel some children to commit suicide.

There is a misconception that the more their children score marks the more intelligent they are and there is more likelihood that they will succeed in life. They should know that high percentages do not give us an exact idea of a student’s intelligence and apart from getting them hassle-free admission in good colleges these percentages do not necessarily take students far in their careers. So let us revamp our education system and stop giving importance to percentages, which the students achieve by answering the questions that they have learned by-heart without their inputs and thinking.

AMJAD K MARUF
Thane, Maharashtra

Mayor’s term

Sir, Regarding the news report, Direct poll for mayor proposed (DH, Mar 16), first of all, the Governor, who is affiliated to a particular political party, cannot initiate such an action when the elections are on the anvil. Secondly, the party which comes to power may bury the Kasturirangan report or send it to the archives as they will be more concerned with stabilising their power rather than allow bureaucrats to destabilise their decisions.

A S Raj
Bangalore

Passenger trains

Sir, Though the Garib Rath Express trains were introduced for the common man to travel in air conditioned compartments, the fact remains that these are generally out of reach for middle and lower middle income people. The railways should introduce Inter-city overnight fast passenger trains. If a train is introduced between Chennai and Bangalore to cover the distance in nine or 10 hours, it would be useful for the common man and workers in various factories in and around Chennai and Bangalore. 

G Kailash
Bangalore

Technology in cricket

Sir, With the auctioning of cricket players, it is time for technology to take over the umpire’s role in all decisions on the field. With the advent of sophisticated software packages, it is possible to clearly judge all aspects of the game by re-play versions at different angles of the game. A single umpire on field may be sufficient to take care of other routine matters. Such a high-tech arrangement will definitely avoid unwarranted and undesirable bad decisions due to human error.

S R DEVAPRAKASH
Tumkur

Far from reality

Sir, The speech given by UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi during the inauguration of the new Hyderabad airport, boasting of bringing air travel within the reach of the common man is contrary to the realities.

These new airports, built through public-private participation, charge exorbitant ground handling charges, parking charges and user development fee, etc thereby increasing the cost of air travel. Also agreeing to close down the existing airports has further favoured these private parties to monopolise passenger traffic, and ground handling facilities.

Sridhar S
Bangalore

Security breach

Sir, AICC general secretary Rahul Gandhi’s retort regarding the alleged security breach during his recent Orissa visit, (“I don’t need the permission of SPG or SP to meet people), shows sheer arrogance. Since he is a public figure enjoying special security he is bound by law to follow the rules. A security officer may easily lose his job and more for breach of security. Mr Gandhi may not need permission, but he should keep the officers responsible for his security informed about his whereabouts. If you want the privilege of special security, you have to pay for it with your privacy.

K Suresh
Bangalore