Govt schools fail to
make the grade
Apropos ‘Lack of schools: Distressed parents forced to wander’ (July 3).The objective of the RTE Act is to universalise primary education and strengthen the social fabric of our democracy.
It is mandatory to ensure equal opportunities of education without discrimination for all children in the 6-14 year age group. Under Section 6 of the RTE Act, it is the duty of the local authorities to establish neighbourhood schools and provide school buildings, teaching staff and learning equipment. If children are not admitted into schools, it is the failure of the state government. If government-run schools, including zilla parishad and municipal schools, are properly equipped with infrastructure and provided qualified teaching staff, poor children will not look to private schools for admission.
It is only when these schools fail to ensure quality education that their parents seek to admit them in private schools, which otherwise they cannot afford. Instead of the state government reimbursing the fees of these children in private, unaided schools under the quota system, it should allot more funds to primary education.
The children of weaker sections in Mumbai avoid going to the BMC schools for want of basic sanitary facilities and good teaching. A lot of public money is spent on the government schools. And yet due to corruption and lack of effective supervision and control mechanisms, these schools cannot serve the cause of the disadvantaged.
G Ramachandram,
Professor of political science and retired principal, Kandivali Education Society’s College, Mumbai, founder secretary, Association of Indian College Principals.
IRCTC online
booking blues
I have had my doubts for long with respect to the IRCTC online ticket booking. Glad to know that Vinod Tawde, BJP leader has taken up the common man’s woes and brought to light this scam. Many of us have been suffering for months. When we book tickets, we always get a huge waitlist in spite of being the first ones to book.
Those travelling to their native places for Ganesh are facing a shortage of tickets now. Next, it will be the turn of Dassehra, Diwali and Christmas travellers.
Hope the Railway Minister looks into this scam and sorts it out at the earliest.
Gracy Abreo,
Vikhroli
Rainwater ‘harvesting’
by Collector’s Office
There are pools of rain water just in front of the Collector’s Office (old Custom House), Fort, and this speaks volumes about the qualitative standards that contractors were held to by the civic or government staff that had supervised and approved the assignment. This pool is so big that it attracts notice. If this is the state of affairs in the heart of the city, then one can imagine what would be the state of affairs in the suburbs, remote areas and mofussil areas of the state. It is a matter of concern that no work is being done towards the upkeep of the road network and the poor quality of work necessitates frequent repair of the roads, thus increasing the financial burden on the exchequer. If only there could be a greater level of supervision and contractors could be held to specific qualitative standards, this expenditure could be pruned and the savings could be used for some other public interest work.
T M Uday Shankar,
Mumbai.
Aam aadmi bears
brunt of water cut
The BMC additional commissioner Mohan Advani has informed that ‘necessary steps’ would be taken against swimming pools, car washing garages, five-star hotels, clubs and big companies wasting water, in view of the acute water shortage due to lack of rain in the five main water-supplying lakes. But why aren’t commercial users facing a water cut yet? Why must only the aam aadmi endure the burden of a heavy water cut?
Hansraj Bhat,
Borivali.
Rampant misuse
of footpaths
Footpaths have been constructed with public money, but for whom? They have been decorated with coloured paver blocks and designs. And now they are being barricaded extensively in Ghatkopar (East). These footpaths are unsuitable for use by pedestrians, with big nullahs below them missing covers or having ill-fitting ones. In Byculla, I have seen these footpaths being used as public conveniences by hutment dwellers. Barricading makes them ‘safer’ toilets in some places, while in other places, they are safe storage spots for hawkers and others. So the BMC must answer – whom does this help?
Chunilal Bhatia,
Ghatkopar (E)
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