I have been a regular reader of EducationWorld for over a decade. With every issue, you set higher standards of education journalism. In the November anniversary issue, you have outdone yourself by featuring an insightful and informative cover story ‘2030: Will India recover its lost education momentum?’ This story is a balanced assessment of the country’s education system, with words of caution for the future. I believe your mission statement: “to build the pressure of public opinion to make education the #1 priority on the national agenda” should be written in golden words, framed and hung in all government offices to constantly remind our leaders of their duty towards India’s children. Dhriti Yadav Gurgaon Insightful essays Congratulations on EducationWorld’s 20th anniversary. The anniversary issue was information-packed and insightful, especially the seven essays written by eminent educationists. In particular Shiv Viswanathan’s perspective on ‘Are authoritarian leaders good for education?’ was well-argued. There is no doubt that the current dispensation at the Centre is trying to curb freedom of speech and expression in academia. However, the parallels drawn with Mao and Hitler’s interventions in education are far-fetched. I agree with Viswanathan that the merits of dissent are many. Dissent, as Supreme Court judge D.Y. Chandrachud rightly describes it, “is the safety valve of democracy”, but unfortunately Indians tend to label people with dissenting views as troublemakers. Sanjana Hegde Mangalore Stagnant education system Thank you for Dr. Krishna Kumar’s brilliant anniversary essay ‘Death of scientific temper’ (EW, November). Schooling in India is characterised by dwindling appreciation of the ‘spirit of inquiry’, thanks to the cookie-cutter teaching-learning system bequeathed to us by our imperial rulers. No, we cannot expect our obsolete schools to churn out a Greta Thunberg. India’s children are passive victims of a failed education system. So who do we hold accountable for prolonged stagnation of Indian education? I believe apart from educators, institution leaders and bureaucrats, parents and citizens of this country are also responsible. They need to speak up boldly and loudly for education reform. Vandana Sharma Noida Rankings endorsement I enjoy reading your September India School Rankings issue and the letters of frustration that followed in subsequent editions from heads of schools which didn’t make it to the top. Personally I have mixed feelings about these rankings. Nevertheless, I endorse the idea of ranking and rating schools and colleges on 14 parameters of education excellence (academic and non-academic), as such exercises promote healthy competition between them. Instead of complaining about low rankings, heads of education institutions should be more accepting, and introspect about striving to work harder. Vijaya Sarmah Guwahati Positive fallout I agree with your views on the abrogation of Articles 370 & 35A (Editorial, EW September). I don’t think it is a step in the right direction and is likely to further alienate the people of Kashmir. But one positive fallout of the abrogation is the way Kashmir’s crafty, self-serving political leaders of all hues have been stymied (at least for now). They had capitalised on the…
