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However you have failed to elaborate on a corrupt practice which is rampant within the teachers community and is squarely responsible for the abysmal learning and teaching standards in government schools. Teacher absenteeism and the phenomenon of ‘ghost teachers’ is the root cause of more than half of India’s under-12-year-olds dropping out of school. It’s well known that government school teachers especially in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh turn up only on pay day. On most working days they sign the attendance register and disappear, leaving the poor students to their own devices. I’ve also heard that in some instances government school teachers moonlight in private schools and/ or sign on for other jobs.

There’s no denying that teachers are the prime facilitators of the education process and it’s their dedication and commitment to the learning process that will deliver the Education For All goal. I strongly feel that a stringent system of punitive measures should be evolved to check this immoral corrupt practice.

Devendra Shetty
Gulbarga (Karnataka)

The special report ‘Preparing for Beijing 2008’ (EW Oct) was rightly critical of the sports set-up in the country. This is the first article I have come across in the media that focuses on solving the problems that ail Indian sport instead of criticising hapless sportspersons. I agree with Krishna Bhupathi that rather than honorary office bearers who have their own political agendas, it would make better sense to hire competent professionals to manage the various sports federations.

A good example is the way Indian cricket has been managed. The BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) doesn’t meddle with who opens the innings or bowls first. This is perhaps the reason why the Indian cricket team ranks among the best in the world and there is no dearth of sponsorship for this sport. Why can’t the sports ministry incorporate a similar system to manage Olympic sports? If the several sports federations can’t get their act together and improve performance, it is better that India doesn’t participate in Beijing 2008. The money can be better spent on establishing more top-class schools for the poor on the lines of Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas (EW cover story August 2004).

Padmanabha Raju
Guntur (Andhra Pradesh)

This has reference to Ms. Kamala Menon’s letter to the editor supporting state examination boards in response to your detailed special report feature ‘Swelling support for common school system’ (EW July 2004).

I am the principal of a school at Baramati which offers the Maharashtra state board’s SSC (Secondary School Certificate) and the ICSE curriculum of the Delhi-based Council for Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE). The same staff teaches SSC and ICSE students and any member of my staff will confirm that the ICSE syllabus is way ahead and above the syllabus prescribed by the Maharashtra state board.

In fact the class X syllabus of CISCE covers most of the class XI and an important part of the class XII (Higher Secondary Certificate) syllabus of the Maharashtra state board. Likewise any of our parents will vouch that textbooks supplied by the Maharashtra State Text Book Bureau are of very poor quality in terms of presentation and content. Indeed there is no comparison between them and the quality and variety of textbooks prescribed by CISCE is far superior.

Moreover CISCE provides services which are not provided by the state examination boards or the Central Board of Secondary Examinations (CBSE). At the request of the principal of an affiliated CISCE school, the council has answer scripts of selected students in pre-board trial exams evaluated by experts to ascertain their general weakness in specific subjects. A detailed report is sent to the school for teachers to follow up.

On the other hand, arrogant and uncooperative behaviour of employees of the Maharashtra State Board for Secondary & Higher Secondary Educ-ation, in no small way contributes to many schools in Maharashtra switching their affiliation from the SSC board to CISCE.

T.T. Burrows
Secretary, Magarpatta City Public School
Pune

Over the past five years EducationWorld has established a serious journalistic presence in the sphere of education with well-researched articles enhancing the sensitivities of current practices and processes. The bold position taken by EducationWorld is to be appreciated in the context of general decline of standards and commitment to excellence. The ‘closing of the mind’, ‘institutionalisation of mediocrity’ and ‘celebration of sectarianism’, require that we take a bold stand against negativism and restrictive practices. Despite the odds Education World has exhibited this fortitude.

Certain sections of the public sector not accustomed to evaluative journalism and accountability, find EducationWorld uncomfortable. Nevertheless, the better informed and more committed educat-ionists will see the need for an instrument of service which relates to the larger issues as course corrections are necessary.

On the occasion of your 5th Anniversary our best wishes to you and your team at EducationWorld. Your services are valued by parents, pupils, teachers and principals of schools, who are committed to the future of this great nation.

Francis Fanthome
Chief Executive and Secretary
CISCE, New Delhi

I’m a great admirer of EducationWorld. I have profiled your magazine in the Deccan Chronicle (October 15) in which I have a regular column.

EducationWorld is extremely infor-mative, well produced and an eminently readable magazine. On your 5th anniv-ersary here’s wishing you a wide — and growing — readership.

Shanthi Ramanujam
Vijayawada