School inspections
I would like to draw the newspaper’s attention to an issue — the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) inspections. I represent one of the many students who would like to voice their concerns regarding this issue. Firstly, I strongly believe that these inspections must be held without the relevant school’s knowledge. Once the school is alerted to an inspection, a lot is done to manipulate the inspectors into thinking the standards are higher, so that the school is given a good rating. Thus, the inspectors never know the actual quality of education provided by the school.
Secondly, teachers’ segregate the students as high and low achievers during this time. I don’t know whether this is a requirement for the KHDA, but this will definitely cause rivalry and groupism among the students and create a feeling of despondency in students who are in the lower categories. How can one judge a student’s intellect so arbitrarily? It is something that cannot be and shouldn’t be judged on any basis. Every child is different.
Teachers must understand this and must stop labelling students. Most school managements have just one thing in mind before and after KHDA inspections: the increase in the tuition fee that they can bring about if they get an outstanding rating. I hope everyone understands the gravity of this issue, so that the concerned authority can take action.
From Ms Sruthi S.
Dubai
Respecting wildlife
I have been living in Skycourt Towers in Dubai for a few years now and I like to go for walks everyday in the open area around our home, as it’s calm, quiet and traffic-free. The other day, I went for my first early morning walk since the weather has become better. It was a cool dawn and all of a sudden, I came across a wild animal! It sprang from one side of the road to the other and then into the bush. Its height and the speed with which it sprang away reminded me of deer. Often, my husband and I would walk around the area, looking at the landscape beyond the road and wondering what sorts of animals might be living there. To my utter surprise, I saw this animal and couldn’t get a picture as it was running very fast. I think that it was some type of gazelle. I request the authorities to leave the wildlife areas for them and to not allow people to encroach in their areas. Let us respect wildlife.
From Ms J. S.
UAE
Condolences
The report on the 18-month-old toddler that drowned in a bucket was very sad news (‘Toddler drowns in a bucket of water in RAK,’ Gulf News, October 17). It is such an avoidable kind of accident, that has claimed an innocent life. Toddlers should not be allowed near things that can prove to be harmful. If only the child was being supervised at the time, the mother would have not have been received such tragic news. My heartfelt condolences go out to her family. This incident stresses the need for parents to be more vigilant and cautious with their children.
From Ms Fatima Suhail
Sharjah
Don’t be down
Negative people are one of the most dangerous people to have around, especially when you are ardently and actively pursuing a goal or dream (‘Dealing with negative people in your life’, Gulf News, October 16). It is quite easy to slip into self-pity, inertia or petty envy when you have company that encourages you to do so. I learned this the hard way, as I didn’t realise why I felt so low in terms of energy and quality of life. Only when I moved away from the negative ‘force’, did I come into my own and find that everything didn’t have to be so gloomy and miserable. This report is a great reminder to keep positive, come what may!
From Ms Alia Sulaiman
Sharjah
Old is gold
One more glorious chapter in Bollywood’s illustrious and eventful history is ending soon. The film ‘Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge’ (DDLJ), which was released in 1995 and has been running continuously since then in Mumbai’s Maratha Mandir for 19 years, is going to be withdrawn in December. This year will complete its 1000-week marathon. The fact that for the past few years, there is only one show at 11.30am that is available at a subsidised rate, does not reduce its glitter in any way.
A whole new generation in Mumbai has grown up watching the morning shows of DDLJ. This movie set the stage for the on-screen chemistry of Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol Devgn, which continued till ‘My name is Khan’ recently. In comparison, the film ‘Sholay’ ran for ‘only’ five years in the Minerva theatre, which was a record then. ‘Sholay’ continues to retain the top spot in the minds of people even today in terms of pure and wholesome entertainment. These are real, classic movies. Not like today’s movies, which earn hundreds of crores in the first few weeks mainly because of superlative marketing strategies coupled with excessive media hype — most have no real substance in them.
From Mr Suhas Inamdar
Dubai
Solve ethnic and sectarian violence
Alas, the international community turns deaf and blind when it suits them (‘For Syrian Kurds, a refuge but not a home’, Gulf News, October 16). No empowered human rights watch or organisation could come up with a pragmatic solution to solve the ongoing tragic crisis and turmoil in Syria. This is an alarming characteristic of mankind and it is likely a dead-end for civility, cordiality and humanity. I believe that the only way to solve ethnic and sectarian crises and violence in Iraq, Yemen and Bahrain is territorial and regional repatriation of civilians. Ethnic groups, sectarian clans and tribes with specific package programmes should be unanimously implemented by the United Nations Security Council.
From Mr Mohammad Hayath
UAE
Public transportation effectiveness
I would like to shed some light on the two faces of public transport in the UAE. The Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has incorporated in the country an intricately woven network of transportation. The passengers are provided with a large number of services. The widespread network, the Metro and Tram services, in addition to the existing taxi and bus services are being continuously developed to build a situation of easy transportation across the city. These continuous efforts by the RTA have had fruitful results.
They have, to a very large extent, improved the accessibility of transportation across different pockets of the city. The Metro is a ubiquitous network of services, which caters extensively to the needs of the residents. However, as we all know, every coin has two sides. The transportation facilities also have certain demerits that have caused inconveniences among passengers.
The large number of taxis are not in proportion to the number of passengers. There are a lot of passengers who wait for hours and still do not get a taxi. It is not that taxis are not there; a number of taxis can be seen zooming by without any passengers, but the drivers are not ready to stop.
If matters like this are taken care of, the UAE will prove to be the most efficient public transport provider very soon. An increase in accessibility of public transport will lead to an increase in the number of residents making efficient and effective use of this network.
From Mr Sai Madhurya
Dubai
Social responsibility
I wish to draw the attention of the public towards the social responsibility of helping the poor. Almost daily, we come across people who are fighting for survival. But, due to our busy schedule, we are not bothered about these situations. It is high time to create awareness to help the needy and implement a community fridge in public areas, where residents can donate excess food for people who are in need. I hope that this positive step is implemented soon and each one of us could take a step forward to support the deserving ones.
From Ms Janeeta Elsa Biju
UAE
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