Priority must be educating children
There is another side to the coin — God bless this man with immense patience to educate these children from poor families (‘Facebook video: Pakistani firefighter Mohammad Ayub grew up poor and struggling for an education, and he swore never to let that happen to another kid’, Gulf News, April 11). If only every Pakistani all over the world donated just one rupee to the noble cause of educating these little children. Pakistan would then be much better known, when it is not seen to be all about guns and terrorism. Leave the politicians out of this, because many of them would never want to be party to a good cause. They aren’t interested in educating their children, they would rather engage themselves in money making. May God bless the innocent children of Pakistan.
From Ms Lydia Kumar Gawde
Sharjah
Facebook comment
Wealth in his service
May this man continue to do good work, in good health. His wealth is in his service to those thousands of students he has assisted, and I am sure he will be well-rewarded!
From Ms Monica Carver
UAE
Facebook comment
Selfless help
On the other hand, there are people who want to multiply their assets by using legal and illegal ways. But people like Mohammad Ayub are dividing their earnings to multiply the happiness of others. Is there any comparison between the efforts of Ayub and the politicians who recently courted controversy with their offshore assets?
From Mr Afzal Abbasi
Dubai
Facebook comment
A valuable citizen
Such people are valuable assets for any nation. Hats off to Ayub. I believe his efforts to make the youth of his motherland educated won’t be in vain.
From Mr Cibt E. Hacan
Dubai
Facebook comment
Need more people like him
So many have the chance of a good education and treat it with disdain. They take it for granted. Thank goodness for people like him. The world needs more of his kind.
From Ms Emily Kelly
Abu Dhabi
Facebook comment
Making the world shine
This is the real picture of Pakistan. People like Ayub can shine some light in the darkness, especially for the less fortunate around the world.
From Mr Faisal Naseem
UAE
Facebook comment
Leading us further
These people are the pillars of society, as they keep the country’s youth alive. They don’t care whether they are given help or not. These are people that can lead the generation to the next step. You can find people like Ayub everywhere on Earth, but there are very few individuals like him. Keep up the good work!
From Mr Bapi
Kolkata, India
Facebook comment
A place of happiness
A Global Village visit was a quick means of relief and a way of relaxation (‘Global Village receives more than 5.3m visitors in 159 days’, Gulf News, April 12). As soon as we entered in the rides area, we would begin to enjoy ourselves and giggle like small children. Last Friday, I enjoyed two rides — one of which looked like a spider — and it moved very fast.
Some people brought out their folding chairs and mats, and were enjoying a picnic. I noticed a few uneven spaces in grassy areas, which were hardly visible at night due to partial darkness, which can perhaps be fixed next year. All in all, Global Village is a place of happiness.
From Ms Syeda Ahmad
UAE
Facebook comment
Being positive back at school
Gulf News has become a forum for me to express my views and opinions, so I would like to voice my thoughts on the topic of going back to school. Honestly, going back to school for most students is a tiring piece of work. We may be quite indolent regarding going to school and attending classes, but I think when we are alone in our homes during our vacations, we often think about our teachers and friends and try to recall the memories we cherish. We may lose touch with some of our very close companions, but we should always look forward, and approach new people so that we can develop a pleasant bond with them. After the first week of being back in school, I think time progresses really well. New teachers, new classmates, new books and, above all, the centre of learning, which provides us with all the facilities that we could wish for. On this note, I would like to wish all students good luck for the new academic year.
From Ms Seby Mary Saji
Dubai
Help beat diabetes
To all of the children out there who think that the orange juice they drink at breakfast, the cookies they eat after lunch, and the candy they eat at school are no big deal, I say, they need be careful (‘Social media trend report: Stay healthy, be well’, Gulf News, April 8). So do the parents, who believe the same thing — that daily intake of sugar is harmless.
This is also for my children, who know me from my endless preaching that sugar is not good for them, yet they never seem to remember any of the reasons why.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) called for global action to halt the rise in diabetes and improve care for people with the disease. Healthy citizens are the greatest assets to any country.
Be a role model. Children tend to copy behaviour, so if they see you eating a healthy diet, they will too.
From Mr Naresh Kumar Agnihotri
Mumbai, India
Take necessary measures
April 7 was observed as World Health Day and this year, we opt to defeat diabetes. It is estimated that around 347 million people are affected by diabetes and it is known as a silent killer. The illness is increasing in large numbers and affecting people from all walks of life. Obesity, lack of exercise and unhealthy eating habits lead to this disease.
Let us make sure we regularly exercise and avoid junk food, and do not lead a sedentary lifestyle. Regular check-ups with a physician, intake of proper calories and a controlled diet would help make us healthier. Prevention is the only way and I hope we create awareness among our friends and families about this killer disease.
From Mr Eappen Elias
Dubai
Numerous mishaps
The fireworks mishap in Kollam, India, in the state of Kerala, has sent shock waves across the country (‘5 held over Kerala fireworks disaster’, Gulf News, April 12). Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi immediately rushed to the area to visit the victims. Modi said: “During this hour of tragedy, the Union government will stand by Kerala, its people and the families of the affected. We will help them in the best way possible. This tragedy is such that it cannot be expressed in words. People as far as 200 metres from the site got injured.” I feel the people of Kerala love fireworks, even if numerous mishaps have happened in almost every festival season.
From Mr Sunny Joseph Mala
Kerala, India
Investing in education and research
Due to the lack of spending on education and research, much of the Arab world is passing through the worst stage of its history. Poverty, hunger, political uncertainty and lack of medical facilities have become part and parcel of the lives of their people. Several African countries are also passing through the worst drought of modern history.
Due to the lack of education and research facilities, thousands of young talented people are going to Western countries in search of a better future and jobs. Modern countries are benefitting from their talents and abilities.
From Mr Khawaja Omar Farooq
Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
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