Letters to The EDITOR

The role of the opposition in Assam’s politics

In a state like Assam, the role of the opposition parties is very important, but it is no exaggeration to say that the role of the opposition parties in Assam is like garlic in a vegetable. Assam is still a state plagued by many problems. No matter how much the ruling party boasts, we still see many problems in Assam. However, we have not seen the pressure that the opposition parties should have put on the ruling party to resolve these issues. Therefore, it is necessary to take measures to solve the problems of the people of Assam. The opposition parties have the power to raise Assam's issues in the Assembly. But instead of doing that, we find ourselves engaged in silence. There are many opposition parties in Assam, both national and regional, that are playing a weak role in the politics of Assam. Finally, just as the people expect something from the ruling party, they also expect a lot from the opposition parties. I hope the opposition parties will play a strong role in the future.

Hritwij Thakur,

Department of Communication and Journalism, Gauhati University.

Gender bias

Women and girls lag behind their male counterparts in world research in terms of participation and contribution. But in terms of research quality in science, women are second to none. Studies on the STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) reveal that girls are underrepresented in these as they grow. A little less than 30 per cent of the technology researchers are women—considering the qualities of the head and heart of women, the trend is a little disturbing though not shocking. The aptitude is there, but the sustainability seems to be missing. "Gender inequality" can be conveniently cited as a reason for not many women landing STEM jobs, but the reasons are more than one.

A bias towards men is so palpable. Not that men are inferior to women, but one is afraid the recruitment policies are not very favourable and flexible towards women. Employers have to put a more adaptable or accommodating policy in place on leaves, days off, remuneration, and pay for women. The best incentive for a woman at work is a worker-friendly environment. Generally, there are more girl school dropouts than boys, and the end result is obvious. Limited access to technical tools for progress, like the internet, also acts as an obstacle to a girl's path towards progress. Teachers should lay great stress on learning rather than "jobs", inquisitiveness rather than "mugging up" and intellect rather than "grades" The rest will take its own course.

Dr Ganapathi Bhat,

(gbhat13@gmail.com.)