Letters to the EDITOR: Filling up vacancies of teachers

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Filling up vacancies of teachers

The central government has directed states to fill school teacher vacancies as soon as feasible. Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Jharkhand stand up as having the most empty teaching positions. Overall, North Indian states have the highest number of empty teacher vacancies. More than eight lakh positions are currently vacant across the country. Because education cannot be envisioned without teachers, filling unfilled teaching positions should be prioritised.

The state governments' failure to prioritise the work of replacing vacant teacher positions demonstrates that they are not serious about enhancing the quality of school instruction. The difficulty is that many instructor positions remain unfilled, especially at higher education institutions such as colleges and universities. Unfortunately, these include central universities. It is apparent that the federal government will need to pay attention to central universities while also advising the states. It is not only vital to fill vacant primary and secondary school teaching positions as soon as possible. It is also vital to focus on enhancing teacher quality.

Setting aside, many schools in the country are experiencing not only a teacher shortage but also a lack of resources. As a result, the quality of education in schools is stagnating. Another issue is that primary and secondary schools are unable to progress in accordance with the new educational policy. Similarly, the new education strategy makes it clear that new textbooks are not being developed on time. It would be preferable if the federal and state governments took an active role in improving both public and higher education.

Abhijit Roy

(abhijitroytatanagar@gmail.com)

Waste is wealth

Like most other growing cities, Guwahati, the gateway to Northeast India, is witnessing the growing pangs that on occasions overwhelm capacity to handle. It may be either the odd load shedding due to a rise in electricity demand or decaying garbage lying on the sides of streets. It must not remain that way because there is a nexus between waste and electricity that must be exploited to our greater benefit. The waste, also referred to as municipal solid waste (MSW), is a mixture of energy-rich materials such as food waste, packaging pallets, plastics, paper, coir, cardboard, plywood, and packaging materials. Just like coal in a thermal power plant, these can be burnt to produce electricity. Because of the nature of burning waste to recover energy, these plants are referred to as waste-to-energy plants. Waste-to-energy is a technologically advanced means of waste disposal that is widely recognised for reducing greenhouse gases—particularly methane—by eliminating emissions from landfills. Methane that emanates from dumped garbage in open landfills is a greenhouse gas and more than eighty times more potent as a climate-warming gas than CO2. Now, take a closer look at the process. Waste is collected from residential and commercial complexes. The collected waste is aggregated and hauled into a waste possessing plant. The waste is burnt in a boiler to release heat energy. Heat is used to turn water into steam in the boiler. The steam is fed to a turbine-generator unit to produce electricity. Gas cleaning systems clean the gas from pollutants before being released to the atmosphere. Metals and glass are recovered from the bottom ash of the boiler. These can be sold as recycled scrap to the metal and glass industries. The collected ash can be used to make bricks, road-fill material, or disposed of in landfills. The process may appear simple, but it requires a number of coordinated steps across agencies and state-of-the-art technology to make it work in a safe, clean, and efficient manner. Unlike developed places, waste and its management are still a work in progress, partly because it is seen as a cost and not as an opportunity for business. Consequently, we see unclaimed and unattended garbage that is someone else’s job to take care of. If we twist the problem on its head, it can be converted into a waste-to-value opportunity. A city like Guwahati, which has relatively dense waste generation—about 600 tonnes per day, collected and pooled at transfer locations—can be augmented with a waste-to-value scheme to generate high-value products. The waste-to-value plant could generate up to 10-15 MW,, or, in other words, 5-10 percent, of the city' electricity usage against its demand of around 180 MW. Setting up a waste-to-value facility requires capital investment and changes in garbage management practices. The state government must come out with well-thought-out policies in terms of production-linked incentives and access to funds, which ultimately help create a set of entrepreneurs to be the agents of change with win-win situations all around. It is done right; it can unleash a virtuous circular economy for generations to enjoy. So, waste is not a problem that has to be disposed of somehow. Waste is wealth. And it is a good business. A city like New York would be crippled without it because, for them, waste is their business. The US administration has spent multibillion dollars for setting up waste processing units spread across several cities and localities. Then, why should we not think about it, as it will take off the pressure of landfills and temporary stashing of waste that otherwise creates unhygienic and unpleasant situations for people around?

Iqbal Saikia,

Guwahati.

CJI Chandrachud's legacy

Chief Justice of India (CJI) Dhananjay Yeshwant Chandrachud, who will lay down his office shortly on superannuation after a tenure of two years, has always been a judge's judge. Having served as a Bombay High Court Judge for 16 years and as a Supreme Court (SC) Judge for 8 years, including his tenure as a CJI, Justice Chandrachud leaves a rich legacy of honesty, integrity, and fairness. Despite being accused of harbouring "delusion of grandeur" by a high-profile lawyer, Chandrachud has never put a foot backward in ensuring the friendliness of the top court towards a litigant. Principles of equality, dignity, and inclusion were always close to his heart. Digital initiatives at the SC, like live streaming of select court proceedings and digitalisation of records, and digital courts owe their massive patronage to Chandrachud.

It is important for the common man to get access to judgements; linking the SC to the National Judicial Data Grid (NJDG) was widely viewed as a step in the right direction. Thousands of top court verdicts have been translated into regional languages, which are almost akin to people's participation in justice delivery. Chandrachud has also been instrumental in making sure that vacancies in the top court and at different high courts are filled expeditiously; at times, by taking on the centre, the conduct of collegium proceedings gained momentum during his stint as Chief Justice, which is prone to sit on collegium recommendations. Transparent conduct of collegium proceedings gained momentum during his stint as Chief Justice.

Dr. Ganapathi Bhat

(gbhat13@gmail.com)