Letters to the EDITOR: School bags need reduction in weight

School bags need reduction in weight

The news titled 'Education officials directed to ensure reduction in school bag weight '(April 22) has drawn our attention. When one sees little school children awkwardly carrying heavy school bags, it pains every conscious citizen, particularly the parents who have been voicing their concern over the issue. But, unfortunately, both the school authorities and the state government have been taking a lenient view of such a serious matter. Carrying heavy school bags each day exceeds the weight restrictions imposed on students by different standards and causes severe and long-term health complications. Why the school authorities do not put into practice measures like keeping textbooks and notebooks at the school instead of allowing them to lug the weighty bags is not understood. The directive issued by the state government fixing the maximum permissible weight of school bags for different classes, which ranges from 1.5kg to 5 kg, must be implemented by the educational institutions in its letter and spirit. In recent times, it has been seen that there is a burden of homework for children up to class 2, which results in the tiny tots feeling under too much pressure, effectively robbing themselves of an ideal, carefree childhood and exposing them to adulthood stress prematurely. No doubt, private-owned schools are integral components of the educational system. The blatant violation of mandated norms by many such educational institutions has emerged as a disturbing fact. The civil administration needs to be serious about enforcing the guidelines and compel them to comply with the laid-down norms, which are violated with impunity by these institutions. The children are the future of the nation. We cannot compromise with their future through the ever-increasing peer competition amongst the school-going children.

Iqbal Saikia,

Guwahati

Focus on solving the problem

Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid a two-day visit to Assam for the election campaign in the on-going 18th LokSabha polls in 2024. Briefly, his programme in the city was confined only to a road show on a stretch between ABC Point and Ganeshguri (approximately 2 km distance) in the main arterial GS Road on the evening of April 15, after he landed at the LGB International Airport at 7 m. As per news reports, the city transport system came to a grinding halt that evening, putting commuters in extreme hardship. The city had a skeleton city bus service on the next day (April 16), as only a few government-run city buses were pressed into service in the absence of private city buses and share taxis, which were requisitioned for ferrying BJP supporters to the Prime Minister's meeting held at Nalbari.  This is the familiar traffic scene of the city during the visits of the Prime Minister.

How long would the local administration remain non-committal to a vital public need like one while the overwhelming majority of commuters are solely dependent on the city bus service? This important issue is raised during the Prime Minister's visits each time, but the issue is still unresolved. Through the columns of this esteemed daily, the authorities are urged to focus on solving this problem soon for the greater good of the public.

Pannalal Dey

Guwahati

Concerns about EVM malfunctions during Assam polls

I am writing to express my concerns regarding the recent reports of electronic voting machine (EVM) malfunctions during the phase of polling across the five LokSabha seats in Assam. According to the information provided by election officials, a significant number of EVM components, including control units, voter verifiable paper audit trails (VVPATs), and ballot units, had to be replaced due to various snags detected during the polling process. It is disheartening to learn that as many as 1,025 EVM components were replaced, indicating potential challenges in ensuring smooth and efficient electoral procedures. The revelation that a considerable number of complete EVM sets had to be replaced after malfunctioning during mock polling raises questions about the reliability and effectiveness of the testing procedures conducted prior to the actual voting. While it is commendable that election authorities took prompt action to replace malfunctioning machines, it is essential to address the underlying issues that led to such widespread technical glitches. As elections are the cornerstone of democracy, it is imperative to ensure that every citizen's right to vote is upheld through reliable and efficient electoral mechanisms. Therefore, I urge the concerned authorities to conduct a thorough investigation into the causes of EVM malfunctions, implement corrective measures, and provide assurance to the public regarding the integrity and reliability of future electoral processes.

Sabina Ahmed

Dibrugarh University