Letters to the EDITOR: Student ethics: A key to being a responsible citizen

Student ethics: A key to being a responsible citizen

In the article 'Student ethics: A pathway to being a responsible citizen' published in your esteemed daily on August 10, the writer Dr. Gargi Sarma has rightly said that today's students are the future of a nation, and therefore both teachers and students should play an important role in creating an environment in the educational institutions to uphold the learning ethical values in order to enable them to face ethical challenges in both professional and personal lives. Understanding ethics and applying them in day-to-day life acts against wrongdoing, leading to significant reforms and fostering social development and growth. From the primary level, instilling strong ethical values in children is a must to develop a spirit of integrity for positive contribution to society. Being the supreme asset of the nation, they need to be taught appropriate ethical behaviour so that they can be engaged usefully to serve the country in the future. We have both an obligation and a duty towards our students. We can remember and remind ourselves that the unethical behaviour of students is not only a cause of destruction to the students' personal lives but also a setback to society. Growing use of social media has seen privacy and ethics being thrown to the wind as the internet is considered a completely free market today. Consequently, various crimes have shown a rising trend in society. Therefore, students need to develop an ethical approach in their actions towards life, which has become increasingly important in the contemporary world. At the same time, there is a need to make people aware of student ethics and the importance of growing up as responsible and productive citizens of the future.

Iqbal Saikia,

Guwahati.

Elephant day

Elephants were accorded "National Heritage Animal'' status in 2010. The gigantic animal is placed in Schedule 1 of the Indian Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. It may be recalled that there are 33 elephant reserves in 14 major elephant states. But the stark reality is that as many as 500 elephants died of unnatural causes over the last five years in India. Electrocution has always been the leading cause of elephant deaths, besides poisoning. The perennial "train-elephant collision" has been studied for a very long time. Proper track signals, loco pilot sensitization, periodic review and maintenance of elephant corridors, and a unique elephant detection system are steps towards safeguarding elephants. Overpasses and underpasses, solar-powered fences, and elephant proof trenches are vital to minimizing deaths due to human-animal conflict. Jumbos held captive in zoos and other places require particular attention.

Shrinking elephant habitats is one of the root causes of the big mammals succumbing to different causes. More and more elephant corridors and enhanced budgetary provisions for ensuring elephants are in the safe confines of their homes, and hence away from human interference, cannot be overstressed. While using modern technologies, it is imperative for the officials to correctly identify the elephant corridors. Securing elephants in a non-exploitative and sustainable environment cannot be stressed more when World Elephant Day is around the corner.

Dr Ganapathi  Bhat

(gbhat13@gmail.com)