No end to kindergarten grind

APROPOS of Renee Ranchan’s write-up "No end to kindergarten grind" (April 10), come December-March, it is testing time for parents for getting their children admitted to nursery or K.G. classes in public schools. The parents are compelled to apply in three or four schools, as there is no guarantee that the child will be admitted to the school of their choice. There are exorbitant charges for admission forms, registeration and for the prospectus. Then begins the interview session. The parents are asked questions ranging from their philosophy of life to their financial and social status, the art of reforming the child, the meanings of creativity and social values and whether the child lives in a joint family, and so on. It is obvious that such questions during the interview are meant only to provide respectability to the large number of rejections by the management, that is often influenced by extraneous considerations like voluntary donations.

To end this harassment of parents and children during the process of admission, will it not be fair if admissions are made by a draw of lots?

O.P. SHARMA
Faridabad

II

Often it is observed that what the parents fail to achieve in their careers, they want to fulfil it. As such, almost all parents want their children to get good and expensive education, admission in a convent or public school and afterwards is a prestigious university. These parents fail to realise how difficult it is for their children to pass through every stage of their academic career with distinction, especially when competition is so tough. Every child cannot be expected to have the same level of brilliance. So frustration is certain for the child and his parents.

While skill is certainly needed for success. What our children need to meet life’s challenges, head on is the "right attitude". This attitude does not depend merely on skill or rules of conduct, but rather on an inner sense of what’s right and wrong. This "right attitude" depends on traits like integrity, honesty, courage, fairness and generosity. In fact these human virtues are far more essential than talent, energy and personality, because in life anything can go wrong at any time. As such we the parents should not constantly pressurise our children to excel. In essence, emphasis should be on emotional intelligence. Because "who we are is more important than who we appear to be."

P. L. SETHI
Patiala

Empowering women

I have been a regular reader of Saturday Plus and I particularly enjoy reading the articles on empowerment of women. Women are a critical group in the national development process, as improvement of condition of women is key to sustainable development. The post-Independence period has seen many positive steps to improve the socio-economic status of women. The five-year plans till 1974 were mainly welfare-oriented as far as women’s issues were concerned. The Fifth Five Year Plan (1974-78) witnessed a shift in approach from welfare to development of women. The government adopted a multi-disciplinary approach with a three-pronged thrust on health, education and employment of women. The approach of the Eighth Plan made a shift from ‘development’ to ‘empowerment’ of women. It recommended 30 per cent reservation for women at all levels of government. A fierce debate on 33 per cent reservation for women in legislatures is going on in Parliament.

Empowerment is a socio-political concept and it goes beyond political participation. Political behaviour is outside one’s specified job requirements. Politics is always concerned with power. As Pfiffner, an administrative thinker, writes: "If power is a force, a store of potential influence through which events can be affected, politics involves those activities or behaviours through which power is developed and used in organisation settings." To influence and lead effectively, the leader must develop and use power.

Women, must be given the capacity to influence the decision-making process in our political system. Reserving seats for women in political institutions will provide them an opportunity for political participation and involve them in political, economic and social life of a nation.

Empowerment of women can be made possible through reservations but it also requires the removal of causes of disempowerment which can be social, political or psychological.

The empowerment process requires that social change is facilitated by organising and mobilising the group for struggle. The functioning of women’s organisations should be revitalised. Political education and training is necessary for them to overcome many of the obstacles to empowerment. Any development strategy which perceives women as a specific interest issue and designs programmes for them will not serve the purpose until and unless the multi-dimensional processes and structures that marginalise them are examined and tackled.

KIRAN HOODA
Panchkula

In search of greener pastures

This refers to Nonika Singh’s article "Chalo America, or anywhere else..." (April 3). The author unfolds the new trend in immigration phenomenon wherein a large number of Indians in secure jobs are being swept off by the "immigration wave". This raises vital questions. "Why do professionals with excellent prospects in India feel the urge to emigrate? Is it the glossy lifestyle of the developed nations which beckons them or is it the Indian way of life — all pervasive corruption, ever-failing infrastructure, limited exposure to technology — which forces them to quit their motherland in search of greener pastures? Do they feel so fed-up of the worsening living working conditions that they are ready to cut themselves off from their roots, family support system and shift to a foreign land?

This new trend is also reflected in the recent change in attitude of parents who are now more than willing to meet the expenses incurred for the smooth departure of their children. I feel the Indian society and the government faces a dilemma. Should they arrest this trend by way of improving the Indian way of life, eradicate corruption, tone up the system, fasten the pace of development, modernise infrastructure and increase employment opportunities so that our professionals are not lured by the rosy dreams the American lifestyle offers or else lie low and indirectly encourage the exit of our professionals in the hope that they will be serving their motherland better by ploughing back dollars earned abroad?

ONKAR CHOPRA
New Delhi