A study in contrast

Bucking the national trend, Haryana has the proud distinction of having, for the first time, more girl students pursuing higher education than boys. As per the All-India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE)-2018-19 brought out by the Ministry of Human Resource Development, of the 9.28 lakh students in the state, 50.77 per cent comprise women. However, taking the sheen out of this milestone of overcoming traditional inequities in gender enrolment, are glaring disparities with regard to education infrastructure within the state. While Sonepat of the NCR has emerged as the hotspot of education with the transformative Rajiv Gandhi Education City project that has given birth to a number of eminent institutes of higher learning, Haryana has failed its girls in areas such as Mewat, which present a study in contrast.

Perhaps, none reflects this gap more than the fate of girls of a college in a village of Jhajjar, another neighbouring district of Delhi. For two years, the hapless students have been forced to attend classes at a noisy mandir complex that is open to the public. Worse, the slow pace of the construction of Government College for Women in Kulana indicates that relief is not in sight for them soon. Did the authorities who okayed this arrangement think the high-decibel temple bells and religious sermons from grating loudspeakers would be helpful for the teachers and the taught? What about the other facilities so essential for all-round education? A ground for sports? A peaceful library? The sensibility-defying logic is bewildering, indeed!

Silence really is golden during lectures; chronic exposure to ambient noise is disruptive and overloads the brain, impacting hearing and stress levels. Haryana should learn from Punjab in providing a supportive environment. Last February, the Punjab Pollution Control Board directed the officials and priests concerned that high-decibel sounds from temples, mosques and gurdwaras be checked in view of the students’ exams. Sadly, despite the Supreme Court directive on the use of loudspeakers in religious places and DJ systems in functions, cacophony continues to be our way of life, shattering the peace of students and patients.