Better rankings survey

I have been following the annual EW India Higher Education Rankings for the past three years. Well deserved congratulations to EducationWorld and C fore for a comprehensive higher education institutions rankings survey (EW May) under the new subject-wise categories of multidisciplinary, engineering & technology, liberal arts and humanities, medical & life sciences and agriculture.

Unlike previous years when universities were ranked under the broad heads of private and government, this year’s rankings according to domain specialisations are better as they enable students to choose the best higher ed institution for academic programmes of their choice.

Sunil Kashyap
Noida

Extraordinary achievement
It is commendable that EducationWorld has taken the lead to celebrate and felicitate budget private schools (Pictorial Essay, EW May). It was also interesting to read about the extraordinary achievement in education leadership citation of K. Tulasi Vishnu Prasad, president of the Sri Rama Rural Academy, Guntur that provides low-priced boarding school education to rural children.

Congratulations and gratitude to him for his public service. I am hopeful your citation will inspire others to follow in his footsteps!

Tanuja V via e-mail

Futile exercise
Your disaggregation exercise of private and government universities into several subject categories in the latest EW India Higher Education Rankings 2022-23 (EW May) makes little sense to me. The National Education Policy 2020 has mandated all higher ed institutions to transform into multidisciplinary universities over the next ten-year period.
Snehal Raisinghania via e-mail

Ten years is a long period –
Editor

Schools’ larger role
The Karnataka Education News report ‘Bible thumping row’ (EW May) highlighting the controversy over a Christian missionary school in Bengaluru ‘forcing’ children to carry Bibles to school, has been blown out of proportion. This controversy can easily be resolved if the school makes scripture class optional for students. As an alumnus of a Christian minority school, I recall that there was never any compulsion to attend scripture classes. Attendance was voluntary and optional.

The role of schools is to not only prepare children with the competencies required for success in vocations, but to also teach them to live in peace and harmony with people from all religions and cultures.

Asad Khan
Bengaluru

National language futility
I agree with your editorial ‘History lesson for home minister’ (EW May) that exposes Union home minister Amit Shah’s lack of knowledge of India’s past.

In my opinion, school textbooks across all state and national examination boards must incorporate the history of reorganisation of the states of the Indian Union on the basis of language in 1956. In our country admired worldover as a melting pot of cultures and traditions, it is foolish to impose a national language. Although I am not opposed to learning Hindi as a second language, I oppose Hindi imperialism.

Sathyanarayana Rao
Chennai

Shocking U-turn
It was shocking to read about the highly rated Lady Shri Ram College for Women, Delhi’s mindless withdrawal of an invitation to BJP national spokesperson Guru Prakash Paswan on the occasion of B.R. Ambedkar’s birth anniversary following protests from some students (Education Notes, EW May). The latter claim that the BJP “is against the interests of marginalised communities.”

Indians have truly lost the ability to listen, absorb and respect viewpoints which differ from theirs!

Debayan Das
Delhi

Exemplary action
In the Uttar Pradesh news report ‘English exam cancelled’ (Education Notes, EW April), it was refreshing to read about the seriousness with which chief minister Yogi Adityanath addressed examination malpractice. I can’t recall any chief minister invoking the National Security Act, 1980 to cancel a ‘leaked’ paper and directing a Special Task Force to investigate the scam.

I believe chief ministers of other states should emulate his example and put the fear of law in the minds of perpetrators of such crimes.

Abhinandan Srivastava
Delhi