The Hindu Business Line : Free education for `single' girl child

The effort seems dubious. If the concept of having or encouraging the girl child was to be promoted, then the offer should have been made to all the girl children in the family. If the single child norm was to be promoted, the offer should have been made to boys as well. So for whom does the bell ring?

C. P. Velayudhan Nair, Kochi, vglakshmi@eth.net

The CBSE order will make educational institutions charge fees by other means to compensate for the loss. School managements also may also charge a hefty donation to admit `single girl child'. There is also the apprehension that schools may pass on the loss to other children, thus making education costlier for them. The Government should compensate the school managements for the loss. Alternatively, the `single girl child' could be awarded free scholarship by the Government.

P. Sreenivasan, AGM- IDBI Ltd, Hyderabad, sree26vasan@yahoo.com

As one with two daughters, I am indeed very happy. But can we afford to keep tinkering with the economics of running schools without arranging for alternate revenue streams?.What is required is a long-term policy on education right from pre-primary to university/engineering/medical education and not short-term palliatives.

S. Krithivasan, SBI, s.krithivasan@sbi.co.in

The aim of the CBSE order does not appear to be clear. If it is to encourage population control it is gender discriminatory. If it is to help the poor, most of them may be struggling with more children. What is most needed is quality education for the under-privileged.

A. Jacob Sahayam, Thiruvananthapuram, jacob_sahayam@yahoo.co.in

Anything free is bad. CBSE should offer scholarships.Any offer of help should be on "economic" consideration and not on the size of the family. In fact, the Government should device a scheme: free for the first child male/female: 120 per cent of fee for the second child and 150 per cent of the fee for third child and so on.

Subba Lakshmi, Madurai

But I don't understand why the discrimination against the boy child? The single child family can comfortably provide good education, whereas it is families with two or three children thatsuffer.

If CBSE should gauge the family income of the child irrespective of gender to offer free education.

K. Nagarajan, Erode

Education need be made feasible for all. Population control can be made possible by creating awareness. The fear of having girl children can be addressed by eliminating social customs such as dowry.

T. V. Jayapakash, Research Officer, CADA of Kerala, Thrissur.

CBSE's anxiety to educate a large number of girls in order to annihilate the gender ratio is welcome. Educating a girl child is equivalent to educating at least five boys because a girl is a potential mother. But the CBSE's orders could have the reverse effect. Single child norm has been prevalent in China for a number of years. Of late, there has been a re-think on the subject as the country is facing a situation in which population density is lopsided with an acute shortage of males. It is hoped that girl children irrespective of the size of the family in which they are born to, are given free education up to the university and professional levels and offered ancillary benefits with a cap on the income of the family in order to advance the growth of an educated, dynamic and vibrant nation.

T. S. Sundareswaran, Consulant, New Delhi

Response to Sticklish Issues dated October 31

It has become a regular affair for politicians to point fingers. Charges of Mr Natwar Singh's involvement in the Volcker Committee report may not surprise ordinary citizens because scams and frauds have become a routine affair.

It is time our politicians rose above partisan politics for the benefit of society.

A. Bhuvana Bhimaiah, Arasikere, carcow9901@gmail.com

C. P. Velayudhan Nair, Kochi, vglakshmi@eth.net

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