Banned flavour

Sir — Israel would like people to believe that its unceasing attacks on Gaza is in self-defence. The enemy, it has repeated ad nauseam, is Hamas. Even if one were to naively believe this narrative as the leaders of the Western world seem to have, there is still a question that has no answer: what threat does coriander pose to Israel? This humble workhorse of the herb world has been banned from Gaza for years now, along with other items like jams and potato chips, on grounds of being a security threat. Does Israel fear that Hamas will shoot bunches of coriander leaves past its iron dome?

Jai Sharma, Gurugram

Selfish reasons

Sir — While the pran pratishtha ceremony is being held at the Ram temple in Ayodhya, the chief minister of West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee, has organised an interfaith rally. It is clear that political parties want nothing more than to exploit religious sentiments for their selfish needs. Citizens must realise that no matter which religion is being appeased, it will not improve life and livelihood for anyone.

Creating rifts among people of different communities is a sin prohibited in every religion. People are made to believe that they are going to be a part of an iconic event which is a mammoth achievement for all Indians to stop them from asking questions about the real problems that plague the country. People should respect every religion and not allow politicians to teach them the value of religious tenets.

Iftekhar Ahmed, Calcutta

Sir — Mamata Banerjee’s harmony rally is an effort to show that she does not pander to any one religion. But it is equally an unabashed attempt to project herself as the sole protector of secularism. It is apparent that the real reason behind the rally is the general election.

Ananda Dulal Ghosh, Howrah

Sir — The Bharatiya Janata Party member and leader of the Opposition in West Bengal, Suvendu Adhikari, had petitioned the Calcutta High Court to postpone the harmony rally led by Mamata Banerjee. Why can there not be two programmes on the same day in different cities? The Calcutta High Court has rightly rejected the plea.

Fakhrul Alam, Calcutta

Poor performance

Sir — The Annual Status of Education Report 2023 paints a dismal picture of rural India. The editorial, “Urgent lesson” (Jan 20), sounds a timely note of caution to ensure qualitative and not just quantitative improvements in the rural educational infrastructure. It is mind-boggling that most students in the age group of 14-18 years cannot manage Class III math and 25% cannot read in their mother tongue. If the demographic dividend in India is not well-trained, then how can we hope to boost the nation’s economy? This survey also raises pertinent questions about the National Education Policy.

P.K. Sharma, Barnala, Punjab

Sir — The decline in reading and arithmetic abilities of students highlighted by the ASER survey is a cause for concern. This situation warrants serious attention from both the authorities and parents. There is a need to raise awareness among parents, especially those in rural areas, about this report so that they can assist teachers in improving children’s performance. Teachers should also step up and conduct extra classes. We should not take this survey lightly as reading and basic arithmetic skills are necessary to succeed in any sphere of life.

S.S. Paul, Nadia

Sir — The editorial, “Urgent lesson”, was worrying. While the ASER survey speaks of the shortcomings of students, it must be realised that teachers in rural areas are themselves not equipped to help students. The National Education Policy 2020 boasts of transforming the education system in the country by 2025. But if the ground reality presented in the ASER 2023 is true, this goal is far from being realised anytime soon. Substantial work is required in the future on education.

K. Nehru Patnaik, Visakhapatnam

Sir — It is heartening to learn that rural India has overcome the issue of dropouts. But bigger worries remain about the learning levels of students. If China can realise the true potential of its demographic dividend, why should India lag behind? Besides making students proficient in elementary education, we will have to push vocational courses aggressively in rural areas to make them self-reliant.

Bal Govind, Noida

Sir — India’s education system is in a shambles. This increases the intellectual divide in India and stops us from exploiting our demographic dividend. The lag begins right from the primary level. The education system has hardly seen any major reforms since Independence, except the National Education Policy 2020, which has clearly failed. The less that is said about the condition of government and municipal schools, the better. The growth of private institutions is a testimony to the inferior quality of education in government schools.

N.R. Ramachandran, Chennai