WORLD OF EDUCATION

A Reflection on Friendship and Inclusion During a recent inspection of a school, I had the opportunity to interact with students of the 3rd standard. Young children often embody a beautiful blend of innocence and inquisitiveness. As we talked, a spontaneous question arose from somewhere deep within my conscience: “Is there any student in this class who does not have a friend?” For a moment, there was silence — soft and hesitant. No one responded. I repeated the question to ensure that all children had understood it. Gradually, they began looking around, exchanging glances and smiles with their friends. Then, one little boy slowly raised his hand. As I walked closer, all eyes turned toward him. He looked down, his face clouded with sadness. I turned again to the class and asked, “Is there anyone who would like to make him a friend?” To my surprise, only two or three hands went up. But before the joy of the moment could settle, a few voices broke the silence. “He hits others,” s...

From Chits to Chips: Copying Goes Tech-Savvy I think the very existence of copying during exams must have started the moment formal examinations were introduced in the education system. The urge to adopt this unethical practice appears deeply rooted—especially among those who fear failure and also among those few who wish to excel at any cost. Those afraid of failing resort to cheating to avoid parental anger, while high performers too may succumb due to pressure to maintain their excellence. Over the years, I have witnessed as a teacher various shades of malpractices in examinations. Earlier, students relied on handwritten chits or torn book pages cleverly hidden inside socks, shoes, collars, belts, etc. They would silently use them and even pass them on to someone in the next row or column—or throw them like a crumpled ball to a desperate friend. Even simply tilting the answer sheet to show answer became a lifeline for someone “about to drown.” Here, outsmarting the invigilator was...

  When on 23 rd June of 2025 I embarked on my official tour to Mysuru -the heart rendering images of the recent   Ahmedabad air crash in which, besides others, more than   260 passengers had lost their lives, was in my fresh memory. It was getting further fueled by news in which dream liners were being grounded for inspection of   some technical snags in their engines. A few   emergency landings of Air India flights had a more compounding effect. Due to this scenario I intended to cancel my air tickets   and   instead   travel to Mysuru in a train. My dear friend and colleague   who had to make his sudden plans to visit Mysuru due to the same reason also inclined to perform the journey in train as we were hopeful that we would get train tickets. This could not materialize due to non- availability of seats. Hence the journey had to be performed in air as planned earlier.   Anyhow there being no other alternative I gathered courage to f...