Students bear the burden

The Jharkhand students’ agitation, coming as it does close on the heels of the recently held CJP-led Jantar Mantar agitation, has put the nation on edge. It signifies that the agony and angst of the student community are not localised or limited to Delhi and Jharkhand but are spreading like a pandemic across the country. This exposes the decadence of the entire education and examination ecosystem in the country and the lack of accountability in the governing architecture. What is all the more deplorable and intriguing is that not only have paper-leak cases occurred with alarming frequency, but the results of examinations conducted without any reported leaks have also not been declared for inordinately long periods, for no ostensible reason, to the chagrin and utter dismay of job-seeking students. The selling of jobs for money by those sitting at the helm of affairs makes the problem all the more vicious and difficult for poor, eligible students to cope with in a system mired in corruption. Although education is a subject on the Concurrent List under the Constitution, this malady needs to be addressed through drastic measures at the national level. Those responsible for this mess need to be brought to book and meted out exemplary punishment through time-bound legal proceedings. The issue needs to be addressed lock, stock, and barrel; otherwise, the crisis could put the whole nation on the boil sooner rather than later.

Ravi Mathur,

Noida, Uttar Pradesh

Elections and finance

It is an open secret that money power is one of the deciding factors in determining the outcome of elections (Inside pages, “Black money in elections hampers democracy, says Supreme Court”, August 18). Money is spent like water, and cases of large amounts of currency being seized are regularly reported.

The job of the Election Commission of India does not begin and end with conducting polls and declaring results. It also needs to scrutinise expenditure on the massive arrangements made during election campaigns. Political parties should be required to disclose and substantiate the sources of their funds. While the government insists on curbs on FCRA, why is it silent on massive election expenditure?

Balasubramaniam Pavani,

Secunderabad