The blog of Delhi Stephanians (St. Stephen's College) incorporating Kooler Talk (Web Version) and the Katy (Web Version) Archives which have been kept online by 63er Jacob Matthan since 1996. (Masthead Photo by 81er Dr Gp. Capt ATUL JAIN)
Happy 90th birthday to the world's greatest politician, leader EVER - Nelson Mandela. May he have very many more.
I hope the Supreme Council of our College will humble itself and learn just one single message from the life of this human being! Service before self.
Two stories about College reached me this morning:
Times of India: At Stephen's, teachers boycott lunch
National Network of Education: Teachers stay away from orientation at Stephen's
Is this what our College is about?
Was Christ a divisive individual?
In my mail today were two alerts about our "College". The first Stephens gears for principal challenge was that the "College Authorities" had decided to challenge the fact that the Delhi Vice Chancellor had a say in the appointment of the Principal of the College.
The second is an article Campus Christi by Stephanian Barkha Dutt. I agreed to a T with ALMOST every word he wrote.
I do not which era Barkha belonged to in Collge, but the sentiments he expressed are ones that existed during my days in College in 1960 - 1963.
How I wish that saner voices would prevail and tell the Bishop and the Church to stop playing "THEIR" politics with OUR COLLEGE.
But do refer my Blog entry "Is this for real?" where I questioned the validity of cut off points as a mode of choosing students for admission.
In this I wish to relate a story that was sent to me by a young man about his sister in Pondicherri. A young girl from a poor village background being raised by her abused and disfigured, now single mother, who tends the land for survival, has been an outstanding student all her life. When she and her mother turned up at the gates of schools to see about her further education, they were turned away because they did not "look right".
At one school, as they stood dejectedly at the bus stand after having been turned away by the chowkidar, a teacher saw them and asked them what they were doing there. They explained their plight and the teacher gave them the Pricipal's telephone number and asked them to call the next day.
The girl has been given free education for the rest of her schooling.
I spoke to this girl on the phone from Finland about a year ago, and was impressed by her in every way.
When I delved this case further I understood that the education system in India is not education but a test of memory - and that is the only reason one has these high "cut-off" points.
If our College wants to be at the forefront of "education" in India, it should not use these "cut-off" points to regulate entrance, just as it should not allow a chowkidar to allow a person the right to enter the premises because of the dress their wear or their physical looks.
Our College should use a test of the Education of an individual.
That would be a mark of a good selection process and it may ensure a seat for a person with even a 50% mark, Christian or non-Christian, backward class scheduled class or not.
Thank you Barkha for your article, which got me thinking, hopefully positively, and I hope the wonderful alumni who read this will prevail on "The Authorities" to set up a system which ensures that we get the best "educated" students of India to be part of OUR COLLEGE!
