Bring universities to India – My Letters – THE NATIONAL – Dt 10.05.2010

Posted on May 10, 2010 Updated on June 6, 2015

My Letters – THE NATIONAL – Dt 10.05.2010 – Bring universities to India

To read the original news, please visit THE NATIONAL ONLINE or read here below:

Indian academics attack plan to allow foreign universities into India
Shaikh Azizur Rahman, Foreign Correspondent

Last Updated: April 28. 2010 12:12AM UAE / April 27. 2010 8:12PM GMT
A student group protests against the plan to allow foreign universities to operate in India. Amit Dave / Reuters
NEW DELHI // A proposed law that would allow foreign universities to set up campuses in India has been condemned as a threat to India’s education system by teaching experts and academics, in a country where tens of thousands of students travel overseas to study every year.

The cabinet approved the controversial bill on March 15 and it is likely to be introduced in parliament within the next few weeks.

The government of the prime minister, Manmohan Singh, and others argue that foreign campuses will bring a much-needed boost to the standards of higher education.

But “the privileges proposed to be given to foreign education providers in the bill will kill our own educational system,” said Pushpa M Bhargava, a scientist and former vice chairman of the National Knowledge Commission.

“Knowing the lure of a foreign label for most Indians – especially the rich and the powerful – our own universities will become like today’s government schools, where only the children of the poor and the deprived go to receive no education.”

Mr Bhargava said foreign universities will come to India “not for any altruistic reasons” but for business.

The vice chancellor at the University of Madras, G Thiruvasagam, said the arrival of foreign universities would be “very dangerous for the nation” and that “social justice would become a casualty” in the country’s higher education sector.

“Those foreign universities will not … admit students from economically backward backgrounds – which is quite contrary to the purpose of inviting the foreign universities to India,” Mr Thiruvasagam said. “Should we give our land and resources to foreign institutions to take care of the interests of the rich alone?”

For decades, the brightest and most privileged Indian students have sought higher education in different developed countries. This has accelerated in recent years as increasing numbers of Indians seek jobs with international companies both in India and abroad.

According to the National Knowledge Commission, which advises the prime minister, about 160,000 students leave India every year to study in foreign universities, spending US$4 billion (Dh15bn).

In a report, the global investment banking and securities firm Goldman Sachs recently counted the lack of quality education as one of the 10 factors that could hold India back from reaching its economic potential.

International employers have long complained that in the absence of quality higher education, India is suffering from a massive shortage of skilled professionals and, according to various industry estimates, up to 75 per cent of all Indian university graduates are not employable.

Some in the information technology industry say that only one in 10 graduates are worth hiring, according to press reports.

Kapil Sibal, a minister at the human resource development ministry, which is behind the bill, described it as a “milestone which will enhance choices, increase competition and benchmark quality”.

The government hopes to push the number of students going on to higher education to 30 per cent by the year 2020 from the current level of 12.4 per cent. To meet the target, foreign university campuses in India would extend crucial help by providing infrastructure, Mr Sibal said.

“Nearly one among three Indians is under 14. Over the next 10 years we are going to have more than 40 million children going to college [for bachelor’s degrees] and to meet this demand, we would need up to 40,000 colleges and 1,000 new universities during this period.

“India has about 480 universities and around 22,000 colleges … but we are still 40 per cent less than the required numbers, which I think is critical.”

Mr Sibal said the government alone could not build the planned infrastructure of universities and colleges, so it decided to open up the sector to overseas institutions.

“No foreign investor can repatriate money abroad but has to put it back into the educational sector in India. We have already discussed the issue with foreign investors and they have agreed to it,” Mr Sibal said.

Many foreign universities already have links with Indian business schools or engineering colleges. Analysts estimate that recruiters will hire at least 13.8 million Indian graduates over the next five years to meet the demand of the employers.

Karan Khemka, an education consultant with Parthenon Group in Mumbai said foreign universities could also help raise the standard of Indian universities.

“Just as deregulation of health care or telecom has given Indian consumers choice and quality, the same applies to education. Today the Indian student must struggle to get into what by western standards are shoddy and sub-par colleges because they have no choice. Competition will clean up the industry,” he said.

But D Revathi, a student at the University of Madras said the bill had no provision for quotas for the poor or disadvantaged students. “Quality higher education will become the exclusive privilege of the rich in the new scenario,” he said. “What purpose will the new universities serve if they aren’t socially inclusive?”

Abhishek Gupta, a student in Kolkata’s South Point School, said he would consider himself lucky if he got a chance to study in a good foreign university campus in India.

“I always thought that my father would never be able to pay as much as $70,000 to $100,000 to send me to the US, UK, Canada or Australia for higher studies and I would have to settle for a degree in an Indian university. But now paying as [little] as $20,000 I can get to study in a foreign university and it is within my reach,” he said.

“Previously children only from upper-class family could flaunt a foreign degree. Now students from many middle class families will also be able to hold a foreign degree.”

Mumbai gunman to hang – My Opinion – THE NATIONAL – Dt. 07.05.2010

Posted on May 9, 2010

My Opinion – THE NATIONAL – Dt. 07.05.2010 – Mumbai gunman to hang

Mumbai gunman to hang
Anuj Chopra, Foreign Correspondent

Last Updated: May 07. 2010 4:22PM UAE / May 7. 2010 12:22PM GMT MUMBAI // After a year-long trial, Ajmal Kasab, the sole survivor out of the 10 gunmen who carried out the 2008 terrorist assault on India’s commercial capital, was sentenced to death.

“Kasab is a lingering danger to society,” Judge ML Tahaliyani said, as he announced the sentence. “He is to be hanged by the neck till death.”

Rejecting the plea for life imprisonment by Kasab’s defence lawyer, KP Pawar, who argued that his client was young and “blinded by religion”, Judge Tahaliyani said: “Words cannot express the brutality of his crime … There is no chance for reform or rehabilitation for this man. He has no right to live.”

Kasab, the Pakistani who was convicted on Monday of 82 charges, including that of waging war against India, sobbed on hearing the judgment, but was wordless. After it was over, he was hauled back to his prison cell, looking ashen.

But it is not clear when the death penalty will be implemented. Yesterday’s judgment will now lead to a long process of appeals before higher courts. If rejected, Kasab can file a petition for clemency before the president of India. It is not clear when Mr Pawar will avail these legal options on behalf of Kasab, if at all.

However, the judgment marked the end of a lengthy trial, in one of the deadliest terrorist attacks on Indian soil which claimed 166 lives, including that of 23 foreigners.

“The verdict sends a message to all terrorists: you land in India and you will meet the same fate,” said V Moily, India’s justice minister.

Kasab, dubbed “the baby-faced killer”, emerged as the poster boy for terror after he was photographed marching through Mumbai in November 2008 with his gun bared.

The attack was carried out on two luxury hotels, a cafe, a train station, and a Jewish community centre. Kasab, along with Abu Ismail, another gunman who was later killed, was involved in spraying a hail of bullets on the crowded Chhatrapati Shivaji train station, killing 70, the deadliest part of the siege.

Kasab represented a unique catch for Indian authorities. He is the first Lashkar-i-Taiba (LiT) operative to be caught alive during a terrorist operation.

His co-operation helped lead investigators to the militants who planned the attack, investigators have said.

During his trial, Kasab named two Pakistani militants, Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi and “Saeed Bhai” – or brother Saeed, believed to be Hafiz Muhammed Saeed, the founder of LiT – as the mastermind of the attack. Both men were also convicted in absentia by Judge Tahaliyani on Monday, part of 20 “fugitives” guilty of planning the attack.

“[Ajmal Kasab] was captured alive and lived to tell the tale,” wrote K Subrahmanyam, the director of the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses in New Delhi, wrote in a recent column in the Indian Express newspaper. “This left Pakistani officials no room to dodge and they had to accept that the terrorist conspiracy was hatched on Pakistani soil by their nationals belonging to the Lashkar-i-Taiba.”

When his trial began last May, Kasab was unco-operative with the prosecution, unruly and overly talkative on some occasions, and cold and indifferent on many others. When some witnesses testified against him, he burst into giggles. But as weeks passed, he became quieter.

Then suddenly, in July, he stood up in court and confessed.

“I do not want punishment from God,” he said in a near-theatrical confession. “Whatever I have done in this world I should get punished for it by this world itself.”

Just days later, he recanted his confession, claiming that he had arrived in Mumbai to be a Bollywood actor, and was picked up by the police from a beach in Mumbai to be framed in a larger conspiracy.

Ujjwal Nikam, the chief prosecutor, said Kasab was a well-trained terrorist who underwent crash courses in dealing with interrogation by investigators. “Kasab is worse than an animal,” he said.

“He was anxious to attack India,” Judge Tahaliyani said, revealing that Kasab was “restless” when he and his nine accomplices were delayed in Karachi before heading to Mumbai in 2008.

Some observers say Kasab’s execution will not bring closure as he is but a cog in the wheel, not the brain behind the attack.

“Kasab was only the delivery boy of terror,” said YP Singh, the former joint commissioner of the Mumbai police. “All those who planned the terror plot are still beyond reach.”

SM Krishna, India’s external affairs minister, said yesterday that his focus now is on finding the men who masterminded the attack in Pakistan.

“A number of others who acted as co-conspirators will also have to be extradited and they should be brought to justice,” he said.

Residents of Kasab’s hometown, Farid Kot, in Punjab province, condemned his sentence yesterday.

“He is Pakistani, that’s why he is going to be hanged,” said Mohammad Ramazan, a retired schoolteacher, told Reuters.

“It’s a conspiracy.”

My Comments as follows:

The verdict, although highlighted as victory for fight against terrorism, does not really make any practical impact on terror plotters. Every one knows that, a series of legal procedure awaits, if every he will get a chance to walk to the gallows. But, even that seems a distant reality as there are 51 others ahead of him waiting for it. Even if all this happens within a improbably short time, on the other side of the fence, there are people who are charged with almost similar cases and a bargain could always happen. Let this case be an eye opener to all the ordinary citizen, irrespective of whether he is in India or abroad. Prevention, is better than cure. Let the ordinary citizen be alert. If any un warranted movement or suspected activity is noticed, alert the authorities well before a man made calamity happens again. Safety and Security first, let that be the mantra for all.

Ramesh Menon
Abu Dhabi
To read it in original, please visit THE NATIONAL online.

Praise for May Day worker festivities – My Letters – THE NATIONAL

Posted on May 6, 2010 Updated on June 6, 2015

My Letters – THE NATIONAL – Praise for May Day worker festivities

Labourers in dash for cash on Yas Island
Suryatapa Bhattacharya

Last Updated: May 02. 2010 1:12AM UAE / May 1. 2010 9:12PM GMT
Workers at the start of the 4 kilometre run in celebration of Labor Day and organised by the Ministry of Labor at the Yas Marina track in Abu Dhabi. Paulo Vecina / The National
ABU DHABI // The track at the Yas Marina Circuit came alive yesterday, not with the screeching tyres of racing cars but with the cheers of thousands of workers.

As an estimated 1,500 men, most of them from construction firms, prepared to run a four-kilometre race, their supporters cheered from the stands, shouting the names of the companies that the workers were representing.

The winners

Ifran Ahmed, 23, Pakistan, steel fixer with ACC.

Omar Mohammed Saad, 25, Egypt, mason with Nurol.

Issam Adnan Hamad, 27, Lebanese-Canadian, procurement department of Algeco.
To commemorate International Workers Day, the Ministry of Labour organised a “marathon” for workers from more than 30 companies.

This is the second year of the event. Last year, the workers ran along the Corniche.

Humaid bin Deemas, acting director-general of the Ministry of Labour, arrived to watch the race and stood by the track to see the runners complete the circuit.

“There is a message today for the community, firms and society,” he said.

“It is to respect the workers, protect them, protect their rights that will enhance the relationship between the workers and the owners of the companies.”

Before the start of the 5.30pm race, workers lined up, and while some chatted and looked for familiar faces, others did stretching exercises.

Dressed in blue caps and white T-shirts that said, “International Labour Day: Our workers are our partners in development”, a number of the runners helped themselves to water bottles stacked at the starting line on the hot but cloudy and windy afternoon.

Asim Ghafoor, 23, a driver from Pakistan with the Al Jaber company, heard about the race from his friend, Kulchander Singh, who works as a clerk.

Mr Singh said that workers from their company believed Mr Ghafoor was the favourite to win the race.

“After two hours of eating dinner he would run for two hours,” Mr Singh said of Mr Ghafoor, who was an athletics standout at his school in Rawalpindi.

Meanwhile, workers from Al Habtoor Group said they had conducted eliminations over the past month to ensure that only the fittest runners were sent to the competition.

Larry Caracas, 42, a shift manager from the Philippines, said 100 runners came from the company’s engineering division alone.

“We did endurance and strength training for two months,” he said. “I am confident. The training was enough.”

The prize money for the winners was increased this year. The winner was awarded Dh7,000 (US$1,360) followed by Dh6,000 for second place, Dh5,000 for third, Dh4,000 for fourth, Dh3,000 for fifth and Dh1,000 each for sixth through 10th place.

Omar Mohammed Saad, a 25-year-old Egyptian, finished second and said he would spend his prize money on jewellery for his fiancé in Egypt ahead of their wedding.

Farooq Ali, 23, a Bangladeshi who works for the Arabian Construction Company (ACC), was last year’s winner. Soon after, he was promoted to the position of security guard.

Yesterday, he placed seventh and said he was disappointed with his performance. “I was just thinking about it too much,” he said.

But the largest group of cheerleaders in the stands – from ACC – were not disappointed. They whistled and shouted as the top runner of the day was one of their co-workers, Ifran Ahmed, 23, from Pakistan.

He won by about five metres, and fell to the track after crossing the finish line. He was both tired and exhilarated.

Mr Ahmed, who works as a steel fixer for ACC, finished sixth last year. To improve his endurance, he trained for a month by running 16km back and forth between the labour camp and his worksite near the Mena port area in the capital.

He said he would send home his winnings. “One does not run for money,” he said. “One runs to earn respect.”

To read this news in original, please visit THE NATIONAL online.

Tourists with ‘low’ jobs turned away at border – My OPinion – The National – Dt. 03.05.2010

Posted on May 3, 2010

Tourists with ‘low’ jobs turned away at border
Essam al Ghalib

Last Updated: May 02. 2010 1:21PM UAE / May 2. 2010 9:21AM GMT
Kathryn Holbrook, a teacher, was told she could cross into Oman without applying for a visa but Colin Davids, a barman in a hotel nightclub, was refused access. Pawan Singh / The National
AL AIN // Residents are being turned away from border crossings between the UAE and Oman because of the type of job they have.

Officials at crossings are enforcing a long-standing agreement between the countries that only expatriates who have what are considered professional occupations can pass into Oman from the UAE without having to apply for a visa.

According to one Omani immigration officer, teachers, doctors, lawyers anyone who has a professional occupation are free to travel into Oman. However, those who do other jobs, such as in the service industry, construction or sales, would not be allowed

The rule, which is to be implemented at all checkpoints, was previously in effect, but border officials only began enforcing it this year, said Captain Ahmad al Shamsi, an Emirati official at the Hilli checkpoint, which links Al Ain with Buraimi and is for non-GCC citizens.

One resident, Colin Davids, was turned away from the checkpoint when he attempted to cross into Buraimi for a camping trip with friends. An immigration agent refused to let him out of the UAE and into Oman.

“He wouldn’t tell me why, but referred me to the visa officer in charge, instead,” said Mr Davids, 27, who had made the crossing numerous times before. “I went inside to ask why and was shocked when he told me I had what he called a ‘low job’.”

Mr Davids works at the Al Ain Rotana hotel as a barman at Moodz nightclub. The job description on his visa says he is a waiter.

“The immigration officer told me that there was a list of occupations that were not free to travel and that mine was too low down to allow me across the border into Oman,” Mr Davids said.

An official in the consular section of the UAE Embassy in Muscat confirmed the agreement between Oman and the Emirates.

“People with certain occupations cannot leave the UAE and people with certain occupations cannot enter Oman,” she said. “There is an agreement between the two countries that is being adhered to.”

People with affected occupations who want to visit Oman need to apply for a visa at the Omani Embassy in Abu Dhabi, she said.

Khaled Hardan, an official at the Omani embassy in Abu Dhabi, confirmed that a prospective visitor’s occupation is a factor considered when issuing a visa, adding that regulations had become more stringent throughout the GCC recently, and not just in Oman.

As for Mr Davids and others like him, Mr Hardan said: “If he would like a visitor’s visa, he can come to the Omani embassy in Abu Dhabi and apply for one.”

An Omani immigration officer, who asked not to be named, said in the past many people would leave the UAE and enter Oman from Hilli. They would then stay and work illegally in Buraimi.

“In the case of the Hilli border crossing into Buraimi, there isn’t an official Omani checkpoint for 40km down the road to Muscat,” he said. “For people with professional jobs, it would be harder for them to find work illegally in Buraimi, whereas a carpenter can find odd jobs to do here and there.”

Kathryn Holbrook, a 29-year-old geography teacher at Al Ain English School, who was with Mr Davids when he tried to cross, was stunned to learn that he could not.

“My occupation is listed as a teacher so I was told I could cross into Oman, but not Colin,” she said. “I complained to people at the border who told me there was a new list that came out this year.”

Days after Mr Davids’s experience, Arianne Galez, 31, from the Philippines, stood in front of a visa officer in disbelief. After making regular trips to visit her family, who were expecting her, she was suddenly being denied.

The officer explained to Ms Galez that certain occupations, including hers – a receptionist at a dental clinic – were not considered professional.

“My cousin and sister work in Sohar,” Ms Galez said. “I don’t know when I am going to see them again.”

My Comments as follows:

Interesting news. This rule was there for some time now. But, may be they started applying it strictly from now on. The experience of the involved parties highlighted brings out an equally interesting question. Are they married couples? If not, is it an example of restrictive measures by authorities towards illegal cohabiting and fun trips across the boarder both ways during week-end. Point to ponder.

Ramesh Menon, Abu Dhabi

To read this in original, please visit THE NATIONAL online.