KERALA MONITOR KERALA MONITOROctober 17, 2001 Bioterrorrism Fear Hits India:
Dr. THAKUR REVIEWS PREPAREDNESS TO MEET BIO-TERRORISM The Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare, Dr. C.P.Thakur, has said that while there is a need to be alert on bio-terrorism, there is no cause for panic as full facilities for diagnosis and treatment of diseases like anthrax, plague etc. exist in the country. Dr. Thakur was chairing a high level meeting here today on preparedness of the health sector to deal with bio-chemical warfare. The meeting was attended, among others, by Dr.A.P.J.Abdul Kalam, Principal Scientific Adviser to Government of India, eminent experts in the field of medical science from different organisations in the country, senior officials of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and chiefs of different Government and private hospitals in Delhi.
The meeting reviewed the management (diagnosis, treatment, IEC activities etc.) of recently emerging diseases of public health importance like dengue, anthrax etc. It deliberated on various aspects of the bio-terrorism in the backdrop of the current global situation
Hospitals have a plan to rapidly identify a separate area and allocate necessary resources to treat number of potentially serious patients at a short notice. As the clinicians must be aware of the potential early warning signals reorientation of doctors, nurses, laboratory personnel and others connected in the procedures and practices of medicine will be conducted.
It was felt necessary to apprise the health authorities in the country with the different biological agents which can be used as weapons of mass destruction and also to create awareness about the steps required to be taken for protection and proper management in case of any outbreak. There is an urgent need that the clinicians, laboratory personnel and public health authorities work together as a team with open lines and channels for communication, so as to meet any eventuality
Hospitals will be advised to keep adequate stocks of anti-microbials and other lifesaving drugs for treatment of potentially serious patients. Regional laboratories with capacity to handle highly infectious materials and tests using modern methods of diagnosis have been identified. National Institute of Communicable Diseases has been identified as the nodal agency for this purpose. Arrangements has been made to prepare guidelines which will be widely circulated through "CD Alert", a monthly Newsletter of NICD and through the website of the Ministry to sensitise the medical personnel in the country. Arrangements will also be made to have slots in Doordarshan for medical experts to discuss the various aspects of bio-terrorism for creating awareness among the medical professionals and general public.
NIGERIA: Rights groups condemn Islamic court sentence
ABIDJAN, 17 October (IRIN) - Two Nigerian human rights organisations and a France-based organisation have condemned last week's ruling by an Islamic court in northern Nigeria which sentenced to death by stoning a Nigerian woman guilty of adultery, AFP has reported.The Community Development and Welfare Agenda (CDWA) said on Friday that the sentence violated the rights of Safiya Hussaini Tungar-Tudu and infringed upon Nigeria's constitution by breaking the country's secular nature. The Civil Liberties Organisation supported CDWA's position, adding that Tungar-Tudu should be given clemency as she is pregnant, AFP reported. The Paris-based organisation Action droits de l'homme, in a letter to the Nigerian ambassador in France, urges him to ask President Olusegun Obasanjo to intercede in the matter, the French news organisation reported.
The Islamic court in Sokoto State, northern Nigeria, condemned Tungar-Tudu for having pre-marital sex, a punishable offence in Islamic law. Several states in Nigeria's Muslim-dominated north have adopted the strict religious legal code- also known as Sharia- which prohibits pre-marital sex, alcohol consumption, theft, among other things.
October 17, 2001
HARIN PATHAK TAKES OVER AS MINISTER OF STATE FOR DEFENCE PRODUCTION AND SUPPLIES
Harendra Kumar Ramchandra Pathak (Harin Pathak) assumed office of the Minister of State for Defence Production and Supplies here today. Shri Pathak was appointed as the Minister of State on October 15, 2001. This is the second time that Shri Pathak has assumed office as Minister of State for Defence Production and Supplies. He held this office earlier from October 1999 to November 2000. Immediately after taking over as the Minister, Shri Pathak called on Defence Minister Shri George Fernandes.
Born on 20th July 1947 at village Ratanpur, District Panch Mahal, Gujarat. Shri Pathak has a long and distinguished public life since his college days and held prominent posts in Student Unions. On completing his BA, B.Ed, he started his career as a teacher at Nalanda Vidhya Vihar in Saraspur. He was elected as Member of Lok Sabha from Ahmedabad City in 1989 and
won this seat consecutively by huge margins in 1991, 1996, 1998 and in 1999.A widely travelled leader, Shri Pathak participated in the world conference of "Inter Parliament Union" held at Ottawa, Canada and also visited Germany, USA and France. He was a delegate of the Government of India at the 44th Commonwealth Conference in Wellington, New Zealand. In 1998, he attended CODATU Conference at Jakarta, Indonesia, as the Chairman of Ahmedabad Motor Transport service and also visited Singapore and Thailand to study their road transport services.
A known crusader for the cause of the oppressed and the downtrodden, Shri Pathak led several public agitations in his political career. He always upheld the issues concerning the common man and fought for their rights. His hobbies are writing poetry and
articles.Pathak was a successful Corporator from Khadia Ward of Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation for a record period of 17 years from 1976 to 1993. His contribution to the development of the entire city is significant. During emergency in 1975-76, Shri Pathak remained underground for about a month and was thereafter imprisoned for ten months in Baroda Central Jail.
Pathak was a member of the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) constituted to enquire into the Stock scam in 1992 and was again nominated as a member of JPC probing into the UTI related controversy. During the last twelve years in the Lok Sabha, he served as the member in Estimate Committee, Textile Committee, Chemical sand Fertilisers Committee, Finance Committee and Civil Aviation Committee. He also served as the Chairman of the Standing Committee on Labour and Welfare during 1998-99.
SILVER JUBILEE OF PUCL CELEBRATED
Shri Krishan Kant, Vice President of India has said that the developmental issues of our time should be informed by the developing world’s human rights perspective. The societies, especially in Asia have enormous physical, intellectual and spiritual resources, which can be harnessed to help us find workable solutions to our dilemmas. Globalisation has given us an opportunity or rather a challenge to include our concerns in the international agenda, he said.
Speaking at the Silver Jubilee Celebrations of the People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) here today Shri Krishan Kant said that today human rights are acknowledged as universal, indivisible, interdependent and inter-related – an absolute minima for a life of honour, peace and dignity for the individual. While the significance of national regional particularities and various historical, cultural and religious backgrounds remain important, it is the duty of states, regardless of their political, economic and cultural systems, to promote and protect all human rights and fundamental freedoms. This has been enshrined in several multilateral instruments to which states are parties, he said.
While an era of rapid glabalization is gaining more speed, he said the several contrary trends are becoming visible. While the global embracing of the market economy has caused general welfare to improve, the divide between the rich and poor is appearing wider. 1.2 billion population of the world still has to make do with less than one dollar a day. Regional imbalances have tended to get worse. Human rights abuses in a legal sense may have declined, but still vast sections of the global population are deprived of access to clean drinking water, fresh air, housing, health-care, literacy and education. Women and the girl child still suffer overt and hidden discrimination and, are often victims of medieval social practices, which leave them mentally and physically scarred. The problem of the unorganised labour has not yet been satisfactorily resolved and organised labour is threatened with lay-offs and shrinking job opportunities in the new economic era, he added.
Shri Krishan Kant said that it is only appropriate that the opportunities and the benefits of globalisation are shared much more widely. A system of governance needs to be evolved which is transparent and fair, giving voice to the poor, enabling them to reap the advantages of globalisation. In a just and equitable society, liberties and human rights can be fully realised. Today, achieving all rights for all people in all countries will require concerted actions and positive interventions along with full commitment from the major groups in every society – human rights groups and organisations, media and governments, parliamentarians and other opinion leaders, he said.
NCERT - PROMOTING NATIONAL HARMONY Education has to be relevant to the needs and aspirations of the people living in a fast changing society. The different parameters of education require a dynamic process of updating in keeping with the spirit of change all around. With this in view the National Policy on Education, 1986 recommended a review of the implementation of its various parameters every five years. The Ninth Five-Year Plan (1997-2002) document also expressed concern for the review and updating of curricula to be taken up by the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT).
In the light of clear directives, the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has completed the task of developing new syllabi for all subjects including social sciences. The process has taken more than a year. A thorough review of the existing syllabus was carried out by a team of experts. Detailed consultations were held with scholars, academics, educational experts and teachers. The views of parents were also considered. This final document was also put up before the General Body of the NCERT in which eight Education Ministers from different States were present. It is to be kept in mind that the proposals are not binding on any school board or state government, which, in the spirit of the Constitution of India, are free to make their own adaptations in accordance with their regional needs. Nevertheless, historically all State governments have recognised the need for maintaining uniformity of approach in course content, and in pursuance of the objective, have reconstituted their own syllabi using NCERT’s proposals as a guiding index.
It is also worth pointing out that NCERT does not enjoy statutory powers. As such, these proposals are not binding on the States. NCERT’s books enjoy wide credibility not only in India but abroad as well because academics of the highest calibre are commissioned to author them.
Friendlier Social Sciences
Social sciences is an integral component of general education up to the secondary stage. Its study is crucial because it helps the young learners understand the society and world in which they live. Their interest in the socio-economic developments around them is stimulated, their mental horizon is widened and their analytical skills are sharpened.
NCERT, while developing the new National Curriculum Framework for School Education in 1999-2000, was conscious of the need for a fresh look at the social sciences curriculum. Since the mid-seventies history and geography ceased to be treated as separate subjects by most school boards. The course content was vast, placing an inhuman burden on children. There was emphasis on information without a thematic approach which could lead to the formation of healthy social attitudes.
The social sciences curriculum draws its content mainly from history, geography, civics and economics at the secondary stage. At the higher secondary stage, some elements of sociology and business studies are included. In the primary years of school education, children are introduced to "Environmental Studies", which comprises natural and social elements of the environment. Starting from the immediate environment, the children get familiarised with distant places. Subsequently, at the upper primary stage, social sciences is introduced as an independent area of study for the first time and continues to enjoy the same position at the secondary stage.
NCERT’s New Approach
NCERT realises that the social sciences curriculum has to be comprehensive, yet not heavily loaded with information. It is desirable to emphasise the process of learning and thinking rather than mere acquisition of facts. The learners need to be given meaningful learning experiences through well-planned activities.
In the proposed new curriculum, topics are fewer in number, but the depth of treatment is greater. A thematic approach has been adopted for selection and organisation of content areas.
Citizenship education has been recognised for the first time as an essential part of social sciences education. It is felt that young learners would develop a proper understanding of their roles and responsibilities as citizens in a modern democracy. It will also help them adapt to their society’s complex moral and social problems. The words of the visionary American President, John. F. Kennedy, are worth recalling here: "Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country".
The social sciences curriculum will be more meaningful and relevant. The child will be encouraged to think and seek knowledge about his surroundings. Instead of having separate rigidly structured courses in each subject, NCERT has chosen the thematic approach. A theme will be selected for each class commensurate with the objectives of teaching at that stage and addressing the needs of the learners in the corresponding age group. By reducing the number of topics and areas, the course coverage may seem to have narrowed, but the quality will be enhanced by greater depth of treatment.
History Without Controversy
Through the new history syllabus now proposed by NCERT, attempts are on to make it interesting to the pupil, a subject to be enjoyed, not feared. It will help promote a deeper understanding of the core values that has kept Indian civilisation ticking through the ages. A route to instill pride in India’s background as a great contributor to human progress. It will be a history free of rhetoric, stereotypes and objectionable attributes to any one stream of Indian culture.
For the first ten years of schooling, history will constitute an integral part of the environmental education and social science curriculum in general education. It will be there in the form of interesting stories from Class III to Class V. At the upper primary and secondary stages it is a component of social sciences.
Prof. Rajput, the Director NCERT, stressed that the new curriculum will not politicise the story of India’s past. Every important episode will be honoured. It is recognised by the planners of the new curriculum that the study of serious history can begin only at the higher secondary stage. After ten years of general education, a pupil is ready to make a conscious choice to study this special subject. It is only then that his mind can absorb the systematic pursuit of the subject by assimilating the rigours of the discipline.
There is a need to inculcate a spirit of healthy respect for history in the child through every stage of the learning process. Misrepresentation of the past does not help in securing this object. The emphasis is on reform of course content, not change.