Some one very near n dear

Who is that one ,unique person who is always in yr mind?

We take this for granted most of the
time?

It is only when we are far away or
facing some difficult situation,that we go through that test?

We want someone to whom we can talk
and open our hearts.And that is when we undergo that test:Who is the person
nearest and dearset to you?

I know about myself.How about you?
Run the test next time when you are away or you find yourself in a diffcult
situation.....and you are sure to find the
answer to this question.

Obama and my Happy Moment

I listened to President Obama's first State of the Union address and he spoke of many issues of direct concern to Americans and also to the world at large,among 3which Education was one.


He put particular emphasis on a World Class Education for Americans to come out of poverty.He also emphasised the need for the promotion of Science and Math in the schools system.

In 2005,I was the Minister of Education and Human Resources of Mauritius,I started implementing an ambitious Educational Reform agenda for a World Class Education for All.I also initiated a project for all students of the Secondary Schools to take a Science subject upto Form V(Age 16/17).

Quality and Equity were main considerations.Those who had the potential to achieve better standards needed to be encouraged whilst those having difficulties had to be catered for .

No school system can adopt a One-Size Fits -All approach in addressing the needs of our children.The system has to be organised to address the differentiated needs of the children.

A vocal minority in the media and certain specific groups with vested interests came up with the argument that the reform was catering exclusively for the elite group.No sensible Minister of Education could adopt such policies.

I am happy that President Obama has recognised that we have to set high standards and adopt strategies to reach them.There is no point in setting standards that instead of raisng performance can in fact do the contrary.

A new idea often has to go through 3 stages: Opposition,Criticism and Acceptance.

I hope with time people will recognise the wisdom of the reform I introduced

Inner Voice

There are so many issues about which we have so many things to say.And maybe some ideas can really crop up and make a major difference.But it would seem that we have moved into a culture where listening is no longer a quality.Listening is no more looked upon as an opportunity .Rather it has become a form of nuisance .It has become a liability.So the reaction to the possibility of a new idea is :Why listen?

This is a world of complexity and nobody can claim to hold the answer to everything.Networking is a must and open-mindedness an absolute necessity.Without these conditions,problems will not be resolved;or simply solved in a sub-optimal manner.

There is now need for a new kind of interpersonal relations starting with less talking and moe listening.

Then we have this habit of people getting locked in all kinds of arguments,not focusssing on problem solving rather on showmanship of superiority,and making others look inferior> What is all this?

But giving up is not the answer.We have to try harder to get listening on the agenda.

Without listening ,a lot is lost.Can we afford such waste?

People

Everyday we meet people,talk to people .We agree with some, disagree with others and simply remain indifferent with a few .
But what remains a mystery to me is when people say A to you and then do exactly the opposite of what they say i.e they do B


Why?


Are they sick? Are they having some form of amnaesia....they forget what they said earlier?What is the motivation?


Having come across such situations,I thought of tackling it by adopting some degree of formality.When I feel that such problem will occur,I simply make a note so as to have a point of reference.

Now this makes the other person annoyed and angry.Then I ask why?


Next time,it becomes easier to crosscheck and put things inperspective.This is not to the liking of those who do not honour their words .They feel very insecure and lose their temper.


That's beyond one's control. But it's a pity that people behave in such an erratic manner

People will remain people Unpredictable The more we know someone the more we realise how little we know people.

A Sad Departure

Life is the most precious gift of God to Mankind.And yet there are these unfortunate accidents that deprive us of this gift and cause a lot of pain to near and dear ones

When the phone rang this morning,little did I expect that it would be the sad news of the death of the son of a close friend of mine - a schoolmate of my secondary school days.

I had no idea of the cause of the death.I knew that the son was about a year older than my own daughter.

I tried to figure out the cause.Could it be due to an incurable disease?An accident?I kept guessing.

When I went to his place,my friend informed me that the young man had committed suicide.A terrible loss.......a person in the spring of his life.Immediately,I asked myself what could have been the reason.Out of consideration for my friend in those moments,I did not ask him the reason.He just mentioned that that there was no indication of the tragedy.It came so suddenly.

This is not the first case of a youth committing the irreparable.In recent times ,there have been a few cases.What drives young people to have recourse to the final solution?

We need to stop and figure out where the problem lies before we have to deplore other tragedies.Life is too beautiful to be wasted...so young.

Media and Politics

Media has come to play a pervasive role and even an invasive role in the life of people.So long as they adopt high standards of professionalism,they constitute a pillar of modern societies.

But more and more,there seems to be a new culture of sensationalism gripping the media world.More than real ,verifiable news reporting,there seems to be greater emphasis on story telling type of news.Many articles being published are just collection of what has been herad or read elsewhere.

How often are the media people going on the ground to investigate and then report?

Even when they do report, do they give both sides of the story?

Then, Editors who wield so much power in deciding what to publish and not to publish,are they exercising the high standards of professionalism expected of them?

Take for example everything,almost,being written about politics and politicians....the picture being painted is all the politicians are crooks,wallowing in corruption and all kinds of wrong-doings?Is that really so ?

What is the share of responsibility responsibility of the media as the custodians of public conscience in this rot?

It's always comfortable to criticise and paint the picture all black bu people who live in glass house should think twice before they throw stones.

All this boils down to Professionalism and High Ethical Standards ?Do they exist and are they being adhered to?

Crimes in Mauritius

It seems there's a new pattern in crimes being committed in Mauritius. This is illustrated by a few recent crimes that have been committed. it's important to reflect on this phenomenon and to suggest effective ways and means to tackle this new pattern of crimes. This must be a responsibility for one and all.