Solutions to Change

by D. Dhanuraj Whenever I travel outside Kerala, I have noticed that others look at Malayalees with lot of admiration for the simple reason that Kerala ranks very high in literacy rate. When i meet my friends there, I complain about the lack of quality of education in Kerala. Then, they are again astonished; how come it is possible for a high literacy rate. I do have to go for hours to share the experience and explain the reasons. Yesterday, I met a friend of mine and we were discussing the quality of university education in India. It is considered that quality of higher education in Kerala is very poor. Reasons are many that include the lack of professional management of universities as they are politically managed than professionally. Political bosses believe that universities are to centres for politicking. Syllabus is obsolete or woven with intricate political ideologies most of the times. Teachers unions dictate the daily functioning where as syndicate is stuffed with the repre...

Marketing is one of the most important functions of a business in order to remain competitive and profitable. A sound marketing strategy determines the sales graph even more than the quality of the product. The traditional marketing model is characterised largely by the practice of market segmentation. This implies to dividing the market into product categories, which can be a function of price or else dividing the customer base into target demographics based on age, gender, education, income level, etc. Despite many of these sophisticated marketing techniques, it can be seen that most of the products launched are not successful at least to the degree intended. Prof Clay Christensen from the Harvard Business School suggests an alternative or rather an effective marketing model that can help make products that people really need and hence will see an increase in the sales chart. It is called the Jobs to be one marketing model . According to this concept, consumers do not by a produ...

Nearly 7,500 people have died in official custody in India over the past five years, according to a report by a human rights group. This report by Delhi-based Asian Centre for Human Rights says many of these people were tortured in custody. But the government routinely attributes deaths in custody to illness, attempted escape, suicide and accidents. Suhas Chakma, director of the Asian Centre for Human Rights, says prosecuting responsible officials takes a long time in India, and leads to a culture of impunity. “It takes about 25-30 years to prosecute somebody. And by that time many of the accused are dead, or possibly the relatives that have filed a complaint are dead," he said, adding, "So there is a culture of impunity which is given by the government of India, and I think this is the single most important factor which is encouraging torture." Interesting notes and facts: In India, the attitude towards criminals remains the same as it was during the British rule...

Bamboo could be a new source of livelihood for millions of poor tribal inhabitants and forest dwellers across India. Bamboo is an important part of rural livelihood in many nations, especially in developing counties like India. The bamboo economy, ranging from resource generation to value-added applications, has supported approximately 8.6 million livelihoods in the country. Small land holders at the forest fringes, in particular, improve their livelihoods by processing bamboo growing in their backyards. With planned development of integrated bamboo-based clusters, most value addition can be done closer to the resource, resulting in large scale socio-economic benefits. Millions of families are dependent on bamboo resources for their livelihood in India; from tender shoots to rice cooked in the hollow of raw bamboo, it is part of the everyday life. From house construction to flooring and agricultural implements, bamboo pervades life and culture. Due to its versatile nature and multiple...

The onset of private schools has given a new dimension to education in India. Opening up of the sector has brought in more reforms with new innovative teaching practices, attracting students. The onslaught of private schools can be witnessed in major states like Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Kerala. The India Education Report, 2009, says that there has been an increase in percentage growth of private schools with a decrease in public schools. Privatization has been more profound in the education sector, because of the realization on the part of the government that it can no longer manage the education system and provide quality instruction. However, large questions are asked on the quality of private schools because of the lack of a regulatory mechanism to monitor their functioning. Levying of hefty fees is a major concern, as it is said to affect the prospects of poor children studying in such schools. Financially backward students are left with no option, but to join government sc...