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To the Editor

Letters will only be considered if they carry the writer's full name, address and telephone number (if any). The identity of the writers will be protected. Letters must be limited to 300 words. All letters will be subject to editing.
Hurt-all!
Since a debate is raging on hartal to such extent that some individuals have even expressed their doubt on whether hartal does any damage at all, so I propose to change the spelling in English to "hurt-all" as a constant reminder to all and sundry!
Chowdhury Naim Rahman
Khulshi, Chittagong
Legalising bribes
Why not legalise bribes? I use the word "bribe" since it's more familiar than anything else is. It's really an incentive bonus. Why should we expect an office clerk to remain honest when his pay is only Tk 1,500 or 2,000 a month and he has to feed 5 or 6 mouths? Let's accept the situation on the ground.
Of course this is not the case always, but let's try to be fair to those who at least have a desire to remain honest. Why don't we pay a percentage of some service fees taken at the counter to the workers involved. This should be no sin. This should be no breach of the system. Why
can't we do something new? Let's be innovative.
Kamrul Naser
Piscataway, US
English medium education
I am a product of the English medium education available in Dhaka. The education enabled me to compete on an equal footing with my peers around the world. This education not only prepares us for higher studies, but it also prepares us in a way that we outshine students of other countries in academia around the world. While we garnered academic fame and recognition we also brought Bangladesh to the forefront of academia.
What can be better than to have a university granting admission to many Bangladeshi students based on their performance? Suffice it to say that a student from any educational background will succeed with hard work. But the truth of the matter is the majority of students attending Ivy League universities or their like around the world are students who
have graduated from English medium schools.
Instead of applauding academic success, people in our country consider attending English medium schools being disloyal to Bangladesh. It doesn't help matters that they don't realise that the removal of English from government offices and the existence of a very week English curriculum in most of our public school systems have left students crippled when it comes to the simple act of communicating in English.
We live in a world of globalisation. We can no longer ignore the fact that we need education, and not only that, we need better education so that we are equipped to march with citizens of foreign countries and compete in every aspect. Hindering the youth because of close-minded ideas will not only cripple them in their future endeavours, but it will cripple any future our country may hope to have. So instead of maligning these private institutions that provide choices of better education to those who can afford, I think we
need to be supportive because it helps to put the poor condition of our public school system in perspective. ZeenatSyed, M.B.A, M.H.A UPS Deployment
Satellite television
We cannot live without watching at least one satellite programme every day. Everyone around us seeks enjoyment through watching satellite programmes. Star Movies, HBO, Zee Cinema, Discovery, ZMZ, Star Plus, etc are some ofthe satellite channels that are not censored in our country.
The question of morality and ethics are very much relevant here. We have our own social norms which do not permit watching anything and everything.
The government should look into the matter.
Md. Sultan
On e-mail
English medium schools
In a recent report published in your
newspaper, the Honourable Education Minister said that there should be a regulatory body for English medium schools. Having studied in one of the best English medium schools in Dhaka, I strongly disagree with the Honourable Minister. Although some English medium schools are not up to the mark, I still think the standard of education in English medium schools is generally a lot better than in Bengali medium schools. The reason why I insist on this is because here in Malaysia there is a considerable difference between Bengali medium students and English medium students.
I think it would be wise if the government concentrates more on improving the quality of Bengali medium schools, rather than English medium schools.
Sheikh Tanjeb Islam
Sun way University College, Malaysia
Democracy on deathbed
It is true that democracy is now on its deathbed. But the reasons of its
ailment in all probability were knowingly and desperately ignored. No preventive measure appears to have been taken to remove the ailment. The disease has been allowed to go from bad to worse day after day, month after month, and year after year.
The responsibility therefore lies entirely with the attending doctors but not with the relations of the patient. Relations of the patient (mass people) struggled time and again for its survival and the patient got out of danger; the relations handed the patient over to the doctors (politicians).
The doctors were found to be negligent for reasons best known to themselves in treating the patient properly. Now, as a result, the patient is again on its deathbed. The patient will survive and will not succumb to the injuries inflicted on its person, as it is a time-tested patient.
But we fail to understand how these doctors who have long years of practical experience and professional skill avoid prescribing some known medicines. We expect to see
a cordial atmosphere to inject life into our democracy.
Tapader Md Khalilur Rahman
Kazi Para Mirpur, Dhaka
Imported milk costlier The price of imported powder milk is soaring, and it has lately gone up by 30 to 40 percent. The official measures to bring down the retail prices are not well publicised.
We had been importing milk worth around Tk 100 crore per annum, but now it has come down, as more local dairy farms are distributing fresh liquid milk in polybags, and these are now available at more retail outlets including the groceries.
Surely we can save some foreign exchange if the rural milk could be marketed more easily through cooperative marketing networks. But the co-op system suffers from high systems losses, as the officebearers do not get enough high-level backing to help the rural small dairies (the old story of too much centralisation at the urban centres -whither the local councils?).
There are several areas which
need reinforcing: financial banking at the production stage; mini cold-storage centres deep in the rural interiors (use solar power kits); subsidised transportation; and farmer-friendly marketing arrangement. All the components must work simultaneously for marked effect on the market.
The poultry and the fish farms are now established, but marketing is still a problem (controlled by middlemen or cartels). The rural systems configurations are still weak in most outputs coming to the urban market. The well-established NGO net can help in a big way, subject to ifs and buts.
Food for children must be cheap for the middle and lower classes.
Alfa Ahmad
Dhaka