Registered with the Reg. No. TN/CH(C)/374/18-20 Registrar of Newspapers Licenced to post without prepayment for India under R.N.I. 53640/91 Licence No. TN/PMG(CCR)/WPP-506/18-20 Publication: 1st & 16th of every month Rs. 5 per copy (Annual Subscription: Rs. 100/-) INSIDE

 Short ‘N’ Snappy  Tributes to S. Muthiah  North Beach  The Alladi Diary  Cricket at Chepauk

www.madrasmusings.com WE CARE FOR MADRAS THAT IS CHENNAI Vol. XXIX No. 4 June 1-15, 2019

Chennai Heritage held a commemoration meeting for S. Muthiah not mean you cannot do your on May 17, 2019. From top: The backdrop for the event; N. Sankar, bit for our city. Director, Chennai Heritage welcomes the attendees; Sriram V, Editor, To Our Dear 3. As MPs you will collec- Madras Musings, speaks; a cross section of the audience. tively have around Rs. 65 crores as your allotment of the Mem- ber of Parliament’s Local Area Chennai MPs Development Fund, going by the figures furnished for the pre- vious Lok Sabha. Can this mon- Dear Members of Parliament not forget matters that concern ey not please be spent in frivoli- elected from Chennai City, your city and it is up to you ties such as beach beautification ongratulations to all three present them at the nation- or bus shelter building but in Cof you and we wish you a al forum. Too often Chennai some long-term asset such as fruitful five years in your capac- gets short shrift – it is after all sensitisation of people towards ity as elected representatives not the national capital or the waste segregation and water of the people. The tenure may ­financial capital. And for long it conservation? Even a well-co- appear long enough right now has not elected representatives ordinated campaign over mul- but let us assure you that time of the party in power at the tiple media avenues will have tends to fly and before you Centre. Can we hope that you a better effect than putting know it, it will be time for the will be champions of Chennai up ornamental fountains and next elections. And so, we hope in Delhi? temporary bus shelters.­ Think you will spend the time that the before you spend and when people have gifted you most you do, make sure it is for the usefully. Madras Musings, which  by The Editor benefit of the city. can claim to represent at least 4. Can we see MPs of Chen- a small section of the people­ nai setting an example as MPs? of this city, and it has been 2. Can you therefore keep an Agreed that there is a huge representing them for 28 long eye open for investment oppor- ideological divide between you years, wishes you all the best tunities that may come to India and the BJP, made worse by and at the same time, presents and work to ensure that Chen- the fact that the ADMK is a you with a wish list on behalf of nai gets a suitable chance to be junior partner of the latter, but Chennai that was Madras: presented as a viable location? can your dissent be expressed 1.As Members of Parliament True, Industry is a State-subject through the medium of debate, your time will be taken up in and the BJP in the Centre and discussion and dialogue and matters of national importance. the ADMK in the State have a At the same time, you should cosy relationship but that does (Continued on page 3) Reforms needed to reap demographic advantage wo recent news items it evaluates the education sys- basic and important but not Tsum up the state of school tem in each State of the Union enough. Making them work and ­education. Is the news that India to generate competition and deliver the expected benefits is has thrice the number of schools exchange ideas on good prac- the last mile of the marathon. (15 lakhs) as that of China (5 tices. Secondly, it has shifted In the PGI study, States are lakhs) and that Tamil Nadu is the States’ focus to the actual graded in groups instead of rated high on school education delivery of services and its qual- ranking them. Comparison of reason enough for smug con- the rank of a given State from tentment? The answer is in the  by A Special year to year can be misleading Performance Grading­ Index ­Correspondent because its rank depends on the (PGI) Study by the Department­ performance of competitors. A of School Education & Literacy, good improvement by a State, Ministry of Human Resource ity. PGI helps States to iden- for instance, may be shown as Development – a resounding no. tify weaknesses from among having a lower rank because a Installation of physical facilities ­seventy indicators (practices) competing State did even bet- is not enough till schools are for corrective action. ter. Another limitation in the able to equip youth with skills The Report, in effect, says ranking method is that even needed to join the economic that putting up buildings and a single point shows up as a mainstream. appointing teachers are not different level of achievement. The PGI Study is significant enough to make good school on more than one count. First, education. These are indeed (Continued on page 2) C M Y K 2 MADRAS MUSINGS June 1-15, 2019 Reforms in educational policy The Isthmus of T’Nagar he Man from Madras The shops then must have lots of noise. He is also aware (Continued from page 1) schools do not have the advan- TMusings has often heard staged a protest. The admin that the footpath just outside tage of educated parents. So of the expression that it is developed cold feet. In any his office will vanish, albeit PGI measures five domain the basic material to be trained from chaos that order was case such revolutionary ideas temporarily. MMM knows indicators which are Learning is of a different order. The one- born. Sir Theyagaroya Road are never welcome in an elec- that all this will mean put- Outcomes, Access, Infrastruc- size-fits-all grouping of children in T’Nagar appears to dis- tion year. It was decided then ting up with major incon- ture, Equity (among schedule by classes for all subjects makes prove this maxim for here that a road has to exist be- veniences in the next few castes, scheduled tribes, urban, teaching difficult to children of you can see chaos born from tween the two sidewalks. As years but he is happy to make what was once order. Time a consequence, what we now that sacrifice in the interest rural and gender), and Gov- varying aptitudes and learning was when this arterial road have are two huge sidewalks of the city. And that was abilities. Drop-out rates rise as ernance. Performance under leading to Panagal Park was with a narrow passageway for why when some of MMM’s each indicator is compared children move up mechanically a lovely stretch with a broad vehicles in the centre. MMM, neighbours approached him with a scientifically determined from one class to the next, carriageway, sidewalks, and driving down this stretch just with the suggestion that a benchmark. Of these, Learning finding the irrelevance and trees lining both sides. Then a week ago, was powerfully letter of protest be drafted, Outcomes and Governance are boredom of the standardised it degenerated into chaos reminded of the geographic he advised them to desist. of concern. The other three syllabus insufferable. They need with the sidewalks being feature known as an isth- MMM learns that a Metro relate to infrastructure. a different teaching approach encroached upon, the trees mus – a narrow strip of land Station will be constructed Overall, for the country, to address their disadvantage, cut down, vehicles taking connecting two landmasses just outside his office and Governance registers the lowest aptitude and learning speed. An over much of the road space and separating two bodies of he is very happy about it. score of 53 per cent, indicating experienced teacher of fisher and hawkers given the run water. Sir Theyagaroya Road Having become a user of the that in the post-investment folk’s first generation of school of the road overall. Mind is now an isthmus – it con- Metro’s first phase, especially phase monitoring and enforce- going children says that these you, MMM is all for hawk- nects Panagal Park to Mount