The Congress?s recent comment on banning opinion polls before elections has set the cat among the pigeons. The rationale for such a ban, it has been regularly argued, is the unscientific or motivated approach of the pollsters. The 2004 and 2009 Lok Sabha elections and the last assembly elections in Tamil Nadu were cited as instances where these polls got most of their predictions wrong, thus proving how unscientific they are. Therefore, the conclusion that these opinion polls influence voters seems a bit far fetched. The very fact that the pollsters got it wrong proves that, no matter what their predictions, the electorate has a mind of its own. It only shows that the electorate is now mature and not swayed by such efforts. Claiming otherwise is to give the pollsters more credit than they deserve.
R Chopra, New Delhi
Learning standards
This refers to the editorial ?Right to Education? (FE, October 28). The Annual Survey of Education Report (ASER) reveals that the standard of education at primary levels is deteriorating fast after the implementation of the RTE Act though the number of students increased. A study by Karthik Muralidharan of the California University and Venkatesh Sundarrajan of the Worldbank states that primary students taught by para-teachers do better than those taught by permanent teachers. So recruitment of contract teachers has been suggested. Para-teachers are accountable to local committees. Permanent teachers are accountable to corrupt bureaucracy. Difference may owe to administration of education. Another cause may be new evaluation system. Many people think that the system is unsuitable for our country. Education is a living process. Scope of experimentation and adaptability with changing society is required. This cannot be done by para-teachers.
MK Mahapatra, Pune
