Game of Words: View vs. Counter View 1.59

IMPACT OF MEDIA

VIEW

    - Brandon D’souza

‘Media’, there is not a day where we go without reading the newspaper or watching the local
news or even checking someone’s Facebook status. Media has been with us through each and
every single day. It is not just a source to entertainment but also knowledge and it keeps one
aware of the things happening at a particular time and particular place.

Distance doesn’t play a factor to communicate a message to someone as one can use the
social media platform and send a message to a guy across borders. And with that we can
also find out sitting in one country what is happening in another country by the click
of a button.

Business people have used media as well. A company can advertise his/her product
through various platforms like the television or social media where they can speak about
the product and by the progress in technology; a consumer can buy a product using these
platforms directly. There are no middleman that leads to a bigger profit margin for
the company.

As an entertainment factor media plays a big role as a family can sit together and switch
on a Television and laugh watching certain comedy shows. They could be entertained by
watching their sports and their movies too. A person can watch shows of different country
and understand different cultures sitting in front of a screen.

Media is a world with no boundaries, it spreads across nations. No one can be made silent
as media gives each and everyone the right to speak. The contribution of media to our
society is endless. And with Media we can change the world.

COUNTERVIEV
- Aman Desai

Firstly talking about social media, the main problem is of addiction to social media. We
spend most of our time in the day on social networking sites and thus this reduces our
concentration in our day-to-day work and also has a bad effect on our lifestyle. Mainly
in teenagers this a very bad habit as they use these sites the most and this also makes
them dependent on technology and they don’t learn anything practically.

Next is that a lot of photos and videos that contain violence, vulgar content etc., are
easily accessible to all the young kids and this spoils them and also leads to a bad effect
on their behavior and also sometimes teens involve themselves in crime related activities.

The next major problem is cyber threat, as these days hacking someone’s account and
getting all their private information and their essential passwords and documents has
become a very common thing.

In magazines and newspapers also, there has been a rapid change in this industry
over the years and this has led to some bad effects. The quality of work and content has
gone down as fewer people are doing more work. Before a reporter’s story would go
through various people like the editor, copy editor etc. and thus the story would always
have a chance of improvement. Nowadays nothing like this is being done.

This has led to a lot of mistakes slipping into the newspapers. A large number of people
are dependent on newspapers for their daily news and this is very bad for the public.
Magazines are easily accessible and mostly read by teens and thus they should be very
informative and educative.
A lot of these magazines have a high impact on the mindset of teens.
Nowadays these magazines talk about relationship tips and all celebrity gossips and news,
and teens tend to try these tips on themselves to.

Coming to television, it is very addictive and especially kids spend a lot of time watching
TV and this has a bad effect on them. There are a lot of movies with violence, which
sometimes have a bad effect on the mental health of a teen, and they also try to imitate
dangerous stunts shown in the movies and also to the vulgar content. There are also a lot
of misleading advertisements shown on TV.

I would conclude by saying that there are various negative impacts of media as a whole.

Game of Words: View vs. Counter View 1.58

ARE CO EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS BETTER
FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF A STUDENT THAN
A SINGLE SEX
EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTION?

VIEW: RITHIKA REDDY

Majority of the parent population have a difficult time deciding whether to place their children in
co-education institutions or in single sex educations. However co education institutions prove to be a
more effective type of education system as it reflects the diversity of our society. Research
also shows that students in co-educational schools grow to be confident in expressing their
views in the presence of members of the opposite sex. Something to be kept in mind is that
men and women have different perspectives on many aspects of life. This is a valuable dimension
that single sex education institutions cannot provide.  

Children of either sex are able to see how differently the other side understands and evaluates
many issues and thereby helps providing them with effective tools to cope with such situations.
Co education schools help to provide better opportunities for students as they interact not only
with members of the same gender but the opposite gender as well. This also helps in providing a
healthy level of competition. It is also noticed that children who are placed in single sex education
institutions have a difficult time working with members of the opposite sex and thereby act awkward
or shy. This in turn reduces the productivity of work.

For both girls and boys, co-education provides a more realistic way of training young people to
take their places naturally in the wider community of men and women. It also helps to break down
the misconceptions of each sex about the other and provides an excellent foundation for the development
of realistic, meaningful and lasting relationships in later life.

Lastly, co education also helps with coping with several social situations. Almost a large percentage of
students who belong to co education institutions say that they find it easier to make friends and also tend
to have a higher self esteem and thus, I would like to conclude by saying that single sex educational
institutions are not as effective as co educational institutions.

COUNTER VIEW: PRANAV ILANGO

There has always been this assumption that students from single sex schools are more
socially awkward and tend to shy away from the opposite gender as they aren't being exposed,  
but I would like to justify this statement by saying that it is nothing  more than a misconception.  
The main ideology behind the establishment of an all boys’ or an all girls’ school is that it allows
for more opportunities to provide social and moral guidance to its respective students and decreases
distractions in learning.  In recent times every person's definition of 'socialising' is all about mingling
with the opposite gender.  But a school is not the only place where one could interact with someone
of the opposite sex as there are various other means, hence that mindset must be rubbed off.  

Personally speaking from my perspective, I have happened to have experienced both as I have
studied in a co educational school as well as an single sex school and I can say that the teaching
methodology and the curriculum activities are made more interesting and resourceful as what
they teach is meant to reach out to minds that are alike and whereas in Co-ed the teaching has to
suit the likes of the students as the gender issue plays the card. Teaching is also made easy as the
teachers are able to employ instruction techniques geared towards a particular gender.  

 A single sex environment is comparatively nice as it is a nice place for building your character and
personality and also in the development of your skill sets as there are no barriers that are being faced
by students from the co educational background.  Hence, it is no such mystery why St. George's
College in Mussoorie and Bishop Cotton Boys' School or Mount Carmel College in Bangalore are
well heard of around the country!

Game of Words: View vs. Counter View 1.57

ARE BOARD EXAMS IN 5th and 8th GRADE NECESSARY?

View

-  Ankita S Gaba



The Indian Certificate of Secondary Education (ICSE) passed a regulation wherein the
students of Classes V and VIII will have to appear for board exams from the next academic
year in addition to the ones held in Classes X and XII. The decision was met with a lot of
criticism as soon as it was announced.
Sanskrit, Yoga and Performing Arts were also added as compulsory subjects which will
ensure that the students not only focus on academics and core subjects in particular, but also
take up other courses which interests them. Though the objection of the parents is justified as it will just add stress among children,
the objective which the Board had in mind cannot be overlooked. One of the major objective of the Board with regard to this move was to ensure
uniform quality in education across all the schools in the country.

 When the papers come from a Central Board, the schools will ensure to maximize the
quality of education they provide. The answer scripts of the students of one school are to
be evaluated by the teachers of another school while will ensure that they are not biased.


Another point to be noticed is that the students will not be involved in passing and
failing but it will merely be a periodic evaluation to have an idea of their progress.
For students not performing well, a remedial will be provided along with the grading
of teachers wherein the methods will be evaluated.
All the schools affiliated to ICSE will have to follow a uniform syllabus from nursery to
Class X which was not the case earlier as the schools had the freedom to decide their own
syllabus until Class X.
Talking about it’s impact on the students, the board exams shouldn’t cause much of a
stress among them as there will be no passing and failing situation but just a check
on their progress.
Moreover, it will enable the students to appear for the future board exams with much
more confidence and will also make it easier for the Board to judge students on the same
parameters as those used by the other schools.
I believe that it is a very good decision on the part of the Board as it will ensure uniformity
in the education provided as the students will not have to struggle with the high level of
syllabus in class X suddenly after being subjected to comparatively easier syllabus which is
usually the case and will help to keep the quality of education provided constant and
standard throughout.

Counter view

- Samika Gulati

Board exams! The two words that instill an unimaginable fear in anybody's mind ,
be it children or their parents.These exams are written by every person at least once
and that one time puts them through so much that they change schools to reduce the
pressure on themselves and those around them.
Having boards for the fifth and eighth grades is just unreasonable.
They are barely teenagers and are still trying to figure out what is right and wrong.
Letting marks decide if they are good enough to finish their schooling is not right.

Fifth graders are going through so many changes of their own and are already stressed
out about that , adding the stress of writing board exams will just overload them with
work and the pressure of doing well will not let them grow and find their own identity.
They will keep trying to live up to their parents and teachers expectations that they will
forget to be their own person first. They are just eleven years old.

Eighth graders are going through puberty and are very aware of things changing
around them. They have just entered their teens and are becoming independent and have started
doing odd jobs for themselves and are growing into young adults. Putting fourteen
year olds through the stress of learning full books for board exams is unreasonable.
By this time they have just started to think about which career/path they want to
pursue in life. Instead of focusing on that , they are wondering on how to ace the boards
and create a good impression on their family , friends and teachers.

Asking fifth and eighth graders to put all of their attention on academics and focus on
nothing else will hamper their all-round development. India's next best writer won't be
able to explore their creativity because he/she is busy studying for board exams.
Academics is not enough of a criteria to promote or fail a child. A very good and
passionate badminton player may never be able to reach his/her full potential as he/she
is not given the time they need to work on their skills.
There is a high rate of suicide among tenth and twelfth graders due to the pressure
they have for doing well in their boards and and the fear of disappointing others. I would
never want fifth graders who are only eleven and eighth graders who are just fourteen to
even think about suicide or anything like it for not being able to study well.

Academics are important but they don't define who you are. So letting them be
the only factor for a child's promotion is not justified. Fifth and eighth graders are too small
to be going through all of this. School is a place to learn new things and improve yourself. Not a place which gives
you so much tension that you feel suffocated.
In conclusion, I personally hate the concept of having board exams for fifth and
eighth and it should be abolished. They have the rest of their life to write exams that
decide their future, they should be able to take school a little easy and be happy. They must
be given enough time and space to discover themselves and be who they want to be without
anyone pressuring them. We should let them be kids and enjoy their childhood.

                                            

Game of Words: View vs. Counter View 1.56

“Could maltreatment rates be lower if more schools were

Coed at early grades?”

VIEW

My views on the above given topic are that yes, it can be quite useful if more schools had Co Education

starting at an early age as it helps the two genders to know each other better and maintain a very

sportive attitude towards each other.

It helps kids to increase their confidence level when they study in the presence of the opposite gender

and not get socially awkward. This method creates mutual understanding among individuals and

warms them up for their future where they would be working with the opposite gender in the

corporate field. This also leads to a very controlled school/university life that helps both male and

female students to behave properly, avoid misuse of language and unethical activities.

With both male and female students attending classes together and participating in class activities,

these students will be able to learn about equality between men and women. When men start

respecting women at an early age they will know their limits as to how to behave in front and

with them.

Co Education in today’s lifestyle can prove to be a major advantage as it can avoid the increase in

maltreatment rates by educating both the genders about changes that will take place in their bodies in

the coming years of their adulthood. It isn’t easy to completely wipe away this social trauma that’s

prevalent but we can most definitely put a halt on the misconceptions and the stigma. Sex education

will help us pave way for this. Schools that provide sex education makes the students more aware

about their surroundings and awareness is the first step. When such values are instilled in them there

will be less of “Boys” and more of “Gentlemen”. In today’s world there’s hardly anything that a

woman cannot do, so men should never think less of them or try hurting their sentiments by

harassing or molesting them.

By Sanmita Bhandary

COUNTERVIEW

Maltreatment is the fourth most common crime in India against women and 98% of the cases were

committed by someone known to the victim, according to the National Crime Records Bureau 2013

annual report.

Children spend most of their time in schools and if the school is a CoEd one, boys and girls have

plenty of time to interact and be with one another. They also tend to usher in relationships easily

when compared to same sex schools. In high school settings especially, sexual harassment is more

prevalent as boys and girls are growing and learning about their bodies and this leads to sexual

experiments.  

In some mixed schools, girls are often teased and harassed by boys from an early age, and this

continues as they grow older. According to the law (section 375 of IPC), even with the consent of the

minor girl for the said act, given with her free will, also engenders “Maltreatment”.

The issue of Teenage pregnancy is also of concern in our society today. It is an obvious part of CoEd

schools. In rural areas, though the schools in which the students study in are CoEd, assault rates are

myriad. This is due to the existence of peer pressure and stereotypical mindset that dwell upon some

people, that make the boys act unethically in order to feel stronger and assert their dominance. I feel

that maltreatment rates will be lower only if more schools are provided with sex education in both

CoEd and same sex schools in order to educate and enlighten the students. The students who are

educated about sexual relationship and reproduction will usually be more careful and alert in the

future and they will know how to differentiate between the good and the erroneous.

By B.L. Kavya Shree

Game of Words: View vs. Counter View 1.55

INDIAN EDUCATION vs FOREIGN EDUCATION

VIEW

    - Kashish Puri

“Education is the manifestation of perfection present already in man”

Educational institutions in different parts of the world work differently. No one system of providing education can be stated flawless. Every one of them have various benefits along with numerous drawbacks. The Indian system of education is no exception.

I strongly support the Indian education system. It is a system that empowers a student to learn more. The students are made to learn a set of selective subjects till the 10th grade. It gives them a broader view of everything in and around them. Not every student has an opportunity to learn about various phenomenons in depth. Once a student is wise enough to decide upon their future, they can choose from wide array of subjects. The selective subjects taught in the institutions earlier on are science related which helps the students build a strong educational base that may be applied in all streams of education, be it art, commerce or science. The subjects help the students be more practical and analytical.

The Indian education system specifically specializes on the particular subjects chosen by the students and the programs are well suited to the student’s interests. The programs primarily focus on the basics required to master the subjects, later on the intensity of the chosen subjects’ increases giving scope to a wider knowledge. Not only the preference of subjects but various other things make this exceptionally good.

The Physical education periods, the integration of music, art and crafts in the limited hour of the school timings make learning less stressful and more enjoyable. Adding on, an early realization of the talents among the children gives a scope of perfecting the art right from the beginning.

The above listed points make me a firm believer of the Indian education system.

COUNTER VIEW

    - Abha Priya Anand

What is education?  According to Wikipedia education is the process of facilitating, learning, or the acquisition of knowledge, skills, values, beliefs, and habits.

Now if you look at all these terms in a detailed manner, it would make us question ourselves. Have we actually acquired all this? Has education in India taught us these things? I would say NO. The Indian education system has only imparted us with textbook knowledge. It has always told us what is right and what is wrong but never really justified it for us.

Now, when we look at the foreign education system, students are given much more exposure and have a wide range of subjects to choose from. The whole curriculum is exactly the opposite of the Indian education system. Many countries outside India make sure that education is more practically oriented rather than just theory.

Another important comparison that can be made is the fact that in India, most of the students are exposed to peers with the same cultural background. Whereas outside India, there is a mixed culture. This helps students to be open minded and much more accepting. The last and the most important comparison that I would like to make is job opportunities.