Admission into medical colleges is like an agnipareeksha even to the most motivated teenager.  Even after securing admission, obtaining good quality education remains a dream to many others.  Before entering the IAS, I was trained to be a physician and had to endure a similar procedure. Now, I am deeply concerned by the state of our medical colleges and the quality of education imparted to our medicos.

Lakhs of candidates are appearing for the Railway Recruitment Board (RRB) exams in our city alone.  You must have heard about the sea of humanity that assembles at the Secunderabad station seeking these jobs.  There were nearly 11 lakh applicants for 2,700 positions that need a minimum qualification of eighth standard. Many of the applicants had bachelors’ or master’s degrees and are clearly over-qualified for such jobs.  Their plight is obvious.

Consanguineous marriages were, and continue to be, a common practice among Indian families. Marriage partners were decided soon after the birth of the children. The families and the children were all mentally conditioned and nobody cared to think otherwise and the few who dared were ostracized. The offspring of such incestuous marriages were usually born with birth defects. Gradually over the decades, with education and exposure this practice has largely disappeared among the enlightened sections. But the bulk of our population still practices it due to sheer ignorance.

This is examination season. As winter ends, all talk is about the syllabus, examination, marks and grades. The kids are petrified. We see many young sleepless faces weighed down by the burdens of school education. Parents are even more worried, enquiring from friends and relatives about the best available options for their children’s future.