Tragedy and The Common Man Essay Example for Free

Tragedy and The Common Man Essay Quote: â€Å"I believe that the common man is as apt a subject for tragedy in its highest sense as kings were. On the face of it this ought to be obvious in the light of modern psychiatry, which bases its analysis upon classific formulations, such as Oedipus and Orestes complexes, for instances, which were enacted by royal beings, but which apply to everyone in similar emotional situations. † – Arthur Miller In Arthur Miller’s essay â€Å"Tragedy and The Common Man† he explains to us what he considers to be tragedy and what a tragic hero is today. He debates that in order to be a tragic hero the hero doesn’t need to be a king or have any noble background and instead, the common man can be considered a tragic hero as well. Arthur Miller justifies that the tragic flaw is when a tragic hero refuses to accept anything that may affect their personal dignity. Arthur Miller’s ideas on tragedy are precise and can be applied to a various number of tragedies seen throughout media. In the movie â€Å"A Time to Kill† Jake Brigance one of the main characters is a lawyer who decides to defend his African American friend Carl Lee after he is charged for killing two Caucasian men who previously raped his eleven year old daughter. The setting of the movie is in a very racist community therefore when Jake decides to defend Carl the tragedy begins. In the movie Jake encounters many obstacles one of the first of them being when his wife and child are forced to leave because their safety is not guaranteed in their community anymore. Brigance can simply drop the case and have his family stay with him however he decides to stick to what he believes in is right and allows his family to leave. Throughout the movie you can see that Jake is becoming very lonely not having his family by his side but he pushes those feelings. At one point in the movie Jake loses his house due to a racist colt also known as the â€Å"K. K. K†. While Jake is at work the colt decides to burn down his entire house unaware that his only family he has left which is his Dog is in there. Once Jake comes home to see that his house is severely damaged he slips into a state of denial and refuses to believe that his only companion he has left may have died. In the movie scene you can see that Jake is struggling so much he begins to doubt himself. â€Å"Were going to lose this case, Carl lee†¦ I want to cop a plea, maybe Buckley will cop us a second degree murder and we can get you just life in prison. Jake could have decided not to defend Carl Lee and to allow any other lawyer do to the job but he refused to accept the fact that the court could allow an eleven year old girl to be victimized and not have any justice served because of the color of her skin. In the book â€Å"Rome Juliet† Romeo and Juliet experience tragedy because of accident and bad luck, the unfortunate fact that Friar Lawrences letter never gets to Romeo in Mantua. Miller says that in order to be classified as a tragic hero you must be willing to lay down your life in order to keep your dignity and Juliet does this. O happy dagger! This is thy sheath; there rust and let me die! (Juliet). When Juliet does not receive the letter form Friar Lawrence and thinks that Romeo is dead she realizes that in her battle to get what she wants she has lost and therefore lays down her life for Romeo. This shows that Juliet a child who wasn’t royalty suffered just as much as someone with a noble background would suffer if they were going through the same issue. I can speak about tragedy and being a common man because at one point in my life I’ve experienced it. Last year in grade ten I was diagnosed with a tumor on my thyroid. When the doctors told me I had a tumor on my thyroid they explained to me that they were unsure if it was cancerous or not. For two weeks I had to wait for the results during those weeks I had this fear following me around and all I could think about was whether I had cancer or not. I went through several tests. After all my results from the test came back the doctor explained to me that my tumor was benign which meant it was not cancerous but the problem was it wouldn’t stop growing. It grew to the point it seemed like I had an Adam’s apple. The only choice I had was to cut out the tumor or take pills which could control it however I would have to take the pills throughout my entire life, the pills were expensive. I decided to get the surgery done instead and I now have this very large scar on my neck. As you can see I also experienced tragedy when I was diagnosed with the benign tumor. Common men can be tragic heroes as well regardless of the reputation or the status they hold. Tragedies are not meant for just people with high positions or everyday people who would read or watch media that had to do with tragedy wouldn’t be able to comprehend it. Everyone suffers some type of tragedy in their life which allows us to understand tragedies much better.

Human Resource Management Essay Example for Free

Human Resource Management Essay The key to transform a great business idea into reality. Every business concept has a hand in hand relation with the manpower who will drive various aspect of the business. Unless the human resource and various aspect of it is not understood and utilized appropriately the success of business Competency and Its Mapping Competence (or competency) is the ability of an individual to perform a job or any given assignment properly. A competency is a set of defined behaviors that provide a structured guide enabling the identification, evaluation and development of the behaviors in individual or group of employees. Various kind of competency was understood and based on this an individual or group of individual may be assigned a job. At the same time I got an opportunity to assess my personal competency and how it may be shifted to expert level i.e. I was not very comfortable with sudden changes in the course action suggested by my senior – dealing with non clear instruction use to disturb me. But now I have understood that this is a part of job as one grows up in the corporate structure. And will have to manage such situation with better competency. Recruitment The process of recruiting an individual for some known set of job is also one of the important take away from this course. This refers to the process of attracting, screening, and selecting a qualified person for a job. The process to achieve competency in all the above mentioned skills was discussed in the course and it gave a fairly good idea on how to manage. Training and Development Training and development is the field which is concerned with organizational activity aimed at bettering the performance of individuals and groups in organizational settings. A well trained employee is the most valuable asset to the organization – as he is capable of executing most of the process desired by the respective individual. Important Legal Aspect In Reference to Indian Labor law. The legal aspect in the context of Indian labor law – we got acquainted to some of the important laws which we must know as managers. This is for our benefit, the benefit of the group, company, society and the nation at large. The bellow mentioned acts were very informative. ââ€" ª Industrial Disputes Act 1947 ââ€" ª Trade Union Act 1926 ââ€" ª Factories Act 1948 ââ€" ª Employee’s Provident Funds Misc. Provisions Act 1952 ââ€" ª Employees’ State Insurance Act 1948 ââ€" ª Maternity Benefit Act, 1961 ââ€" ª Payment of Gratuity Act 1972 ââ€" ª Employees’ Compensation Act 1923 Although the take away in this course cannot be documented fully but I have pointed out few of them which was important to me. The take away will be demonstrated in the time to come by the way it is implemented in the real and practical situations. HR audit on Appraisal System HR audit is the systematic verification of various aspect of human interaction with the concerned job. This encompasses job analysis and design, recruitment and selection, orientation and placement, training and development, performance appraisal and job evaluation, employee and executive remuneration, motivation and morale, participative management, communication, welfare and social security, safety and health, industrial relations, trade unionism, and disputes and their resolution. HR audit is very much useful to achieve the organizational goal and also is a vital tool which helps to assess the effectiveness of HR functions of an organization. It gives an idea that the organization is aligned to the organizational vision, mission and goal or not. In reference to this assignment I have done audit of â€Å"appraisal system and its linkage to pay for performance† Appraisal System and Pay for Performance The purpose to do this audit is to examine and pinpoint strength and weaknesses related to HR areas – like appraisal system and Pay for performance system to enable an organization to achieve its long-term and short-term goals. This audit is done for my own organization. Few suggestions for improvement are also added. The present Appraisal system The job role is clearly explained and is quantified. The performance is rated as A+ , A, B+ , B and C. The one who exceed in achieving the goal this will get A+ and so on. The one who gets A+ will be rewarded monetarily for display of great performance which exceeded the given target. Rest all will not be financially rewarded. This happens every quarter and finally at the end of financial year. Management felt it needed to use pay-for performance as an additional inducement either to achieve particular goals, to reinforce learning and/or team behavior in semiautonomous teams, and or to compensate for an increase in span of control due to de-layering. In this assignment I will try to point out the negatives of this kind of appraisal system Negative points Everyone is concerned for their target and tend to ignore the following. Specifically, they motivate employees to focus excessively on doing what they need to do to gain rewards, sometimes at the expense of doing other things that would help the organization. 1. The senior many time fails to inculcate employee motivation towards their individual achievement goal – which in turn is a component of immediate senior goal. i. Hence fails to inculcate the charm of achieving challenging but doable goal. 2. There is a quota of number of person who will get recognized for excellent performance. Corporate budgets for bonuses often limit payout. i. That in other terms means the achievement of goal is not the only measuring parameter. There are several more differentiating factors which decide that the individual will get recognized or not. ii. This sometime becomes non motivating factor in the mid of the evaluation course when an individual realizes that the recognition is based on the ability beyond the achievement of target. iii. Managers can lose commitment to the pay system if it pays out more than anticipated due to problems in payout standards and if there are changes in performance standards due to changes in technology and organizational arrangements and unanticipated learning curves. iv. It is changing circumstances that make it difficult for managers to sustain links between pay and performance in a way that will avoid perceptions of unfairness and inequity. Such perceptions can undermine the perceived link between pay and performance so important to sustain its motivational power. 3. There is no formal discussion with the HR representative during the appraisal. i. Which leads to inappropriate focus of personal development from HR point of view. In other words, rather than assuming that there are universal best practices for pay-for-performance, it may be that what is effective for a particular organization depends on some unique aspects of its culture, and one must, therefore, be cautious in generalizing from one organization to another, even within the same industry. To ignore employee discontent with the pay system would mean undercutting the high-commitment culture. Suggestion for changes 1. Discussion on the goal with the individual – monthly, quarterly as well as half yearly and finally annual. 2. The recognition of performance should be based on the attitude and genuine motivation towards achievement of goals set during the above discussion. 3. Appraisal should be done in presence of HR representative and immediate supervisor. 4. Many times the individual does not know why he is being asked to do any specific job and is unable to see the bigger picture i.e corporate strategy, competitive strategy and functional strategy. And hence the individual does not feel himself inclusive in the overall process. 5. Apart from the specific goals of the company – there must be a focus on the personal skill, knowledge and attitude of the employee. There must be a discussion on the training need and requirement. This will strengthen the most valuable asset of any organization. 6. The pay for performance should not be limited to little number of persons. It should be distributed in form of slabs to all. 7. High commitment can only be created if employees develop an emotional attachment to the task, management, and the company. This in turn can only be developed if they feel fairly treated. And, this in turn is a function of how much voice they have in issues that affect task performance and their well-being. 8. The recognition of performance should not be based on the skills other than the professional need.

The Electoral Evolution In The Island Of Mauritius Politics Essay

The Electoral Evolution In The Island Of Mauritius Politics Essay This introductory chapter projects a clear idea about the central issue of concern in the research. The reasons for this particular investigation are also elaborated. A full statement of the research aims and objectives, based on the stated research problem is included. The chapter ends with a brief of the structure and content of the remaining chapters of the dissertation. 1.0 Overview Section 1 of the Constitution of the Republic of Mauritius states that Mauritius shall be a sovereign democratic State which shall be known as the Republic of Mauritius. Section 2 defines that the Constitution is the supreme law of Mauritius and if any other law is inconsistent with this Constitution, that other law shall, to the extent of the inconsistency, be void. Mauritius is a constitutional parliamentary democracy, based on the Westminster model, which consists of the President and the National Assembly. Elected on a First-Pass-the-post system, at an interval of 5 years, during the General Election, the Assembly makes provision for 70 candidates on 20 constituencies. (The Constitution of the Republic of Mauritius) However, this model has been often subject to critics. Michael Duggett (2009), in his thesis about the Westminster Model, states that this model is one-dimensional, simplistic and has weakened as well as privatised. Rod Rhodes (2005) expressed his opinion saying that the model is hollowed-out. This might be a cause which is affecting the level of voter turnout in Mauritius. 1.1 Scope of the study In this study, I propose to study the different causes of abstention at the General Elections and the policies that can be adopted to reduce this phenomenon. This research relates to the island of Mauritius only and therefore does not include Rodrigues and the other outer islands. Research Title The research title is: A study of the causes of voting abstention at the General Election in the Island of Mauritius. Definition of voting abstention Abstention occurs when an eligible voter does not cast a ballot during an election process. It has been observed that many countries are suffering from a high abstention rate due to the citizens low participation during elections. 1.3 Problem statement An  election  is a formal  decision-making process  by which a population chooses an individual to hold public office while vote is a citizens civic duty; however there are some people who abstain from voting for several reasons. Since our representative democratic model relies on citizen participation in elections, less participation means less representation, therefore, less people who decide for everyone else. Falling turnout is often seen as a mark of disengagement, if not of actual disaffection (Norris 1999) The General Elections of year 2005 and 2010 will be used to show the issue; that is, a rise in voting abstention. Table 1 below shows the rate of abstention at the General Election during the year 2005 and 2010. A detailed analysis of the statistics is given in Appendix A: The rate of voting abstention in year 2005 and Appendix B: The rate of voting abstention in year 2010. Table 1: Rate of abstention during year 2005 2010 General Election Year No of Registered electors No of voters % of voters Abstention Rate 2005 793449 644069 81.17 18.83 2010 875356 658441 75.22 24.78 Average Rate 78.05 21.95 Source: Electoral Commissioners Office 1.4 Research Aim The main aim of the study is to analyse the causes which are decreasing the rate of turnout in the Mauritian General Election. 1.5 Research Objectives The objectives of this research are as follows: To calculate the level of abstention and the evolution thereof during the General Election of year 2005 and 2010; To identify the factors which are likely to affect the decision of Mauritians whether to abstain or to vote; To find out the policies that can be adopted to alleviate this problem of voter abstention. 1.6 Structure of the dissertation CHAPTER 1 introduces the issue of voting abstention, the actual electoral system in Mauritius, the right to vote under the Mauritian Constitution, the scope of the study, the research title, the statement of problem is identified, the research aim and the research objectives are pointed out and finally the structure of the dissertation is elaborated in details. CHAPTER 2 focuses on the political system and its evolution since 1810 before adopting the actual system. CHAPTER 3 provides a literature review which analyses the different causes that could affect voters from abstaining. CHAPTER 4 encompasses in detail how the research has been carried out and comprises all relevant information regarding the research methods to meet the objectives of the study. CHAPTER 5 provides a discussion of results and findings from the survey which has been carried out. Each aspect of the questionnaire had been analyzed and interpreted. CHAPER 6 provides a conclusion and some recommendations for the benefit of policy makers and administrators and other people interested in this field, together with a conclusion. 1.7 Chapter Conclusion This first chapter has helped to set out an overview about the topic under investigation. The scope of the study is worked out before giving way to the research aims and objectives. Finally the structuring of the whole report has been elaborated. CHAPTER 2: THE ELECTORAL EVOLUTION IN THE ISLAND OF MAURITIUS 2.0 A Historical Background The Island of Mauritius has been consequently conquered by Arab Sailors, Portuguese, Dutch, French and the British. The Arab sailors were the first who visited the island which was named as Dina Arobi. The Portuguese came in year 1507, followed by the Dutch during the year 1598 who renamed the island as Mauritius. In 1715, the French took control of the island and renamed it Ile de France. Ile de France was formally surrendered to the British, on the 3rd December 1810, where the islands name was reverted to Mauritius. During their abdication, the French was allowed to keep their land and property and to use the French language and law of France in civil and criminal matters on the island. (Prisheela Motee, The library Congress, South Travels, Oracle, Encyclopaedia 2007, Electoral Institute for Sustainable Democracy in Africa) 2.1 Electoral System Mauritius has experienced a number of electoral systems since 1810 before adopting the actual system. The electoral system of Mauritius is based on the majority rule and government stability as it comprises of a fair representation of the population. The choice of government is made by citizens. (Prisheela Motee, The library Congress, South Travels, Oracle, Encyclopaedia 2007, Electoral Institute for Sustainable Democracy in Africa) 2.1.1 One Man One Rule (1810-1886) During 1810-1886, Mauritius was under the British Colonial Rule whereby the governor was enjoying all the law-making and decision-making process over Franco-Mauritian elite. It was a one man one rule policy. In 1825, Mauritius obtained its first Constitution under which a Council of Government, which consisted of 4 top officials: Chief Justice, Chief Secretary, Commander of forces and Collector of Customs, was set up. Later, in 1885, the Constitution was revised and enlarged to make room for elected representatives. The new Council of Government provided 27 members, including 10 elected members, on a restricted franchise. (Prisheela Motee, The library Congress, South Travels, Oracle, Encyclopaedia 2007, Electoral Institute for Sustainable Democracy in Africa) 2.1.2 First-Pass-The-Post-System (FPTP) (1886-1958) Year 1886, welcomes Mauritius first General Election (G.E) under the British Rule. The G.E was limited to wealthy property owners, who constituted only 2 percent of the adult population; that is, out of 365,000 inhabitants, only 12,000 of which all were men, could vote. 2 out of 10 elected members were from Port-Louis and 1 from each 8 districts. Under the 1885 Constitution, Mauritius was divided into 9 constituencies and each constituency elected one representative and Port-Louis, the capital, in relation to highest number of population returned two candidates to the legislative. The elections were held during nine days: from 11-20 January; and were based on the first-past-the-post system. Traces of the 1886 Constitution, can be found in the actual electoral system as the FPTP has been prevailing in Mauritius whereby the candidate receiving the highest number of votes were elected. Due to World War II, G.E could not be held during 1939-1945. The second G.E was then held in 1948, after that the 1886 Constitution was replaced by a new one, which allowed all those above 21 years old who could sign their name in any of the following languages: English, French, Creole, or any Indian languages, to vote through FPTP. Out of 419,000; 72,000 inhabitants, including 12,000 women, were registered electors. Following constitutional conventions held in London in 1955 and 1957, the ministerial system was initiated and G.E was held on 9th March 1959. Voting took place for the first time on the basis of universal adult suffrage and the number of electors rose to 208,684. (Prisheela Motee, The library Congress, South Travels, Oracle, Encyclopaedia 2007, Electoral Institute for Sustainable Democracy in Africa) 2.1.3 London Agreement (1956-1957) Due to Mauritius multi-ethnic society the issue of an ideal electoral system has been a real concern. Since 1956, there was a need for a proper representation of the citizens in the Parliament. In the first London Agreement in 1957, the concept of Proportional Representation (PR) in the system was bluntly rejected. The agreement was supposed to eradicate communal ideology and encourage a system based on political parties not religion. The citizens wanted an ethnic reassurance where PR could prevailed in the National Assembly. The Mauritius Labour Party (MLP) under the successive leaderships of Dr Maurice Cure and Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam persistently struggled not only for universal suffrage and responsible Government, but also a ministerial form of Government, a decrease in the number of nominees and an increase in that of elected members, changes in the composition of the Executive Council, the appointment of a Speaker and the majority party leader to be styled Prime Minister. During the 1955 Constitutional Conference which was held in London, the MLP requested some constitutional changes. The London Agreement envisaged nomination of maximum of 12 nominees to ensure fair representation. The right to vote was franchise to both sexes over the age of twenty-one and symbols were introduced to facilitate uneducated voters. The number of electors rose to 207,000 at the 1957 elections. (Prisheela Motee, The library Congress, South Travels, Oracle, Encyclopaedia 2007, Electoral Institute for Sustainable Democr acy in Africa) 2.1.4 Trustram-Eve Recommendations (1957) In year 1957, Sir Malcolm Trustram Eve; member of the London Agreement, recommended a 40 single-member constituency system along with the FPTP system. This implies that there is no need for a majority overall to win over a seat. The year 1957 had launched the Ministerial system where the elected candidates were able to decide upon policy issues in many areas. The Ministerial system comprised of nine ministers out of whom six were elected and three nominated. Despite the fact that it was not a fully elected body, the island had its first representative body and the Executive Council was chaired by the Governor. Trustrams recommendation was to ensure ethnic and communal representation in the legislative. The nominees are the ancestors of the best loser system. In 1964, in view of not upsetting the population, the governors did not increase the number of nominees. (Prisheela Motee, The library Congress, South Travels, Oracle, Encyclopaedia 2007, Electoral Institute for Sustainable Democracy in Africa) 2.1.5 Banwell Report (1966) The Banwell Report was initially based on the Trustrams-Eve recommendations. Part of Mauritius actual electoral system is based on Banwell Recommendations. Banwell Commission was set up after the proposals made for an electoral system, at the Lancaster House Conference of September 1965, failed. Banwell then proposed the followings: 20 constituencies returning 3 members in Mauritius and 2 members in Rodrigues. A division of the population for electoral law purposes: Hindu, Muslin, Chinese and the General Population. Use of FPTP in theory and the three pass the post in practice. 5 constant best loser seats to be filled as soon as results of general election are official so as to overcome the problem of under representation. Candidates chosen as best losers should secure largest number of votes among the defeated candidates belonging to the under-represented community and 10% of the general votes. Any party receiving more than 25% of the total vote and less than 25% seats in Parliament would be reallocated to bring its share to 25%. The last proposal was rejected by the MLP, then Stonehouse; MLPs friend, was called as a negotiator. (Prisheela Motee, The library Congress, South Travels, Oracle, Encyclopaedia 2007, Electoral Institute for Sustainable Democracy in Africa) 2.1.5.1 Stonehouse Modifications Stonehouse modified the 5 constant correctives to the 8 best loser votes. The variable correctives and the 10% votes were also rejected. The first 4 best losers seats were to be allocated to parties belonging to under presented communities irrespective to party affiliation .The community for the first 4 best losers is obtained by dividing the population of each of the communities by number of seats obtained by that community in general election plus one. The second 4 best losers were allocated on party and community basis. (Prisheela Motee, The library Congress, South Travels, Oracle, Encyclopaedia 2007, Electoral Institute for Sustainable Democracy in Africa) 2.1.5.2 The final proposal and actual electoral system The final proposal and the actual electoral system is based on Banwell recommendations and modified by Stonehouse. There are 70 members in the parliament ,60 out of the 70 are directly elected through FPTP in 20 constituencies with returning 3 candidates each and Rodrigues 2 candidates as shown in the table below. The remaining 8 are the best losers chosen by the Electoral Supervisory Commission immediately after results of general elections. This structure has been basically maintained up to now. (Prisheela Motee, The library Congress, South Travels, Oracle, Encyclopaedia 2007, Electoral Institute for Sustainable Democracy in Africa) 2.1.6 Independence The 1967 election brought a milestone in the history of Mauritius. About 90% of the electorate voted. PMSD fought against independence while MLP fought for independence. PMSD was defeated and MLP won 39 seats by obtaining 54% of the national votes. Mauritius acceded to the status of independence on the 12th March 1968. The first parliamentary election which took place on the 20th December 1976 amended the right to vote. Those aged 18 and above could vote. Out of 462,034, 170,000 were new eligible voters. The first general election after independence was an electoral victory. It was the first time that a single party alliance; Mauritian Militant Movement (MMM) and Parti Socialiste Mauricien (PSM), won all 60 seats. Subsequently, the contribution was altered to guarantee that legislation elections occur every five years. Parliamentary by-elections were also reinstated. (Prisheela Motee, The library Congress, South Travels, Oracle, Encyclopaedia 2007, Electoral institute for sustainable democracy in Africa) 2.1.7 Westminster Model The Constitution of Mauritius provides for the Parliament of Mauritius to consist of the President and the National Assembly. The Parliament of Mauritius is modeled after the Westminster system of parliamentary democracy, where Members of Parliament are voted in at regular general elections, on the basis of a first past the post system. (Official site of the Republic of Mauritius-The Parliament) The Westminster System guarantees the separation of the legislative, executive and judicial powers. Political power rests on the Prime Minister and the cabinet. Sixty-two members of Parliament are elected every five years by universal adult suffrage and all major political parties are represented in Parliament.   The Legislative Assembly became the National Assembly. The Governor General was replaced by the President of the Republic. The latter is elected by the legislative upon the recommendation of the Prime Minister. (Dukhira, 2002) CHAPTER 3: REVIEW OF LITERATURE 3.0 Introduction A vote is an electorates act of voting, whereby voting is the civic duty of every citizen. It is the starting and the ending point of every democracy. In general, the voting system allows electors to select a candidate or a party. The citizens participation in election is important for democracy. If citizens do not have a hand in political things (especially elections) democracy is exposed to weakening risks. (Pasquino, 1983). Citizens derive a direct benefit from fulfilling this duty. However, it is indeed serious because some citizen abstains from their civic duty. The decrease in the rate of voter turnout has been constantly observed. It is contended that voter turnout and voter abstention are closely related to one-another. These two factors will be used interchangeably throughout this study but as opposites of each other. Poole and Rosenthal (1997) argue that the decision to vote or to abstain can be formulated with the equation: R=P (B)-C+D where R is the net reward from voting, B is the material benefit brought about by voting, P is the probability that ones vote makes a difference, C is the cost associated with voting, and D is the fixed benefit of voting. Electors will abstain if the perceived benefits of abstention will exceed the perceived costs. This can be formulated by an equation: R= (P (B))-(C+D))>0. On the other hand, Corey Brettschneider (2007) claimed that: mutual respect, equality or autonomy, are the core substantive values associated to the right to vote. These values should make the right to vote worth being enjoyable and exercisable, rather than the other way round. Riker and Ordeshook (1968) introduced the citizen duty notion to explain the issue of voter turnout. This literature review addresses the causes, factors leading to a decrease of voter turnout and an increase in voting abstention. 3.1 Voter Abstention Abstention occurs when an eligible voter does not cast a ballot during an election process. It has been observed that many countries are suffering from a high abstention rate due to the citizens low participation during elections. Abstention is a real concern and a challenge for politicians, who must persuade the public of the need to vote, according to Seddik Chihas of the National Democratic Rally (RND). (Ademe Amine, 2012). Abstention shall not be compared with blank vote where an eligible voter purposely spoils a vote by marking it wrongly or by marking anything at all, whereby abstention is when the electorate does not vote at all. 3.1.1 Un-informed electors According to Arianna Degans and Antonio Merlos study in 2004, who votes and for who people vote determine the outcome of the elections. It is of high importance for candidates during elections to ensure the participation of their citizens and as well as their voting decisions. Abstention occurs when there is a lack of information about the candidates, (Arianna Degan and Antonio Merlo, 2004), who make the wrong decision or the wrong choice. This can be costly to the elections where a wrong candidate might be elected. Some electors might also feel unmotivated to vote due to a feeling of uncertainty towards candidates but when a citizen is well informed about his civic duty and the electoral candidates, he will definitely participate during elections and vote for the right candidate. 3.2 Voter Turnout Voter turnout is the percentage of eligible voters who cast a ballot in an election. Eligible voters shall not be compared with the total adult population because some adults are not eligible to vote. Voter turnout is an essential quality of fair election and is considered to be a necessary factor for a healthy democracy. Low turnout is generally accredited to disengagement from the system because of perceived efficacy of voting in altering policy decisions. Consequently established democracies with free elections usually have higher turnout than other states. Understanding voter turnout Voting turnout has often been used to judge the evolution of democratic countries, (Scot and Barbara, 2005). The act of voting depicts the preference of the citizens as this show the extent to which the citizens are actually interested in being represented.(Fair Vote Canada; Lijphart, 1996) However, low level of participation is being noticed on behalf of eligible voters. This is due to disenchantment, indifference, or contentment. As such a poll with low turnout is not reliable, because it does not show what the whole country wants; it shows only part of the citizens will. For example, an elector may have abstained from voting because her favourite party had no chances of attaining representation. Different countries have very different average voter turnouts. Low turnout can be expressed differently. For example, in developed countries, the young and the poor are the abstainers. However, India which comprises of an electorate of more than 670 million people, the contrary is found. The poor, who comprises of the majority of the demographic, tend to vote more than the rich and the middle- class, and turnout is higher in rural areas than in urban areas ( D.Gupta, 2004) 3.2.2 Socio- economic factors Citizens participate politically when their level of wealth and education increases because they are more informed and has a feeling of efficacy. This leads to a higher political participation (Lijphart, 1997). According to Ioannis and Phil (2005), sociologist argues that the political behaviour, the identification with a partys values and peoples interest to vote are affected by the socio.economic characteristics. Turnout is higher among those with higher income, those of higher education, white -collar workers, whites, men, middle-aged , older voters, those with closer community ties, those married and the members of organizations. In developing countries, to maintain security and economic development in case when things are bad, citizens tend to vote in great numbers (Radcliff 1992; Fornos et al.2004) Cultural Factor The educational level and the wealth of the country affect turnout but these are not reliable measures as in countries like Europe, in spite of the fact that it is wealthy and have a high rate of literacy, the level of turnout is found to be low. Despite the fact, that countries, like those in Europe and Latin America have a newer democracy, they do not have the cultural habit of voting. The eligible voters do not have the sense of civic duty, which takes time and certain social conditions to develop. These social conditions developed by G. Bingham Powell are: trust in government, the degree of partisanship among the population, interest in politics, and belief in the efficiency of voting. Political Factor Crewe et al. (1992) traced four factors associated with turnout irregularity: being young, having recently moved home, the type of housing tenure, and, marital status(single or divorced). These factors are inter-correlated but they have an independent effect on turnout. According to Crewe et al. (1992), isolation from personal and national networks resulted in a lack of political information or pressure to vote, thus, lowering turnout due to a lack of motivation. Weak or absent party emerged as another important source of irregular voting (Crewe et al, 1992). According to their study, the identification of age and strength are inter-dependently related to voter turnout. A lack in the government performance also carries a negative impact upon turnout. Strong political competition and ideological cleavages between parties tend to increase turnout (Dalton, 1988). Institutional Factor Institutional factors have a significant impact on voter turnout. These variables are classified into three categories: Electoral rules, Perception of the effectiveness of governing institutions, Mobilization. Electoral rules Variables in electoral rules include compulsory voting, registration rules and voting age. Compulsory voting Compulsory voting increases turnout because once voting is made mandatory, people follow the rule irrespective of the punitive sanctions for non-voting (Lijphart 1997). However, in Venezuela and the Netherlands compulsory voting has been rescinded, due to a decrease in turnout. On the other hand, Paraguay having a compulsory voting system imposes payment of a fine and ineligibility for elective office for a prescribed period. Colombia and Nicaragua also have compulsory voting. In Greece voting is compulsory; however there are practically no sanctions for those who do not vote. In Belgium voting is compulsory, too, but not strongly enforced. Registration rules Automatic and compulsory registration often leads to a low turnout because even those who are not eligible, as stated below in the case study: The Republic of Mauritius: Disqualified voters, are on the registration list which gives false survey. Conversely, an election where registration is voluntary or requires a personal initiative ought to be associated with higher voter turnout, because the institutional obstacle of registration has already been surmounted. (Payne et al, 2002) Voting age Voting age has been found to be positively associated to voting turnout as younger citizens are less exposed to politics (Wolfinger and Rosenstone, 1980) and are less likely to vote as older voters. Compared to the youths, the older generations tend to have the sense of civic duty. Older people vote more than youths. The act of voting is also seen as part of the young people coming-of-age ritual. 3.2.5.2 Perception of the effectiveness of governing institutions Variables in the governing effectiveness category include the number of political parties, the relative power of the lower house, federalism or the centralization of the government, and concurrent elections. These variables may affect voters perceptions of the effectiveness or the policy of the powers of the elected officials. The number of political parties Jackman (1987) argues that multi parties lead to coalition building to policy ambiguity and compromise. It is expected to reduce the probability of legislative majorities and worsen executive legislative cooperation which may lead to rendering the electoral process less consequential. The relative power of the lower house This unicameral legislature has to adopt the majoritarian policy to be more effective. This is supposed to render voting to be more meaningful. The centralization of the government Centralized government is more effective, efficient and decisive. Jones (1997) argues that federal political arrangements create new electoral dynamics. The federalism variable is ought to capture longer ballots, which are believed to reduce turnout and the presence of unique local election laws that may deter voting. Concurrent elections Concurrent election means the instances when presidential and legislative elections are held at the same time. Concurrent election is supposed to increase voter turnout as it is expected to contribute to the perception that the election is more relevant. 3.2.5.3 Mobilization Institutional variables in the mobilization category include district magnitude and electoral disproportionality. District magnitude As district magnitude increases political parties have more incentives to retain all seats found in a particular district (Powell, 1986). With a smaller pool of candidates or political parties competing for votes in the district, the distribution of patronage will be more visible and more certain which is ought to result in greater voter mobilization. Electoral disproportionality Electoral disproportionality occurs when parties receive electoral support that does not translate into representation in the legislature in which case, votes have been wasted (Burnham 1987). Wasted votes are found to be associated negatively with voting turnout as parties have less of an incentive to turn out to vote. 3.2.5.4 Salience Mark. N. Franklin (1997) argues that salience is the effect of a vote of an eligible voter over a country. Salient issues are politically important as public opinions are likely to structure party support and voting behaviour and form the subject of political debate. Voters perceptions of fairness impact on salience. Citizens will not cast any ballot if they feel that the election is not worthy, corrupted and determined by fraud thus relating to low voter turnout. Gender Abstention For ages, gender inequality has been prevailing. Women were considered to be inferior to men. Women were confined in a more private sphere leaving men in a public one, especially in politics due to a combination of psychological and sociological causes. If we refer to classical literature, we shall see how women were kept away from the social aspect of life. Women roles in the society were to be a mother, a wife, a sister or a friend. This practice has prevailed for years. There is only a minority of women who participates in the society. However an analysis at the end of 90s in 19 centuries (Norris et al, 2003) confirmed that Norway had a female participation rate significantly higher than men, in Germany, Great Britain and Spain men and women abstention rates were very close, and in all countries there was an invasion in the youngest ages, female children vote more than their mothers. Voter Fatigue Voter fatigue tends to lower turnout. This occurs when participants do not find any interest to cast a ballot. They get bored and reject participation. This may be due to frequent election. Eileen Park, a journalist, reported on 31 March 2012 that voter fatigue might be a cause to influence the public not to vote though being at the eve of the GOP (Grand Old Party) Presidential Election in Wisconsin. The public were no more motivated to vote. Voter Suppression Voter suppression is used as a stratagem to influence the outcome of an election by

Biblical Errancy :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Biblical Errancy   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  People for years have been debating against each other to prove the Bible to be inherent or to be errant. Errancy is a deviation from the truth or what is right. There are many different types of errors expressed throughout the Bible such as transational errors, doctrinal errors and contradictions. How could any book be without error? That would be practically impossible, so in this paper I will prove the Bible to be very errant because of many facts shown.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  First, I am going to talk about one of the most important concepts in Christianity, original sin, which is the belief that all mankind has inherited a sinful nature brought about by Adam and Eve. In Romans 5:12 it says, â€Å" Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.† Which means that since Adam sinned everybody else who lives on this Earth has sinned, because of him. Also, in Romans 5:19 it states, â€Å"For as one man’s disobedience many were made sinners†¦,† and in 1 Corinthians 15:22 it says, â€Å"For as in Adam all die,†¦Ã¢â‚¬  No reasoning can make an inherently unjust idea seem right. Punishing billions of people for the acts of one is not only inherently unfair; but also opposes other Bible verses such as: Deut. 24:16 â€Å"The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, neither shall the children be put t o death for the fathers every man shall be put to death for his own sin.† That verse says that you won’t be punished for somebody else’s sin. Also in Ezek. 18:20 states, â€Å" The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him.† That verse also says that when you sin you will be the one punished, not somebody else for your sin. Original sin makes as much since as if I was sitting at home one evening and the police came over and arrested me because my aunt from Germany robbed a bank.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Here is a very clear contradiction. This concerns whether God repents or not. Num. 23:19 â€Å" God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent. Biblical Errancy :: essays research papers   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Biblical Errancy   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  People for years have been debating against each other to prove the Bible to be inherent or to be errant. Errancy is a deviation from the truth or what is right. There are many different types of errors expressed throughout the Bible such as transational errors, doctrinal errors and contradictions. How could any book be without error? That would be practically impossible, so in this paper I will prove the Bible to be very errant because of many facts shown.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  First, I am going to talk about one of the most important concepts in Christianity, original sin, which is the belief that all mankind has inherited a sinful nature brought about by Adam and Eve. In Romans 5:12 it says, â€Å" Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.† Which means that since Adam sinned everybody else who lives on this Earth has sinned, because of him. Also, in Romans 5:19 it states, â€Å"For as one man’s disobedience many were made sinners†¦,† and in 1 Corinthians 15:22 it says, â€Å"For as in Adam all die,†¦Ã¢â‚¬  No reasoning can make an inherently unjust idea seem right. Punishing billions of people for the acts of one is not only inherently unfair; but also opposes other Bible verses such as: Deut. 24:16 â€Å"The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, neither shall the children be put t o death for the fathers every man shall be put to death for his own sin.† That verse says that you won’t be punished for somebody else’s sin. Also in Ezek. 18:20 states, â€Å" The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him.† That verse also says that when you sin you will be the one punished, not somebody else for your sin. Original sin makes as much since as if I was sitting at home one evening and the police came over and arrested me because my aunt from Germany robbed a bank.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Here is a very clear contradiction. This concerns whether God repents or not. Num. 23:19 â€Å" God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent.

Free Essays - A Farewell to Arms as Historical Romance :: Farewell Arms Essays

A Farewell to Arms - Historical Romance The novel "A Farewell to Arms" should be classified as a historical romance. Many people in reading this book could interpret this to be a war novel, when in fact it was one of the great romance novels written in its time. When reading this book you notice how every important event of the war is overshadowed by the strong love story behind it. The love story is circled around two people, Frederic Henry and Catherine Barkley. Frederic is a young American ambulance driver with the Italian army in World War I. He meets Catherine, a beautiful English nurse, near the front of Italy and Austria. At first Frederic’s relationship with Catherine consists of a game based on his attempts to seduce her. He does make one attempt to kiss her, and is quickly slapped by an offended Catherine. Later in the story, Frederic is wounded and sent to the American hospital where Catherine works. Here he finds a part of him he has never had before, the ability to love. This is where his feelings for Catherine become extremely evident. Their relationship progresses and they begin a passionate love affair. After his stay in the hospital, Frederic returns to the war front. During this period, Hemmingway heavily indicates the love Frederic has for Catherine. It is evident that Frederic is distracted by his love for Catherine. During a massive retreat from the Austrians and the Germans, the Italian forces become disordered and chaotic. Frederic is forced to shoot an engineer sergeant under his command, and in the confusion is arrested by the Italian military police for the crime of not being Italian. Disgusted with the Army and facing death, Frederic decides he has had enough of the war; he dives in to the river to escape. After swimming to safety, Frederic boards a train and reunites with Catherine. She is pregnant with their baby. With the help of an Italian bartender, Catherine and Frederic escape to Switzerland, and plan to marry after the baby is born. When Catherine goes into labor, the doctor suddenly discovers that her pelvis is too narrow to deliver the baby. He attempts an unsuccessful Cesarean section, and she dies in childbirth with the baby. To Frederic, her dead body is like a statue; he walks back to his hotel without finding a way to say goodbye, seemingly lost forever.

Catcher In The Rye :: essays research papers

Summary "The Catcher in the Rye" is a story of a young sixteen year old boy named Holden Caulfield. Holden is telling this story in first person. Holden is a student of Pency Prep an all boys school in Pennsylvania. The book starts in a rest home in California. Holden flashback to four days before the beginning of Christmas vacation. Holden is going to pay a visit to Mr. Spencer, his history teacher. Mr.Spencer is sick in bed suffering from the grippe. While there Mr.Spencer talks to Holden about his poor grade on his last examination paper. That Saturday Holden and his friend Mal Brossard, who is on the wrestling team , go to see a movie. They invite Ackley out of sympathy because he never does anything Saturday night. After the boys finnish playing pinball. Holden goes back to his room to write a composition for his roommate Stradler. When Stradler comes back from his date with Jane Grallagher, a girl that Holden has a crush on, he doesn't like the composition. Holden and Stradler argue, then Holden punishes Stradler. Holden loses the fight. Holden goes to Ackleys room to talk, but Ackley doesn't want to talk so Holden leaves to look for Mal Bossard. Holden starts to pack his bags after he decids not to look for Borssard. He walks to the train station because it is too late for a taxi. While there he cleans off the blood from the fight with some snow. He catches a train to New York. On the train he meets a woman who is the mother of one of his classmates. Holden is attracted to the women so he starts to lie about himself. When he arrives in New York he get a room in the Edmont Hotel. Holden is thinking of staying in the hotel until Wednesday when he can go home. It is still Saturday night and Holden is bored so he goes to the club in the hotel. The waiter will not serve him alcohol. At the next table there are three women who are giggling at him. Holden asks the ladies to dance. Holden find out that the ladies are from Seattle, Washington. After the ladies leave the club Holden gets bored because there are no drinks are and no girls, so he leave. In the lobby he sits down in a chair and thinks about Jane Gallagher.

Indian Education Essay

A strong education system is the cornerstone of any country’s growth and prosperity. Over the last decade, India has made great strides in strengthening its primary education system. The District Information System for Education (DISE) reported in 2012 that 95% of India’s rural populations are within one kilometer of primary schools. The 2011 Annual Status of Education Report (ASER), which tracks trends in rural education, indicated that enrollment rates among primary-school-aged children were about 93%, with little difference by gender. However, behind the veil of such promising statistics, the learning outcomes of India’s children show little progress. The country ranked 63 out of 64 in the latest Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) study, with some of its best schools ranked about average among those surveyed. The 2011 ASER stated that only 48. 2% of students in the fifth grade can read at the second grade level. The number of students completing their primary education with inadequate numeracy and literacy skills is startling. To see this manifest in an economic sense, one may attribute India’s productivity growth — lagging behind that of East Asian economies — to a lack of progress in the foundational elements of countrywide, high-quality education. India’s private-schooled, English-speaking urban elite may attract global attention, but they are in the minority. The vast majority of Indian children attend government-run primary schools in rural areas. In 2008-2009, rural India accounted for more than 88% of India’s primary-school students, of whom over 87% were enrolled in government-run schools. This is where we see some of the nation’s toughest challenges. A Diverse Set of Problems India’s education system has not achieved strong learning outcomes for reasons that are as diverse and nuanced as the country itself. Key among these reasons is poor teaching quality, which results from a multitude of factors. Inadequate Teacher Qualification and Support: Teachers working in primary schools across rural India have a difficult job. Dhir Jhingran, a senior civil servant in the Indian Administrative Service, with more than two decades of experience in rural primary education, explained the multiple challenges they face: â€Å"Teachers have to teach multiple grades, textbooks are pitched far above the comprehension level of students, and each classroom has children with different levels of learning achievements. † Anurag Behar, CEO of the Azim Premji Foundation, an education non-profit, noted that â€Å"the average school teacher in India does not get adequate pre-service or in-service education, nor does she get the support to overcome these problems. † Compounding this is the relatively low educational qualifications of many teachers themselves. In 2008-2009, on average, 45% of these teachers had not studied beyond the 12th grade. Low Teacher Motivation and High Absenteeism: A key factor affecting the quality of primary education appears to be low levels of teacher motivation. In 2002-2003, 25% of primary-school teachers in rural India were absent on any given day. The impact of absenteeism is exacerbated by the fact that the average primary school in India has a workforce of no more than three teachers. At a school for girls in rural Rajasthan, we observed this problem first hand: Of the eight teachers assigned, only five were present. The three who were actually teaching were juggling eight different grades. The obvious reason — remuneration — does not appear to be a driver. In fact, both education experts and ordinary citizens argue that government-employed school teachers are paid relatively well. UNESCO surveys from as early as 2004 indicated that the annual statutory salary of primary school teachers in India with 15 years’ experience was more than $14,000, adjusted for purchasing power. This was significantly higher than the then-statutory salaries of $3,000 in China and Indonesia, and the Indian GDP per capita in 2004, which was $3,100. Indian primary-school teachers may not be underpaid, but some argue that they may be overworked. For Vivekanand Upadhyay, a seasoned educator and language professor at a leading national University, one reason for the lack of motivation is that â€Å"primary school teachers employed by the government, particularly in rural India, are required to perform a wide range of duties completely unrelated to imparting education. † These duties — including administering government programs such as immunization clinics, assisting with data-collection for the national census, and staffing polling stations during elections — in addition to their teaching responsibilities, place significant demands on teachers’ time. Another disheartening factor has been a highly bureaucratic administrative system that discourages bold decision making and makes implementation difficult. For example, as Jhingran observed, â€Å"it is difficult to test new practices on a small scale before rolling them out: If a new program has been developed, the philosophy is that every school must have it. † Such indiscriminate application often means that teachers are implementing programs without understanding their key principles and ultimate goals. Flawed Teaching Methodology: In India, rote learning has been institutionalized as a teaching methodology. â€Å"Primary school teachers in rural India often try to educate students by making them repeat sections of text over and over again,† said Jhingran. Often they do not explain the meaning of the text, which results in stunted reading comprehension skills over the course of the children’s education. For example, many students in grades two and three in one particular school struggle to read individual words, but can neatly copy entire paragraphs from their textbooks into their notebooks as though they were drawing pictures. Linguistic Diversity: Finally, India’s linguistic diversity creates unique challenges for the nation’s education system. The country’s 22 official languages and hundreds of spoken dialects often differ considerably from the official language of the state or region. Jhingran commented that â€Å"the teacher not only has to account for varying learning abilities within the classroom, but also dialectic nuances which affect students’ comprehension of the subject matter. † Government-school-educated children from rural India struggle to speak even basic sentences in English. â€Å"Students with rural primary schooling are at a significant disadvantage as they transition to higher education, because India’s best universities teach exclusively in English,† said Upadhyay. Part of the problem is that there is no one to teach them. As Chandrakanta Khatwar, an experienced middle school teacher in a rural government-run school in Rajasthan, asked: â€Å"When teachers themselves know little English, especially spoken English, how will students learn? † A Parallel, Non-governmental Education Universe Since the late 1980s, government efforts to augment rural primary education have been supplemented by the emergence of an intervention-based non-governmental system that spans multiple institutional types. While private schools have emerged as a parallel system over the last two decades, their impact is limited because they serve less than 13% of India’s rural primary-school children. However, do private schools really make a difference? Some studies have found a small, but statistically significant, â€Å"private school advantage† in rural India. Behar was skeptical about the superiority of private rural schools over their government-run counterparts, noting, â€Å"Once we control for a child’s socioeconomic background, private schools add little-to-no value. In many ways, private schools are in much worse shape. † However, according to Khatwar, â€Å"more and more parents in small towns are choosing to send their children to private schools if they can afford it† — perhaps with good reason, because, on average, the number of students in each classroom in private schools is often smaller and school heads exert greater control over teachers. Some organizations are attempting to innovate with new formats and systems of education. Avasara Academy, a new school for girls, is a private institution whose mission is to mold leaders from among the best and brightest girls in India, regardless of their background. While admission is merit-based, the school intends to draw half its students from disadvantaged rural and urban backgrounds, awarding them full scholarships. In addition, it is developing a special curriculum that encourages excellence beyond academics. â€Å"Avasara seeks to identify high potential young women and guide them along a powerful journey of leadership development. We expect that our graduates will form a network of leaders who will collaborate to drive positive change across the country,† explained Mangala Nanda, humanities department chair for Avasara. While still in the early stages of its development, Avasara’s successful implementation would provide a viable model for high-quality, accessible education and integration across socioeconomic boundaries. Governmental Efforts The Indian government at every level recognizes the need for educational reform and has made a conscientious effort to achieve it. The midday-meal plan, for example, is a highly publicized nationwide program through which government school children across India are provided with a midday meal every day of the school week. The program is largely considered a success. A study in 2011 by Rajshri Jayaraman and Dora Simroth found that grade one enrollment increased by 20. 8% simply if a midday meal was offered. According to Behar, â€Å"The Indian government has worked very hard to provide rural schools with adequate infrastructure, something that was critically lacking a few decades ago. † For instance, DISE reported in 2012 that more than 91% of primary schools have drinking-water facilities and 86% of schools built in the last 10 years have a school building. However, there is still a long way to go: Only 52% of primary schools have a girls’ toilet, and just 32% are connected to the electricity grid. In 2012, the Central Government enacted the Right to Education (RTE) Act, under which every child between the ages of six and 14 receives a free and compulsory education. In addition to regulating access to education, the act contains certain provisions that could positively impact the quality of education. According to Jhingran, one of its major achievements has been â€Å"the dramatic reduction of non-teaching duties assigned to government school teachers, freeing up valuable time and lowering absenteeism. † Partnering with the Government Over the past few decades, many organizations have begun working with government schools and teachers to improve learning outcomes. Pratham, a joint venture between UNICEF and the Municipal Corporation of Mumbai, runs multiple programs to supplement school education, such as learning support classes, libraries and additional learning resources. A hallmark of these initiatives is that Pratham engages volunteers from local communities and trains them to run these programs. Another important initiative that has resulted from Pratham is the annual ASER, an assessment that measures reading and arithmetic abilities by surveying more than 600,000 children across 16,000 villages in India. This remarkable exercise in data-gathering constitutes the foundation for informed decision-making and benchmarking. Other initiatives address teaching quality by placing specially trained teachers in government schools. Teach for India, modeled after the Teach for America program, was introduced in 2006. Young, motivated Indian college graduates and professionals apply for two-year fellowships to teach at government-run and low-income private schools that lack sufficient resources. An important distinction of Teach for India is that instruction is, by design, always in English. As Mohit Arora, fellowship recruitment manager for Teach for India, noted, the organization’s philosophy on this point is that â€Å"learning English is essential to future success, as English in today’s world is more than just a language. It is a skill set. † Students who do not speak English may have some difficulty initially, but the organization has made learning at these schools experiential and therefore engaging. The dynamics of one particular grade 3 Teach for India classroom were in stark contrast to other classrooms at the same school — students were listening intently, contributing in class, answering questions beyond the textbook and demonstrating a strong command over English. The challenge is scaling this model to rural India. Still other organizations focus on capacity development of teachers in government schools, such as the Azim Premji Foundation. As CEO, Behar is categorical in his view that the foundation â€Å"works in partnership with the government,† and that it â€Å"does not believe in supplanting the government school system. † The foundation has established scores of institutes at the district level that provide in-service education and also empower teachers to learn from each other. For example, Behar described a voluntary teacher forum in a district of Rajasthan, initially organized by the Azim Premji Foundation, but now being run increasingly independently by teachers in the district. The Future of Primary Education in India Education in India has improved dramatically over the last three decades. Schools are accessible to most children, both student enrollment and attendance are at their highest level, and teachers are adequately remunerated. The RTE Act guarantees a quality education to a wider range of students than ever before. However, challenges in implementing and monitoring high standards in teaching and learning outcomes across regional, cultural and socioeconomic subsets prevent India from fully achieving this goal. In addition, teacher support and scalability of high-performing teaching professionals in disparate areas, funding allocation for schools in remote districts and limited use of technology in the classroom remain barriers to reforming primary education. India’s growth story remains one of the most anticipated global economic trends, and its fulfillment relies on a well-educated and skilled workforce. Improving education is a critical area of investment and focus if the country wants to sustain economic growth and harness its young workforce. A weak foundation in primary education can derail the lives, careers and productivity of tens of millions of its citizens. Already, a significant proportion of the adult workforce in India is severely under-equipped to perform skilled and semi-skilled jobs. As Rajesh Sawhney, former president of Reliance Entertainment and founder of GSF Superangels, noted, â€Å"No one is unemployed in India; there are just a lot of people who are unemployable. † Furthermore, in order to develop India as a consumer market of global standards, it is imperative that all of its children reap the full benefits of a high-quality education. Otherwise, large segments of the population in rural India will continue to have low purchasing power, find themselves in highly leveraged scenarios and, more often than not, continue to make a living through agricultural means. While some of this can be attributed to deficiencies in secondary and tertiary education, the root of these issues lies in low-quality primary education.