The Road to Hell is Paved with Good Intentions

Until about mod 1990s, almost every state govt./politician worth its name was trying to banish English from schools. Fortunately all this has stopped. Lately I have yet to hear any state or serious politician advocating banning English. Thanks to IT/ITES boom.

Regards

Re: # 1
Most, if not all companies in France follow the 35-hrs working week. The most common way used for implementing this is not closing the office early every day, but instead working the same usual hours as before but then giving 1-extra holiday per month. That is why someone not in long-term contact will not see any change in working times of French. But only after long contact, you will realise that they enjoy 12 more holidays per year as compared to Americans.

BD
17.5 hours seems to get down to 3.5 hours of teaching time per day. Was Royal saying that the teachers were moonlighting during these hours or the rest of the time. I couldn`t quite get it.

This is an ill researched article.

`` The third classic example is that Karnataka, a state in Southern India, has decided that English is no longer to be taught as a language in the schools. ``

This is completely untrue. What the author is probably referring to is the closure of thousands of schools in Karnataka that were using English as a primary medium of instruction despite getting a license to operate under the condition that they operate in the local language, viz Kannada. There is absolutely no truth in the assertion that English is no longer to be taught in schools.

Chowk is tunring increasingly into a place where people come to mouth their half-assed opinions and biases under the guise of ``fact`` secure in the knowledge that at least a dozen or so bored desis will come along and turn the proceedings into an entertaining jamboree. Sad.

One normally clocks in and out, and that`s what one uses in the manufacturing industry around the world. The most complicated process, as you identified, is in france and also for the worldwide airline industry. But here`s a recent comment from bbc on this which you will find amusing.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6152366.stm

FAUX PAS?


Segolene Royal

Europe Diary: Royal progress
French teachers are on the warpath after a video tape of a private meeting with presidential candidate Segolene Royal was leaked. She had the temerity to suggest that working a 17.5-hour week wasn`t really good enough. This is teaching time, not preparation time, and she claimed some teachers moonlighted by tutoring and teaching at private schools during these hours.

It will be interesting to see how this goes down with the French public. It`s certainly a reminder she has to keep the left on side, which few British politicians would worry about. While French commentators all seem to label it a gaffe I can`t believe that there aren`t some French parents who will mutter approval.

BD
Do you have any examples of the way in which the various governments try to go around the minimum working-hour problems?
I don`t think it is carried out in most places except government offices. I know people in France who work the same hours that we do. It`s sometimes well in excess of French 35-38 work week.

The English/Kannada thing has been going around in Karnataka for ages. Mostly pushed by politicians whose kids attend posh English medium schools of course.