MAILBOX

The 9 to 5 Conundrum
A lot of industry leaders say they are not being able to find enough qualified candidates to hire. The declining quality of university education is a matter of grave concern. Students must start preparing themselves for the job market long before they graduate. There are some basic things every student should  learn—communication skills, good manners and the ability to write in Bangla and English. I think it is an informative story that will helpful to a lot of job-seekers.
Shahriar Ali
Dhanmnondi, Dhaka

Is being born a hijra a sin?
My heart goes out to Miss Maya in the story titled Freedom published on January 23, 2015. When I was an intermediate student of Chittagong College, I met some hijras begging for money in Chalkbazar. I was afraid of them because people told me all sorts of bad things about them. After I had got myself admitted into Dhaka University, I read an article about them. Then I realised their suffering. Now I feel ashamed of my bad attitude to them. I want to do something for them. I think the government should give them opportunity so that they can get proper education in the mainstream institutions. And we, the general people, should change our negative attitude to them and accept them as normal people. Being born a hijra is not his or her fault. So we should not hate them or laugh at them.
Faijun Nahar Ema
Department of English
University of Dhaka

Photo: Prabir Das

They are our assets
Transgender people are not different from us. They have every capability as we do. They are not supposed to beg. Our society makes them to beg. Their families hate them; make them leave home. It's wrong. They should be raised as other children, be educated like others. Previously women were treated as burdens. But women proved the society wrong. I think, it's high time we prove our society wrong again. I loved the story of “Village flute” of the Star magazine about Transgender people published on January 23, 2015. I want to thank The Star team and the writer.
Md Sumon Mia
Bijoy Ekattar Hall
University of Dhaka

Being human first
I was deeply moved by the concluding sentence of the well-written article: We have to be civilised before we try to be 'democratic'.
Naznin Khan
Baridhara, Dhaka

Know Thy Food
Good eating habits are the key in maintaining and improving our health regardless of age, gender, occupation, or location. Of course, staying active plays an important role in our life, but eating the wrong kind or quantity of food could jeopardize our health. Therefore, having good eating habits are far more important than just staying active to maintain a healthy lifestyle. That's the point the cover story [January 16, 2015] makes. For instance, rice is our staple food so we should remember to preserve the nutrition of rice while cooking it.
Naznin Sultana Niti
Dhaka University

Respect yourselves
Suchitra Sen and other actresses of her generation carried themselves with much dignity and honour. But when we look at today's actresses from the Bangla Film Industry, we feel ashamed. The young actresses of today seem to be busier giving rise to scandals than sharpening their acting skills. They have to learn to respect themselves as women first. Then they will command respect from the audience.
Likhan Biswas
Intermediate 2nd Year
Saint Joseph Higher Secondary School, Dhaka

Corporal punishment must stop
It saddens my family and me beyond words to think that after four years there is still a need for a campaign to abolish corporal punishment in our schools.
What is wrong with our school system? What is wrong with our teachers? More importantly, what is wrong with a society that permits the future of Bangladesh to be mercilessly beaten at the whim of a teacher? Teachers must have some degree of intelligence and compassion for the few hours they are in the classrooms in order to prevent the unnecessary damage, pain, hurt and suffering to the most vulnerable members of our society.
We whole-heartedly agree with respected foreign friend of Bangladesh Sir Frank Peters when he says 'the damaged children of today are the broken adults of tomorrow'. Corporal punishment to children owes its roots to tradition and religion gift-wrapped in ignorance. It's a curse that's been handed down from generation to generation without anyone pausing long enough to ask why and seeking a better way to discipline a child.
Those who relied upon the adage 'spare the rod and spoil the child' for justification of their despicable behaviour towards our weakest, most vulnerable members of society, have been proved wrong.
As Sir Frank points out, in Hebrew the word “rod” is the same word used in Psalms 23:4, 'thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me.' The shepherd's rod is his tool of trade used to encourage, guide, and discipline the sheep towards taking a desired direction, NOT to beat, hurt or damage them.
Teachers who give children corporal punishment should be fired, jailed or both.  
Dr Raju Sattar and Family
Farmgate, Dhaka