Fake medical colleges:

A few days back I read an important notice from Tribhuvan University and the Nepal Medical Council regarding the fake medical colleges in the country. A few such colleges are said to be running regular classes without the required permission from TU or NMC. This is a serious matter as it concerns the future of hundreds of those students who are enrolled in these colleges. MBBS is an expensive course and guardians have difficulty arranging for the money to enrol their wards for this course. The authorities concerned should check the practice of some unscrupulous elements of cheating unsuspecting students Then there is the lack of necessary equipment for practical subjects in medical colleges. The students must get all the facilities. If need be, the government should pass a strict law regarding the governance of medical colleges.

Pranav Gautam, Kathmandu

Confusion:

I am totally confused about the news “Gurkhas in for 10 pc pension hike: GAESO” published in THT on January 10. The information given in the news does not seem to be entirely correct. The average annual pension increase over the past few years has been around 10 per cent. Last year it was only three per cent — an exceptional case. Those who suffered the most were the locally engaged civilians (LEC) who did not receive any increase in spite of inflation. This never happened while I was employed as one of them for 11 years, and I cannot think of any motive behind such a move because the annual increase is based on inflation that is examined by the Pay Review Team that comes from the UK, and inflation has not gone down in Nepal. I believe that it was a spontaneous act on the part of the UK Treasury. I, however, agree on one point with Major Deepak B Gurung that it would be unjust for the majority of the Gurkhas if there were discrimination in pension vis-à-vis pre/post July 1, 1997 status, and human rights bodies would then regard this policy negatively.

Captain (Retd.) K B Rai, via e-mail

Save them:

It was distressing to read the news “Airport sees kill-jackal drive in full swing” (THT, Jan. 10)which tells of the bid to kill jackals around the vicinity of the Biratnagar airport. Is it fair to kill

animals in the name of saving aircraft from damage? Even if permission has been obtained from the authorities, it is inhumane to kill the already endangered species of the country.

If the aircraft have to be protected from possible danger from the jackals, the solution is to erect a tall wall surrounding the airport to prevent the jackals from entering the tarmac. It is

humans who have actually encroached on the natural habitat of the jackals, not the other way around.

Hari Devi, Boudha

More IT:

On many occasions your readers have pointed to the lack of news and articles relating to information technology (IT) in your newspaper. Cyber science, for instance, is a major area of study and has gained importance over the years. It would be beneficial for the readers if THT had a separate column to cover this area. The write-ups can be as simple as explaining tips and tricks of using the Windows.

Sushant Lohani, via e-mail