Traffic Jam & Scholastica
Nazmus Saquib Notre Dame College, Dhaka
This is in reference to the letter by Ms. Itrat M. Rahman, Management Staff of Scholastica, published in The Daily Star on 12 October 2005. She wrote that as all other schools have no parking zone, then why would people expect Scholastica to have a car parking lot? She has suggested us to think from the Bangladeshi perspective, as all other schools are not providing parking space. But this is totally unexpected from a School like Scholastica because its fees are too high to bear for the parents. Parents are in some cases paying much more than American & English schools charge. So certainly they do expect some extra facilities from Scholastica for this 'extra' money! * * *Ms. Itrat Rahman found it rather convenient to deflect her own school's fault by pointing out that other schools are guilty of not having parking spaces either. Citizens of Dhaka city suffer equally due to jams outside Viqarunnesa, Holy Cross and Sunbeams but that does not mean one has to bring in their names while complaining against Scholastica. Neither can Scholastica have the opportunity to defend itself simply by stating that "Others are guilty too" just as a thief cannot excuse himself by saying that there are other thieves around. Further, Ms. Itrat accuses Mr Anis Rahman of making demands that are only suitable in America or England. I beg to disagree. If you can charge tuition fees that are affordable only by Bangladeshis who live an 'American' or 'English' life (people from Gulshan and Dhanmondi etc.), then you can also build a car park. Finally, one fails to see how Scholastica manages to invest so much in nice buildings but stops short of building a car park. Was it due to lack of funds? That would be rather hard to believe given the exorbitant tuition fees charged from its students. One wonders what other activities are given priority over building of a basic facility such as parking lot. Mishal Ahmed University of Dhaka * * *The Management of Scholastica (October 12) reckons that as the traffic jams near other schools are just as beastly, it's quite alright to have those monstrous jams around their school as well. Well let us hope the ideals and standards they inculcate among the students at Scholastica are driven by more enlightened reasoning. Mizanur Rahman Banani, Dkaka
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