From Teacher's forum

Yesterday,it was a healthy attempt in our culture to discuss about HIV/AIDS. The boldness of those five citizens were exemplary and deserves our respect for having taken that step and talking about it in an open forum. While most of us are aware about the dreadful disease, we have been more or less, too narrow in our thoughts about it. Ours is a country ruled by the higest number of the most educ...ated parlimentarians in the world, it is only natural mandates that we take extra steps ahead and show our neighbours small lessons. Elsewhere, AIDS patients are shunned from most of the public aspects but here in our small country, we have tried to put forward our theory of peaceful co-existance with whatever forms of life that intimately sorround us. The talks that were organised yesterday by the BBS would go a long way in trying to educate our Bhutanese audience. Listening to them, it looks as if some of us have been blindly traumatising "them" and discarding "them" due to social stigma associated with the AIDS.
Well, by now, some of us are regretting for turning our blind eyes to "them". They are as humane as you and i are, the least we can do is, try and help them lead normal lives. Infact, AIDS, according to the studies, can remain undiagnosed for almost 20 years, while most of the lucky patients can still survive a decade even after the diagnosis! Supposing i get infected with it at 40(touchwood!), i might still grow white hairs and survive side by side with my contemporaries to live upto 60 years. BY then, most of you might be dead! The point i am trying to state is, one can still lead normal lives with AIDS. You and i should know this and respect our patients and treat them as our neighbours, not as an outcast! Thank you,Mr.Dawa, for taking those bold efforts in your seat as a reporter.
And hello teachers, did you hear about class six board exam today? I could only get the information about the change in timetable yesterday afternoon. By then students have gone to their homes. The managers in my school tried to contact each student and notify them about the change(Social studies, students were preparing for maths!). As i reached school early, i had to ward off number of tearful queries they asked me. "Sir, we didnt get the time to study", the told me in an accusing chorus. One of the girls, who also is very good in the studies havent even heard the change in timetable till she reached the school this morning. They informed me that she was crying. I went to her and these small kids followed me as if i could lift off her tension into thin air. "So, you didnt hear the change", i asked her trying to be as peaceful as a holy Lama. "No sir", she sobbed."Nga lu dhi ga ge ya ma labb". Her friends rolled their eyes onto me. I wud melt i thought! "Dont you worry, Sumitra. I would teach you", i whispered to her. Honestly so!

This is what happens in MoE, no wonder about it!

Good night friends.