Actor Jacqueline Fernandez forayed into Indian television

IIPM Prof. Arindam Chaudhuri on Internet Hooliganism

You last saw her as the adorable alien in 'Jaane Kahan Se Aayi Hai'. Actor Jacqueline Fernandez recently forayed into Indian television as a judge for wild-card entries for "Signature MTV Making the Cut 2". The Sri Lankan beauty queen, who has mesmerised people across countries, took some time out to speak with Anu Gulmohar about movies, television and more.

You’ve been quite a globetrotter – Sri Lanka, Bahrain, Australia and now India. Which place do you really feel at home?

Every place that I move to, I always make it feel like home, and I always make friends. I think that because I’ve moved around so much, I’ve been able to make every place cosy and just like home. The closest to my heart is, of course, Sri Lanka where I have all my family and cousins, but other places like Bahrain, Australia, India also have very special place in my heart.

You’ve done modelling, hosted television shows and acted in films. Which has been the most challenging of all?

Definitely movies have been the most challenging. It’s the most time consuming for one, you’re also most focussed during the shoots. I think to some extent, acting does come naturally to me because I do feel quite confident in front of the camera. But on the other hand there is a lot of work, a lot of thought that goes into it. You have to know your camera angle, your lighting. Your focus and attention is really important when it comes to acting and that’s something that needs to be worked on.

You judged wild card entries on “Signature MTV Making the Cut 2” recently. Tell us more about it. Well, in the wild card entries anyone could fill a form and participate, and two male models, two female models and two designers were picked from all the entries. It’s a fun round because usually people just apply randomly and join, so you get quite interesting people. And there have been some very good finds as well. I’ve had quite a few favourites among the participants. They’ve got a lot of potential.

Will we see you becoming a more regular celebrity on Indian television in the coming months or will it be just this one show for MTV?
I don’t know. I really enjoyed my time with MTV and "Making the Cut", and I do love television, it’s something I started off with (in Sri Lanka). Maybe I will get back to it and will do a bit more stuff on TV as well.

You will be doing a Tamil film “Mankatha”. How well do you speak Tamil? Will we see you doing more regional cinema in the future?

My father speaks Tamil, it’s a little similar to Sinhalese. It’s a little difficult to speak about “Mankatha” because the producers haven’t officially announced the project. Yes, absolutely, I will be doing more of regional cinema. Cinema is cinema, whether it is international, Hindi or Tamil. I’m pretty much open to all of them.

You’re involved with empowering underprivileged people. Tell us about the work you have been doing.
I’m a brand ambassador for Habitat for Humanity and they basically work on rehabilitating people, who need homes. It is based on a certain concept that homes are not just given but you got to work for it. So, a lot of volunteers pitch in and help people build their own homes.

In all honesty, if you weren’t a beauty pageant winner, would you still have been concerned with social issues?
Well, I’m not still competing for a crown!

Which is the best advice you’ve been given in your life?
To always remain true to yourself. I gave myself this advice!

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The Kerala high court has called the bluff of aided and government schools in the state,

which have, for decades, been fleecing the exchequer by 'inflating' their student strength and hiring teachers for a price

The management and teachers of aided schools in Kerala were in for a shock on October 15. A division bench of the Kerala High Court directed the state police to enumerate the number of students in these schools and submit it to the government before the yearend. Justice C N Ramachandran Nair and Justice K Surendra Mohan passed the directive on an appeal by the Parent Teacher Association, SNV Upper Primary School, Thalikulam, Thrissur district.

The bone of contention was the staffing pattern fixed by the Director of Public Instructions’ super cell for 2008-09 in accordance with the strength of the students present in the school. During two surprise inspections, the investigation team had found that the list of 180 students studying in this school was bogus. The management approached the high court and the court ordered a police investigation. This investigation found that only 72 students of the 180 were genuine. The rest were either studying in other schools or could not be traced. The directive was based on this report.

The managements of the aided schools were caught napping. They ran helter-skelter rummaging the pages of judicial reviews and scanning the log books of state educational rules in an attempt to stymie the ramifications of this ‘judicial overreach’. There are allegations that government schools also play such tricks for maintaining the pupil strength.

To understand the domino effect of these orders that will undoubtedly upset the apple carts of the school managements that were having the cake and eating it too over the decades, one has to flip back the pages of history. It all happened in the early decades of Independence – there was a mass agitation, with teeming students at its vanguard, demanding in an unequivocal voice a uniform fee structure, whether in private or in government sector.

Eventually the crafty managements agreed provided the government pay teachers. The state government, overflowing with ideas and ideals of socialism, swallowed the bait hook, line and sinker.

From then on, the school and college managements in Kerala have had a field day. The teachers, lecturers and even the administrative staff would be appointed by the managements and the government would generously pay their salaries and even their pensions. The appointments were supposedly based purely on merit. But Mammon guided the choices. The more the merrier. The rate for a primary school teacher's post is around Rs 8 lakh!

The government treasury leaked profusely and the private managements got fatter and fatter. The family planning mission paid rich dividends as the population growth nosedived. Added to this was the new demand among parents for excellence in education and this was not something that the aided and government schools could provide. They could be provided with excellent salaries, but excellent education was not their forte.

And as the more discerning parents made a beeline for CBSE and ICSE schools, the classrooms of the aided and government schools became more and more empty. Children became the most sought after commodity. One student less would mean a fall in number of divisions. A fall in number of divisions would mean a fall in number of the teaching staff. The writing on the wall could not be ignored. Imminent shutdown stared the schools in their faces. It was obvious the division fall would affect a school's income.

And so the beginning of every academic year was a season of unabashed hunting. On the day of reckoning, the day the official from the education department rides in like a conquering general, cartloads of children, hunted and cornered from the neighbourhoods, would be lifted to fill the classrooms. That this is being done every year, in every corner of the state is an open secret. Every politician worth his salt, every administrator, and every idealist who swears by his ideals knows it. But nobody wants to touch it. For nobody wants to get their fingers burnt.

The division bench of the Kerala High Court has done exactly that. They have touched a raw nerve. It pains. It bleeds. Paid pundits and vocal mercenaries are screaming at their shrillest. They have to, for it is a question of their very existence. As Santhosh Nair, a school teacher from mid-Travancore, said succinctly, “It is a question of social justice. The managements will definitely move the Supreme Court if need be.”

To be fair to the inquisitors, who demonised the directive, Kerala policemen are no Bobbys from London. Steeped in corruption, nepotism and brutality, the state police today is a symbol of terror. Nexus with criminals, mafia dons, torture and custodial deaths are its hallmarks. And to top it all is their abject subservience to their political masters.

Kerala Educational Rules do not allow the police to enter a school. The state, through a legislation, made it clear that without the request of an institution head no police official can enter a campus.

The state home minister said that it is not possible for the police to do the job. He said the government will consult the education ministry and find a way and will consider the possibility of approaching higher courts if needed.

But this police image is conveniently used to demolish the raison d’etre of the judicial pronouncement. Education minister M.A. Baby was very circumspect when he said the state government accepts the judicial directive. He said the government was aware of the shortcomings in the Kerala Educational Rules which were being exploited by the managements.

The state government, along with the central government, is planning to introduce identity cards based on biometric parameters for children between the ages of one and 18. This, he hoped, would end the menace of duplicating students.

The High Court has done what the government would not dare to. The days of duplicating students and bogus attendance sheets are now numbered. It is no use crying foul against private unaided schools that are brimming with students. The managements and teachers should put their heads together and come out with credible alternatives to bring the students back to their folds.

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