TO THE EDITOR:
I commend the good work The Daily Tar Heel does every day, but I was disappointed with the March 20 Daily Dose. The news item was titled “Cheating runs in the family.”
While I agree that this news draws attention to an important problem in the education and social system of Bihar, India, where more than a million students take the 10th grade exam every year, it was incorrect and inappropriate to draw the inference that cheating is an accepted practice not only in Bihar but throughout India.
Also, the news item failed to mention the consequences that those students faced. About 750 students were expelled for cheating, though this may not address the larger issue.
Bihar has a population of 100 million and has hundreds of schools. Your news seems to imply that the entire education system and the law and order machinery is pro-cheating.
Deducting inferences from one incident and then attributing them to all the parents across India is not only scientifically inaccurate, it undermines the honest and good work of millions of those students who abide by the honor code.
I hope that you will understand the essence of my comment and feel the pain of a student who has lived and studied in Bihar and is proud of upholding the honor code.
Manish Kumar
