IS JUST BUYING A PINK RIBBON ENOUGH?

The national breast cancer awareness month is an annual is an annual international health campaign organized by major breast cancer charities every October to increase awareness of the disease and to raise funds for research into its cause, prevention and cure.  In different parts of the world, national races and fund raising walks as well as whole buildings have been alit with pink light to support the campaign. Dubai itself is also organizing a walk-a-thon on Friday the 5^th of November in support of the breast cancer campaign. It is also very gratifying that our school is putting in their share by selling pink ribbons and bracelets and organizing a pink day in school. But the ultimate question is that is just buying pink ribbons enough?

“Pink washing”, which is the term given to describe the practice of products with little or no donation to the cause is seen almost everywhere. There are tones of people who sport pink ribbons on them and who take part in charity events but very few realize the actual importance of it. Furthermore, many of the donations from pink products that are sold off store shelves do not go as charity as businesses, in reality take very vague steps to support the cause or because the products aren’t listing a legitimate organization.

Breast cancer is a serious and a very common disease in women and rarely men, and their cause shouldn’t be exploited. As global citizens, we should try and make a better effort at such a worthy cause and support and make aware of such a malignancy as effectively and positively as possible.

Elections At School

The student body at a school is not made of one person or several people. It is formed in the presence of hundreds of students and a faculty of many academics. So in such a case, how is it possible, or even fair for an elite group of teachers and heads on basis of an interview to select a student council for class representatives or sports team captains? Personally, I feel that this where a student election should be conducted.

An election based on the perspective of students will definitely be more accurate and it will also benefit the students. They will be given the advantage of choosing their own leaders and it also imposes on them the importance of voting-the chance to determine a leader for themselves. It puts students in a position of power where they can bring about a change for themselves because of their own opinions. 

But however, thinking from a teacher's point of view, an interview might seem more appropriate as, after all, we are still teens, and maybe not old enough to make decisions for ourselves. While this is a valid point, we must also remember that it is through experience that we learn. Given such as opportunity to vote will decidedly make a difference in a pupil's life, teaching them to make decisions for themselves and enhancing their ability to think for themselves. 

To sum up, I go with student elections being an important part of school life. If elections can be conducted in college, then why not go a step earlier and have them in schools as well?