MINISTER RESIGNS

BHUBANESWAR: Orissa's School and Mass Education Minister Bishnu Charan Das resigned on Friday after allegations that he directed the officials of his department to increase the marks of his son in the high school certificate exams held this year.

Das denied the charge and attributed his son's increased marks to a possible computer error. However, he was facing protests from opposition parties and various student organisations across the state for the last few days.

He submitted his resignation in the afternoon to Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik in the state secretariat here. "I have resigned on moral grounds," he said.

The resignation has been accepted, an official of the chief minister's office said.

Trouble started for Das after Debendra Chandra Mishra, a top official of the Board of Secondary Education Orissa, got a phone call from an unknown person in the first week of this month. The caller alleged that marks of several students whose parents and relatives were in top government jobs were manipulated. As an example, he gave the roll number of a student.

After investigation, officials found that the number belonged to Bijoy Shankar Das, the minister's son.

In the mark sheet, Bijoy was awarded 89 in Oriya in place of 39, 80 in English against 50, 60 in Mathematics paper-II in place of 40, 50 in Science instead of 40 and in Social Science paper II, it was 54 instead of 45.

Patnaik had earlier deputed the state's chief secretary to probe into the allegation. But he has not submitted his report yet.

ABRAHAM LINCOLN'S FAMOUS LETTER

A letter written by Abraham Lincoln to the Headmaster of a school in which his son was studying. It contains an advice, which is still relevant today for executives, workers, teachers, parents and students.
A WORD TO TEACHERS
"He will have to learn, I know, that all men are not just and are not true. But teach him if you can, the wonder of books.. but also give him quiet time to ponder the eternal mystery of birds in the sky, bees in the sun and flowers on a green hillside.
In school, teach him it is far more honorable to fall than to cheat.....
Teach to have faith in his own ideas, even if everyone tells him he is wrong.
Teach him to be gentle with gentlepeople and tough with the tough.
Try to give my son the strength not to follow the crowd when everyone getting on the bandwagon...
Teach him to listen to all men; but teach him also to filter all he hears on a screen of truth, and take only the good that comes through.
Teach him, if you can, how to laugh when he is sad... Teach him there is no shame in tears.
Teach him to scoff at cynics and to be beware of too much sweetness.. Teach him to sell his brawn and brain to highest bidders, but never to put a price on his heart and soul. Teach him to close his ears to a howling mob.. and stand and fight if thinks he is right.
Treat him gently, but do not cuddle him, because only the test of fire makes fine steel. Let him have the courage to be impatient.. Let him have the patience to be brave. Teach him always to have sublime faith in himself, because then he will have faith in humankind.
This is a big order, but see what you can do. . He is such a fine little fellow my son!
- Abraham Lincoln"