Introspection
and assessment
Priya and Raj woke up early in the morning. Both are deeply
indulged in arranging their Degrees and other paraphernalia they will need for
this process. While Raj was busy rehearsing the way he will enter the Room and
will introduce himself in ENGLISH (apparently it matters a lot for securing a
place), Priya was busy selecting her best silk saree which can be apt for the
interview, Raj interrupted her and advised her to wear some western attire instead
as it will make good impression on the authorities.
So while reading the preface one would deduce that both are
going for their dream job interview but ridiculously you are wrong in this
guessing the goose game as both are going for their 5 years old son admission
in renowned international school. No, no not in some other country as these
days we are lucky enough to get these international schools mushrooming locally
in our country itself. Like many other parents, they too are overwhelmed with
the only thought of their kid getting enrolled in this 5star school which more
looks like a hotel or motel and the splendour of this palace looking place is
amplified by the English speaking staff
dressed in best of attire.
Recent murder of a 7year old kid in Ryan international school of
Gurugram has shuddered and shocked the whole country and especially parents who
are sending their kids to these swanky schools. No, I am not inculpating just
this school; it can happen in any school, but the whole argument is put to
introspect the mentality which is driving parents to follow this rat race of
sending their kids to Big schools (which are apparently big in their buildings
only) and falling prey to the racquet of these money fetching machines which
considers schooling as a business of making big bucks. Here are few lame
excuses parents would argue:
GIVING KIDS WHAT WE WERE DEPRIVED OF.
Recently on being asked about sending his kids to these five
star schools (These actually resemble hotels more than schools), my friend lamented
on how they were 5 siblings and father was a farmer so they went through heart
quenching compromises in life including schooling in village school and now
when he has achieved enough in life he want crème da la crème (cream of the
cream) of schools nurturing his kids as some elite creatures reflecting class
of their own kind. These are parents who are spending a fair amount from their
hard earned money and often compromise for their necessities in order to fill
the pockets of these schools. I found this sacrifice so futile and argument so
pointless. Our only responsibility as a
generation is to inculcate more scientific and noble ideas in our kids thus
making them progenies of improved generation.
SCHOOLS AS A TRADE MARK OF LIVING STANDARD IN
SOCIETY
Sharmaji ka beta waha padta hai to humara kyu nai pad sakta?
Bade school me padega to society me humara maan badega!
We often hear this jeremiad from parents, who eventually get compelled
to get the admission form of schools bragging for their grandness. Going by the fact that what is not easily
accessible is more valuable, there is prevailing craze for getting admission in
these international schools despite of those long ques and donation money
charged often. Most of the parents complain of free hike in schools or about
their money making schemes by launching various futile projects and activities
in schools which are actually irrelevant for kids of particular age groups but
they never take their wards out of these schools as more than need it is a tool
of maintain superlative position in society. These people are generally
narcissist; Education is an exhibition for them exhibiting their spectacular
opulence.
ENGLISH IS CONISDERED MORE THAN JUST A LANGUAGE:
I may be wrong but my observation tends to argue that these days
English has become more than a language, a medium to communicate. Yes it is
good and certainly beneficial if you know it because it is one language known
and used widely by people round the globe but thinking that speaking English is
a heavenly attribute that is mandatory for the successful and happy live is a
myth. Schools generally advertise in a way what a management school should do
as they promise for developing your kid in a poised manner exhibiting classy
traits but haven’t you pondered once that this is actually of no need in
schools. Developing concrete concepts of science (which can never be bounded by
any language) is more important that developing other skills as these can be
brushed up in later stages of education also.
FAILURE OF GOVERNMENT SCHOOLS AS AN IDEAL OPTION
Irony of our society is that Government jobs are considered
cream white collar and respectable but government schools are termed as places
of neglect adorned with pathetic infrastructure with lowbrow teaching staff. In
the year 2011-12, there were - 7,12,437 Primary Schools, 4,74,294
Upper Primary Schools, 1,28,321-
Secondary Schools and 84,133-Senior Secondary Schools. (http://mhrd.gov.in/sites/upload_files/mhrd/files/statistics/SSE_11-12Final.pdf) as quoted
from GOI statistics. As many as 62% of children in India attended a government
primary school in 2014, compared to 72.6% in 2007-08 – indicating a surging
preference for private schools – recent survey on education released by the
National Sample Survey Organisation (NSSO) and there is a sharp decrease in no.
of students in government aided schools in-spite of many schemes insuring food
and compulsory education and explanation goes by the government’s own admission
that schools grapple with teacher absenteeism, high dropout rates, especially
among girls, and poor teacher training so people find better learning
environment in private schools. This seems a depressing scenario but the bleak
picture is lit up by a handful of government schools across the country that
have consistently raised the bar, nurturing talent through innovative teaching,
and setting students on course for higher education in reputed institutes. The impetus
behind this conquest are the teachers and management of these exceptional
schools who along with the help of philanthropists and other institutes have redefined education and set a blueprint for
others to follow. This was recently reported by leading English daily.
These pre-eminent schools which may not have
grandeur architecture but have exceptional position are-
1. Zilla
Parishad School, Kenjal, Maharashtra
2. Bankura Zilla School, Bankura, West Bengal
3. Government
High School, Thyamagondlu, Karnataka
4. Government
Boys Higher Secondary School, Kothamangalam, Tamil Nadu
5. Government Vocational Higher Secondary School, Nadakkavu,
Kerala
6. Rüzhükhrie Government Higher Secondary School, Kohima,
Nagaland
So, if above schools can change the perception by their
progressive efforts than we can surely rebuild rest of the government schools
into ideal option replacing money making
schools being run by influential people for whom education is a business rather
than a wave of compassion which it actually should be.
THE GOAL OF EDUCATION IS THE ADVANCEMENT OF KNOWLEDGE AND THE
DISSEMINATION OF TRUTH- John f. Kennedy
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