Re-learning the alphabet

If Rouvanjit’s tragic demise is going to be a wake-up call, let’s not waste time in shrill accusations and demonisation. Instead, let us, as a society, seriously introspect about how we can make a good education system the best, writes Dev Lahiri.

The tragic suicide of La Martiniere student Rouvanjit Rawla has sparked off a nationwide debate on the supposed ills of our education system. Let me state at the very outset, that no case can be made out for corporal punishment. No matter what an individual’s views on the subject, the fact remains that it is banned by law. To enter into a debate about it is as futile as entering into a debate on whether one should stop at a red light.

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Having said that, one cannot help but feel that, largely, the media debate has missed out on some critical issues. First of all, the entire tenor of the debate seems to portray the Indian education system as being full of dark secrets, and being run by evil, fiendish administrators and teachers. This is perhaps because, to a great extent, the debate is being conducted by people who have no idea of what grassroots-level school teaching involves. There is a mistaken belief in this country that anyone who has had the benefit of a school education is, willy-nilly, also an expert on the subject.

Heads of schools will testify that every parent or alumnus is quick to offer unsolicited advice on how to run a school. This is sadly reflected in the quality of debate in the media, with TV anchors and page three columnists having a field day villifying schools and teachers. Various “experts” on education are pontificating and passing pompous judgements.

If this were indeed the case, why has there not been a public outcry so far? Does it take a tragedy for an entire system to be exposed? After all, the Indian Army, the judiciary and the medical profession all have their fair share of lapses. Do we, therefore, pillory the entire organisation? TV headlines such as “Is there something seriously wrong with our education system?” may be good for TRPs but have a negative impact on civil society. We must sit back and consider some issues. The Indian education system, despite its faults, is not a bad one. True, it is far from perfect, but then which system isn’t? Ask any inner-city London teacher and he would probably love to swap jobs with an Indian. Or ask the teacher in the US into whose classroom a student walked in and shot seven of his classmates dead.

This doesn’t mean that there’s no room for improvement. But where does the improvement begin? It begins with societal attitudes, with the way we view the teaching profession. How many of our well-heeled parents would encourage their baba-log to become school teachers? In how many homes are teachers regularly made the butt of ridicule? Children, very often, carry the same attitude with them into the classroom.

And what is the state of the average classroom? With 60 to 70 children packed in, is there any chance for the teacher to establish any kind of personal communication with a child? The miracle is that many do. With 60 or 70 homeworks to correct, tests to evaluate, projects to assess, reports to make, the teacher is also a parent with a home to look after. And I have not even touched upon the demands made by a boarding school where there are hundreds of children, with different hormonal levels, to be looked after 24x7.

It is also a given that in any modern-day society all professionals must be trained. But what about teachers? How many genuine teacher-training institutes are there in this country? How many principals receive any kind of training for the onerous responsibilities they take on? Still, we expect our teachers and principals to perform faultlessly at all times.

Look at the challenges of educating today’s children. First, the school gives out one message to the child, the parent another. If a school bans mobiles, parents immediately plant one in the child’s hands. The school insists on attendance. The parents promptly turn up with false medical certificates. Parents think nothing of allowing underage children to drive, often resulting in horrific accidents. Outside school, the child is subjected to a barrage of confusing messages — from porn, to glossy ads and ‘god’ channels. What message will the child internalise if the parents and the school speak in different languages? Add to this the pressure of getting into a decent college. So, spare a thought for the teacher who must churn out achievers, year after year.

If Rouvanjit’s tragic demise is going to be a wake-up call, let’s not waste time in shrill accusations and demonisation. Instead, let us, as a society, seriously introspect about how we can make a good education system the best. It won’t be easy, as some of our fundamental values will be challenged. But we have to decide, as a nation, whether it will be worth our while.

Dev Lahiri is Principal of Welham Boys School, Dehradun

The views expressed by the author are personal