30 August, 2015
FOOTLOOSE
By Derek Almeida
As parents, we send our children to schools because they are too hot to handle at home. The unwritten agreement between schools and parents is that schools are supposed to keep them occupied for at least six hours,which gives parents sufficient time to unwind. If the children learn something in the process, it’s a bonus.
This system ran without a hitch for decades. Then a fellow called Kapil Sibal came along and changed everything. He got rid of exams and now no one can tell what the kids are really learning. Of course the fact that kids remain in schools for six hours is still a blessing and one is glad Sibal did not get rid of that as well.
Frankly speaking, I have no problem with the no-detention policy, because as a parent I will no longer have to go for ‘open days’ and listen to the grievances aired by the teacher about my son. Why should I know what he is doing in school, that’s the school’s problem. All I am asking for is that at the end of the day he should have no energy left to fight with his brother.
The good part about the no-detention policy is that my son will get promoted no matter what the teacher thinks about his haircut or his inclination to look out of the window and count crows.
Now the teachers, headmasters and the education department have all ganged up to uproot this ‘liberating’ no-detention policy and replace it with the fear of failing, on the flimsy ground that students are not learning anything, as if what they learn in school is really important. If you want my opinion, the only significant stuff in school takes place during the sex education class. Agreed, it doesn’t prepare you for the real thing, but that hardly matters because one can always fall back on Hollywood films to fill the gaps.
Anyway, what we now have is a situation where students are least interested in learning and teachers who are under the threat of losing relevance. In the earlier system the students lived in fear of failing and now it is the teachers who live in fear of losing control. That is the sum total of this problem.
Of course there is the other issue, which is more relevant,but no one wants to talk about it. This aspect of the problem hit me when chatting with Prakash, my drinking buddy at Simon’s Bar and Restaurant. (I am of the firm belief that some of the most profound statements are made after imbibing pernicious stuff, like 60 ml of cashew feni with tonic water. Goa would have been a much better place if the state cabinet had to meet at Simon’s B&R instead of the secretariat which lacks bonhomie, loud chatter and an occasional brawl).
“The education system stands exposed,” Prakash declared. “Takeaway the fear of failing and students do not want to learn anything. Do you know what that means? It means there is nothing worthwhile to learn in school.”
I must say Prakash had a point, even though he had a fair amount of feni sloshing around in his head. “Are you saying all the stuff taught in school is worthless?”
“Don’t misquote me,” Prakash said, “I am not saying it is worthless, it’s just not relevant.”
That is the real problem. Students, by not attending class or taking school extremely lightly, have, in a way, passed a no-confidence motion on the syllabi.
“There’s only one way out of this problem,” said Prakash, “re-work the syllabi or extend the ‘no-detention’ policy to the IX standard as well.”
I am amazed at how clearly Prakash can think when drunk. Life in schools would be a lot easier if all those teachers would loosen up a little and visit Simon’s B&R more often. The headmasters, on the other hand, are a lost cause.
