This phenomenon (education used as business commodity) sometimes suppresses the quality and the goals of education. In a country like India, we need to develop education from the bottom level, the villages, which seem struggling to overcome the business effects. How is it possible to bring better education at the bottom levels? Do we have any solution?
Mr.Sebastian K Mathew, teacher at Advanced Kids Academy, Zirapur, M.P. India.
Mr. Sebastian Mathew, I am sorry to post this reply after a long gap. Yet, I have been pondering about your query all these days.
In fact, there is no concrete solution for such social and commercial problems. As educationists, we do not and cannot promise solutions to all such problems. We are not politicians to make false promises unmindful of the outcome. All the same, this is a genuine matter for our contemplation that would make us better in attitude and approach.
I have worked in different environments – rural, urban, international, religious, orthodox, commercial, industrial et al. I have been trying to find an underlying link among all these. Priority level of all these may be quite different from one another. But I could find something common everywhere. I limit my statements only to the school level. The great concept of putting experience into the ‘tabla rasa’ is the key note here. Yes, school education adds valuable experience to the unfilled, incomplete slate. I can’t call it a clean slate for a child of 3+. At the same time, education is nothing but putting some experience into the child. A child learns more through the surroundings rather than teaching. Hence, the difference between a city child and a rural one.
As you have been querying, how can you promise similar environment to a rural child that could only be catered to a child living in New York, London, Bangalore? We must pile bricks only on what are existent. The modern commercialization does promise a child and the parent to pile certain bricks over some non-existent area/height. I hope you understand my point. So, when a child is forced to learn horse riding, use smart class, tennis, pool game, classical dance, abacus, skating, French, German etc. unmindful of the basics in a child and acceptance of the child, we tend to go astray. The business people who undertake such high profile categories, have the knack of presenting the rosy side of the picture with some select examples. One parent tells me that a child is able to do magic using abacus system and he wants this to be introduced in our school. He is not aware that the magical output is not in the system alone. It is basically inherent of the child chosen to do this feat. Even if we accept that the introduction of such a method at a sizeable cost helps the child, how many more such packages are there to pay for. Who is going to decide what is good for the school and especially for the students? This is solely left to the management that is usually bent upon vertical growth of the institution in terms of money.
This is the main reason why our ancestors fixed a pattern of learning at school. Still today no one dares to take away the basic academic subjects from the system. By introducing flashy, apparently promising areas of teaching and training at school at the cost of the aspiring and ambitious parents, we only fill the coffers of the business people.
I have come across lot of such business promoters. They choose schools as targets as it is a matter of only making MOU with the school authorities/management to push in their business and hundreds become their customers without actually convincing any of the parent or student. They spend a lot on these gimmicks and get back hundred fold. That is the reason why you decry that business has entered schools even in rural areas. There is no limit to one’s ambition. All the parents love their child to be a prodigy – if not by its capacity, at least by force and to certain extent torture. They even try to make comparison of their children at unequal platform. This puts tension into the child and the outcome is often very futile. In the process, commercialization flourishes. There are agencies who earn out of certain tall promises.
Many of them do achieve what they want and also deliver goods. How? They work out on certain Guinness record. They choose such one that doesn’t require any talent. It needs only event organization capacity, investment of large amount of money and some influence. Go through all world records and choose something that has not been done and needs only a very large crowd – say 10,000 children standing in a particular shape and sharpening their pencils! With meticulous planning, it is done and enters world record. I may sound very critical and blunt. But this is the reality. All the children and parents will be given a certificate – today certificates can be designed and printed @Rs.5/- per piece. Before long when the parents and the students realize that they were taken for a ride, the agency flies away leaving the teachers, school and real educators in the lurch. So much of time has been wasted in this useless pursuit that regular, real work is sent to the back seat.
I could go on citing examples for such commercialization. My sincere appeal to the concerned is to leave the matter to the real educationists and those who are always with the students – the teachers to decide matters. For each and every problem that arises in the school, the teacher becomes the scapegoat. It is a fashion to say that teachers are incapable, sub standard and insincere. RTE says that teachers should be retained in the school for 45 hours a week. And so promptly all the private schools follow it, but do they follow it in giving the recommended salary structure, service conditions, leave, vacation and holiday etc. to teachers? The extension of time for the teachers is convenient for the management and they just grab it and quote RTE. God, save these teachers!
To sum it up all, please live with it. As and when you get an opportunity, try not to bring in commercialisation at your level. You may not change the world. But you can contribute your lot to the society in your own way. Let us show by our own example rather than blaming others like politicians do.
All the best! Enjoy your job!
