Killing me softly with your Policies

Mr. Kapil Sibal, honourable minister for Human Resource Development has come up with a path breaking idea of abolishing the secondary level examinations in schools. In his view, students are subjected to unnecessary stress at a tender age, as all parents want their ward to succeed in such competitive examinations. The students should have the right to choose what they want to do in their life and not be forced by demanding parents.

I was watching an interview in one of the English speaking television channels where Mr. Sibal was putting his views to the audience along with principles of some renowned schools. The schools represented were all English medium and I can vouch for the fact that ninety percent of the students of these schools get dropped in their family vehicles, if not their personal one.

Mr. Sibal said that if a student is interested in music and wants to peruse music as his career then he should not be bogged down by dry subjects like geography or solid geometry (one thing I agree with the honourable minister, I never could fathom till now what we achieved by studying solid geometry). He should be like a free bird, hopping from one branch of the tree to another, before settling down on the branch of his choice and interest.

In Bangalore, where I live now, we have a lady who comes everyday and does our household work. Her husband used to work in a factory as an electrician, but the factory closed down. She was forced to pick up her current profession to support her family and also to continue her children’s education. She has got a son and a daughter and both a bright students. The girl is brighter that the boy and she ranks within the first three in her class.
Every term when results are out, Sharda, would proudly bring the report cards to show to us. That is her pride for which she is ready to do anything.
Her husband after losing his job was working in a small laundry, where he used to press clothes. For last three months he is out of job as the laundry downsized.
Last week Sharda came crying to us as she has not paid her children’s school fees for last two months and the school has threatened to throw them out – we helped her out.

Today we are here, tomorrow we may not be here, and tomorrow who will be here may be a miserly beast. Where will Sharda go? Where will she find the money to support her children’s education? Maybe we will see the older daughter helping her mother out to earn their daily bread.

This is not an incident in isolation. I do not have the privy to the right statistics but I believe that more than seventy percent of the students drop out before they reach the tenth standard. They do not leave to pursue their music career but to unravel the mystery of the solid geometry called survival.

We, who are privileged, who are educated and remains confined within the secured perimeters of our make believe world, will debate about the merits of Mr. Sibal’s policy – but when hunger knocks on your door it’s rice and salt that matters and not policy.

The right to education for all children is what we should strive for, not such hypocritical ideas of HRD minister and his lick arse“chamchas’.