Our daughter has studied in the village school. She has also spent two years in the city in two different city schools, one ABC having an english medium crowd, and the other XYZ a mixed crowd of children of local shopkeepers, children of maids and some children from varied backgrounds.
She gives highest marks to her village school, a school of 30 children, and with a single teacher, Bala saar. Who with care and attention, extending to his using his own money for the childrens needs, nurtured them.
Of the upper class school ABC, and the lower class school XYZ she has a clear opinion.
In some other discussion today, "In ABC, in the school van only i would talk to the Ayyamma. The other children would actually tell me not to talk to her. I continued talking to her, she was so friendly.
But in XYZ we all were very friendly to the Ayyammas. You see, their own children also studied in our classes and were our friends.
Like in the village, Kala akka cooks the food. Kala akka is everyones akka, or chinamma."
The superciliousness and superiority 'upper class schools' builds in children is something that parents do not seem to worry about. As they continue to choose those, either for 'acedemic excellence', or for 'freedom and creativity'.
I grew up in Delhi. The schools where better off families put their children had skirts as uniform for the girls. The children also wore ties and socks and shoes, and baked in the Delhi summers. Looking silly and feeling superior. To children in government schools.
They also looked down on the schools where other children went - where the uniforms were salwar kameez, and where the children wore comfortable slippers. As they grew older, and the stereotyping grew deeper in their minds, they would call the simpler Hindi speaking college girls 'behenji types'. And anyone who spoke fluent hindi, but less fluent English was a cut below them. I suspect these prejudices have been carried through life for most.
Even the clothes we choose for our children craft their mental space in many ways ... Indian clothes make for Indian children.
We craft our children based on our priorities.
Through my school days, on the way back home daily, I used to pass poor children and ache. I use to pass a small slum and wonder about my life and theirs and the soul breaking unfairness of it all.
Later through college I lived in a campus. With good food, excellent teachers, subsidized fees, and an unspoken agreement within us that we deserved all this as taxpayer's expense. And just because we passed an enterance exam. Money which could have and should have supported poorer schools in greater need. We were leeches. With attitude.
Those years I lived and studied and played within this wonderful walled campus. The campuses, designed to keep out the 'common people', are designed to alienate. The soul.
Somehow I returned to my roots, and my country and realities and to a village. Most flew away from that ivory towered campus to greener lands abroad or into gated campuses or complexes.
I grew up in Delhi. The schools where richer children went to had skirts as uniform. The children also wore ties and socks and shoes, and baked in the summers. The children also looked down on the schools where ordinary children went - where the uniforms were salwar kameez, and where the children wore comfortable slippers. They called them 'desi'. The girls would sometimes of called 'behenjis'.
Clothes make a man (or a child). Clothes can deracinate.
Daughter, "Under Right to Education, why not put rich children in government schools, instead of poor children in Elite schools."
It is actually the answer. To many many problems. Of this land.
Agree in fact nationalization of schools on the lines of banks may not solve many problems but would definitely reduce many...
Yes, let all children have at least that leveled. It's not everything, but at least something.
Shyam Sekhar
can you imagine the uproar if that possibility were to be tabled ? The uproar from our class of privileged.
Aparna Krishnan
schools should be prepared. We don't object to same thing in US
Shyam Sekhar
it's circular. Only once we step in will we also work towards that. Stakes.
Aparna Krishnan
teachers must admit children in govt schools. Govt employees must do it too. Then we will all see the change we wish to see. When we can study in govt colleges, there needn't be stigma if schools work well.
Shyam Sekhar
teachers, government employees and we. All of us.
wise words...agree completely
Ramanan Jagannathan
how willingly would the upper class put their kids in government schools ???
they won't ( i studied in a government school ) and today's government school standards have gone down a lot and no one seems to be doing anything about it. I remember the late writer Ashokamitran mention in an interview that his kids got good education because of government schools of yesteryears.
Ramanan Jagannathan
if our children are enrolled there, things will start changing. It's called stakes.
I remember an anecdote about Russy Mody, the late boss of Tata Steel. When employees complained about the bad quality of toilets, the executives told him that it would take a month to fix. Mr. Mody said he would fix it immediately and took a carpenter and swapped the 'employee' and 'executives' board. The problem was solved immediately.
Unless we have such a drastic fix to the schooling problem, nothing much will happen.
The other way to look at the problem is to increase the standard of government schools so that no one will go in search of private schools. that to me is a better solution, but then no one seems to be able to get it back to the standards of the olden days. i dont have any solution for this. It is a wicked problem
I would just give allowance/ vouchers to any student to study where the kid wants. I know there are social aspects to this, but those need to be taken care of. I personally want a good school where kids get the education they deserve/need. if the government schools do a good job of providing the education, so be it. But the class division and other things, I again don't have a solution for that and believe that a good education will take care of that.
If all govt servants kids use the services provide them without any other options, service quality would improve. They all put in private and give worst service to poor. 90% tax payers money meant for poor are looted by them and their masters.
Pro-free-market people call that dictatorship. Is it impossible to raise the standard of public institutions without forcing people to join public institutions?!. But asking government employees to put their kids in government schools sounds fair.
Vigneshwaran Karthikeyan
it is possible to raise the standard of public institutions without forcing people to join it. In countries like Britain etc the state schools are doing a reasonable job in providing good quality free education. Adequate funding, decentralised administration, appropriate teacher pupil ratio, teachers unions, conscious public, left-wing organisations etc., have all contributed to the present standards of state education in Britain. Of course it still has scope for improvisation.
The key aspect in this is we as a society must strive to provide uniform common educational standards for every one and that can be only possible by abolishing the private education sector and having a common syllabus across. The bureacratic administration should be democratised and decentralised. So everyone has to go through the same standards of education and that will have an impact over its quality.
I think so. The well off need to have stakes and then their immense privilege and pressure will also add to the effort.
Otherwise we can see the situation.
I don't think we should force only government servants to do that. They are only a small percentage of the elites. But this gap is widening across the world and needs to be fixed. Here is a good read on this...it will be interesting to see if Labor Party will get rid of private schools if they come to power in England.
Yes agree. Why just gov servants. All of us in the privileged section are answerable.
Good article. Wonder when we will open these questions.
"told me the discrepancy between those who have access to private schools and those who don’t has created an “apartheid education system” in Britain, ... " is all to familiar to us here ...
For those who wish their progeny would join IIT, IISc, IIM ...
The more elite the college (or school) the more disconnected the students from the realities and heartaches and pulse of the land. And far greater is their sense of entitlement. And arrogance.
I have seen and studied in all kinds of places, and i have always found the ordinary places more grounded and grounding. And the students more sensitive.
This picture says many many things.
That there are far fewer slippers than children.
That they are removed before stepping inside classes.
That they are placed neatly.
That they are all well used.
These are the schools we chose for our daughter. Schools which taught so much ... Of life, living, values
In our village government school the children come early to sweep, sprinkle water anmd make a muggu/ rangoli.
As the bell rings, the children and teacher remove their slippers outside the classroom. A small prayer is said each morning before starting studies.
Before the midday meal the children sweep the floor, sit, say a small prayer, eat the simple meal of rice and a dilute dal. Then they sweep up the place and clean it.
As its a single teacher, the older children oftem are helping the younger children with their readings.
After school is done, they again sweep up the room.
... the urban school childen walking into classrooms with their shoes. Eating lunch without saying a prayer of thanks. Having servents to sweep their classrooms
... will never reach the simple dignity and rootedness of the village child.
... feel grateful our child began her student life in the village single roomed, single teacher primary school. It sets the compass for life.
"Hey, you dad's paying so much for this coaching class. You're simply wasteing you time here !"
The reply, "oh, this is less than a fourth of his monthly earnings, ha ha ha ..."
For parents who think that saving a lot of money for their children, giving them the finest opportunities, is the best thing they can do for them.
It could be the worst thing.
A certain limitation is a good thing. A certain struggle against odds is required. Only the test of fire makes fine steel.
My daughter had her public exams, and we went by bus to her centre daily. It was terminus to terminus, and we would have a nice window seat for the long one hour ride.
Pretty much every other child there had come with parents in chauffer driven cars.
There is today a class of children which has grown up in chauffer driven cars. Never travelling in public transport. Trying to get a seat in crowded buses. Standing long hours. With everyone else.
Their deracination, and disconnect from the people is complete. They will be the policy makers of tomorrow.
Daughter, " ... but they are actually happy to be termed deracinated, Amma !"
27Sanjay Maharishi, Rekha Ramu and 25 others
16 Comments
Asha KachruWe must all fight for a better public transport system.
If we all use public transport, if we all have stakes in it, it will be a common fight. Otherwise those in AC bubbles/cars, will only fight for lower car insurance rates, and lower car taxes.
I think if we all use buses we will have more ac buses and poor may have only his cycle to peddle. It's already happening with lss buses and to some extent on A/C buses. Metro is a good example may be
whichever way, our privilege stays protected ...
Aparna Krishnan
its happening around you look how many poor people wait for a non lss stop vehicle. Look where these buses stop
The bus charges today are unaffordable today. Hardly any white board buses. Scooter petrol charges are less the bus charge. The rich have it cheaper.
The poor should be given free bus passes if this was a society with any conscience. But we are a people whose conscience is dead.
I do not thing that there is any other better option to fight for a cause.
1. The redemption is only in the collective. Simple personal change is too little.
2. Each of us privileged is guilty in amassing far more than the share that nature intended for all equally. Meaningful action can only emerge when we have the spine to face that.
To simply react calling it 'judgemental' is evasion.
3. To work towards collective change, we need to share stakes with those we claim to work for. We cannot live in bubbles and work for them.
4. Exam over. the real exam is however what life gives.
Aparna, we also traveled in Public Transport with Rs 12.50 DTC pass for college, etc places....Remember??? And I would say that over the years Public Transport and other communication networking have become better indeed than what we used to have in our days but so has the population and everyone wants to have a bigger share in the meager limited resources that we possess...Population in our time used to be a curse but for marketing its a boom now...so everyone has different perspectives of life..I don't consider myself as guilty if I am using an AC car...the journey must continue Aparna happily with whatever resources that we can get but surely yes NOT at the cost of others rights over them...DONT WORRY, BE HAPPY and CHEERS!!!
After all we also got debarred from seeing Dinosaurs Aparna because our elders didn't think of protecting them...hahahahahaah...Chill kar yaar....
Yes, that 12.50 bus pass !
The indication of a prosperous economy is not all citizens owning and commuting by expensive cars but proof of a truly developed economy is when all the citizens travel by Public Transport.
Mahalakshmi ParthasarathyHave you considered that these parents might not have time to drop their children and are gravely concerned about safety / hygiene /unpredictability aspects of public transport ?
So instead of only mentioning only the chauffeur driven cars do RUE the complete failure of our delivering decent services by our elected Representatives and the public who elect them based on caste / religion / bested interests
I hope your daughter has fun writing her exams all the best to her
"Have you considered that these parents might not have time to drop their children and are gravely concerned about safety / hygiene /unpredictability aspects of public transport ? "
The parents who work as maids ? as watchmen ?What about those parents ? Their children ?
And if we wish to fight a common battle, stakes need to be shared. It cannot be done by cheering from the sides sitting in air conditioned cars.
That is, if we consider the cause of the watchman and his child as a shared cause.
Mahalakshmi ParthasarathyAparna I am only addressing the sector you raised - those dropping kids in chauffeur driven cars -
They have the means the others who are economically challenged bear the brunt
I am not disputing the Marie Antoinette legacy but tell me who will ensure safety of those kids if they start coming in bus tmrw ? Who is accountable?
We share the challenges in the land, and work towards change. There is no other way.
Which kids safety? Safety and risks are same for all children. Every child is valuable.
Srividhya GopalakrishnanTill 12th i was in government school..Government schools are typically organised as 1 school for a 4 km radius. So everyone goes there whoever lives in that locality.. We had sections from A to G or H or I ..Our experiences are a bit different
Aparna KrishnanTo grow up in a government school is to grow in a far more grounded and realistic manner. To have studied in English medium schools means one needs a lot of deschooling and relearning subsequently.
Srividhya Gopalakrishnanit gives one a lot of power and confidence to be independent and self reliant. one grows understanding the suffering the people go through., different economic background, home circumstances.. And the best thing about our school was groups would be formed with a student who can cope up with studies and another 3 children who are struggling. Everyday 9 to 10 am in the morning and 1:30 to 2 00 pm after lunch it used to called silent period.. Students used to sit in group and knowledge and learning is shared . That is the only way to survive. There may be subjects for which there are no teachers at all for the entire semester ..But we learn how to teach ourselves.
Aparna KrishnanI hope government schools are still like that. But maybe not. My husband was in Telugu medium school till 10th. But now its unthinkable. The government schools today have only poorest of poor i think.
Srividhya GopalakrishnanI guess in TN government schools are still doing good ( by and large). My mom used to be government school teacher .. until she retired i used to keep track of what is happening and the pass percentages of all the schools in and around. I would never trade the freedom and independence and joy that i got in these schools to convent education. We have such huge infrastructure in government schools which really can be used very well..
Dharam Vir Singh AhluwaliaI went to a Govt. School. After living through its effects in India I went abroad and returned back only recently. There is no better known name in academia today from all I came to know from those who went to convent schools and looked down on me because my English and my accent was, well so poor. That was despite the fact that I was a National Science Talent Scholar and winner of All India National Invention Competition award. This ailment of brown on the outside and white insides continues to mutilate our nation ... though in the young I do see a great hope...
Srividhya GopalakrishnanTill 12th i was in government school..Government schools are typically organised as 1 school for a 4 km radius. So everyone goes there whoever lives in that locality.. We had sections from A to G or H or I ..Our experiences are a bit different
Aparna KrishnanTo grow up in a government school is to grow in a far more grounded and realistic manner. To have studied in English medium schools means one needs a lot of deschooling and relearning subsequently.
Srividhya Gopalakrishnanit gives one a lot of power and confidence to be independent and self reliant. one grows understanding the suffering the people go through., different economic background, home circumstances.. And the best thing about our school was groups would be formed with a student who can cope up with studies and another 3 children who are struggling. Everyday 9 to 10 am in the morning and 1:30 to 2 00 pm after lunch it used to called silent period.. Students used to sit in group and knowledge and learning is shared . That is the only way to survive. There may be subjects for which there are no teachers at all for the entire semester ..But we learn how to teach ourselves.
Aparna KrishnanI hope government schools are still like that. But maybe not. My husband was in Telugu medium school till 10th. But now its unthinkable. The government schools today have only poorest of poor i think.
Srividhya GopalakrishnanI guess in TN government schools are still doing good ( by and large). My mom used to be government school teacher .. until she retired i used to keep track of what is happening and the pass percentages of all the schools in and around. I would never trade the freedom and independence and joy that i got in these schools to convent education. We have such huge infrastructure in government schools which really can be used very well..
Dharam Vir Singh AhluwaliaI went to a Govt. School. After living through its effects in India I went abroad and returned back only recently. There is no better known name in academia today from all I came to know from those who went to convent schools and looked down on me because my English and my accent was, well so poor. That was despite the fact that I was a National Science Talent Scholar and winner of All India National Invention Competition award. This ailment of brown on the outside and white insides continues to mutilate our nation ... though in the young I do see a great hope...
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