| | | | | named weak student. As a punishment, his hair was |
| Spare the rod and Spoil the Child | | | | pulled up and was made to stand in the classroom |
| It makes an interesting reading if we seek to | | | | while other students were asked to echo poor in |
| substitute an old saying. “Spare the rod and spoil | | | | studies and thus humiliated. There was lot of clamor |
| the child” with “No room for the Rod”. | | | | in the media. |
| Admittedly, we all have vivid memories of our school | | | | Whereas Schools have ceased to be the temples |
| days. Schools are supposed to be temples of learning | | | | of learning, the teacher too seems to have lost the |
| inculcating sense of discipline. However, the | | | | glory attributed to him in good olden days. The |
| atmosphere has vitiated from bad to worse. Personal | | | | reason for all this is in our system. It is highly |
| incident must have bruised many then and the | | | | commercialized, which has its all effects imbibed in |
| impact rattles even today. | | | | this. Today we are paying fees for a nursery |
| To emphasize the point I recall an episode in which | | | | student, which is many times more than we paid for |
| a son asks his father if he too was beaten by | | | | our post graduation. |
| grandfather. ‘Yes’ said the father .Was | | | | Obviously, every child is precious and making |
| grandfather beaten by his father? ‘Yes’, | | | | derogatory remarks, making fun of him, slapping him |
| again was the answer. Oh for how many generations | | | | reflects the mental state of the concerned teacher. |
| this ‘goondagardi ’(rowdies)in our family, | | | | Punishment should be to effect reform of the child. |
| retorted the child. | | | | To make the child aware of his deficiencies could only |
| Punishments have also seen a sea change. There is | | | | be through parents in parent teacher meetings. |
| no justification and the children are put to abuse by | | | | Parents equally are concerned and responsible to |
| the punishments that are inflicted on the small | | | | make up for the deficiency. Emphasis on coaching |
| children. Recently I saw a press report, which | | | | also does not help and coaching centres prefer to |
| narrated the punishment meted to two girl students. | | | | admit such students in their institutions who are |
| One of them was a student of class three, and was | | | | adjudged ‘brilliant’ in their regular schools. |
| ordered to be stripped in the classroom, as | | | | It is time for us to ponder and take stock of the |
| punishment, the other one, a student of class VI | | | | whole situation. The Country needs to frame an |
| inhuman punishment was shirt unbuttoned. Teacher | | | | education policy that imparts learning. The schools, |
| asked the others to shout ‘shame shame’ | | | | even the convent schools, have to shed the |
| on the hapless girls. Poor girls failed to deposit school | | | | ‘commercial’ approach to education. If this |
| fee which as been arbitrarily enhanced. | | | | happens to fail, our situation shall be akin to ‘a |
| In another instance, a student of primary class as | | | | blind man leading the pack of blinds’. |
| punished thrashed by the woman teacher and was | | | | |