Devi Kar | Schools need to teach the basics, not just prepare kids for careers

The other night, a student who had passed out of my school this year was killed in a nasty road accident. Her college classmate who was at the wheel has been arrested since. He had a proper driving licence and he had not consumed alcohol: the arrest was for “the offence of culpable homicide not amounting to murder”, where the accused person has the knowledge of the consequences of his action -- in this case, rash driving. If this is established in court, he can be jailed up to 10 years.

We were all shocked and deeply saddened by this horrible incident. The inevitable discussions around the young girl’s tragic death led to some serious thought about the way we are educating, or rather, not educating our young. Parents and schools have become so career-obsessed that there is hardly any time to accommodate lessons about basic social behaviour. The school timetable is overcrowded and parents are far too preoccupied honing their children’s talents in readiness for a sparkling future. Right from the junior classes they are busy learning foreign languages, musical instruments, martial arts and all kinds of sports. In addition, they soon get busy trying to improve on their academic scores and preparing for various competitive exams. There is simply no time to think about things which do not contribute directly to their pursuit of promising careers.

Come Independence Day and Republic Day, all schoolchildren are exposed to the lofty ideals and golden dreams of the leaders of our independence movement. They learn about the freedom fighters of yore and are made to understand why our youth should be proud of Mother India and dedicate their lives to her service. But teaching children to be patriotic in this manner does not help unless they grow up to be citizens of whom their country can be proud.

What does it mean to be responsible citizens of India and indeed of the world?

For this, we need to turn to “basics” and strengthen our children’s civic sense. To begin with, they must mind their manners which is not about fine “etiquette” but about simple consideration for others. It is about following instructions and rules. Why did the hapless young man at the wheel drive at such high speed? Did he not know that there were three young people besides himself, whose lives were in his hands? Why did he think that it was all right to disregard the traffic rules just because it was very late at night? His driving licence signified that he was fit to drive -- in other words, not only were his driving skills adequate but that his knowledge of traffic rules and road safety was sound. Why is it then that this boy behaved in such a reckless and irresponsible manner?

To answer these questions, we must first introspect. We will realise that as parents and teachers we are failing to nurture our young to grow up as responsible adults. We are devoting all our waking hours towards developing individuals who will make us proud by their dazzling feats of success. In any case, why is it not possible to attempt both? A colleague stated exasperatedly the other morning: “These children talk so impressively about saving the planet and the urgency to conserve but they nonchalantly litter the school garden and even the school hall!”

We feel proud of the competitive spirit in which our children are growing up. But if you pause to observe what is actually going on, you will be deeply disturbed if you value character formation. I am afraid that many will not agree with me as they themselves fuel the flames of competition and fight tooth and nail to gain the best possible “deals” for their offspring and students who with their brilliant examination results will bring glory to their school. Every year one hears of the replication of filthy mainstream politics being played out on school campuses. Important offices of the school student body, leadership positions in sports and designations such as house captains, presidents of different societies and teams are being vied for. Apart from the headiness of leadership positions, mention of these designations enhances the weight of CVs while applying to prestigious colleges.

Sport is supposed to form character -- the seven values that sport can teach are said to be: fairness, team-building, equality, discipline, inclusion, perseverance and respect. These certainly contribute towards the qualities needed to be responsible citizens. Instead, with the fiercest of competitions between “houses” within a school and rivalry between schools outside, sports have begun to fit the famous Orwellian description of “war minus the shooting”. When did we last hear of acts of sacrifice or generosity during a tournament? In a game of cricket, a batsman has been known to “walk” even before the umpire gave his call and a fielder would declare that it was not a catch as the ball had touched the ground. No wonder that cricket used to be known as “a gentleman’s game”. But there is nothing gentlemanly about what we see in cricket these days and indeed in sport in general.

All human qualities are forgotten in the zeal and single-mindedness of what is to be attained -- never mind the means. Earlier it was “stress” that one worried about, now in addition, it is the unscrupulousness and viciousness that are rampantly demonstrated by schoolchildren to outdo their peers. Thus, we recall Carl Jung’s words of wisdom: “Sometimes, indeed there is such a discrepancy between the genius and his human qualities that one has to ask oneself whether a little less talent might not have been better.”