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Written by: Fayaz Ahmad Wagay,Yaripora. (Maraz Adabi Sangum,Shopian)

Category: ARTICLES

Published: 13 December 2016

The state of educational catering, particularly up to the highschool level has been there in public debate, for a long time,  not for any achievements or sky reaching performances, but just for all the dismal reasons and under performed services, as always. Though on the front of producing any enlightened class of people, who are merited to be considered ethically educated, we all, with the prevalent systems of education, have  miserably failed to produce any  effect of that kind, yet the Govt educational institutions have even failed in producing  the mere pass outs of a comparable quality and quantity as well. This is some thing  written on the wall in bold that may not be avoided to meet the eyes for long, albeit the blind eye of a slumbered conscience.

To fix the responsibility for such an irresponsible state of affairs in education to any single factor, would be a sheer injustice to the cause of honesty, as we all have failed collectively, though some of us may have not the courage to accept this bitter truth in earliest, only to make the process of reformation a distant dream. The dispensation in office really did some doings to show its keenness in bringing reformation to the education system, but that only fetched tears to many, rather than any reformation to the system, and presumably a curse to some others as well.

The steps taken by the people at the helm of affairs, were hatched so hurriedly that none of the hatchling could save its skin from the cold wind of the petty interests, to grow and reach maturity, resulting in aggregation of demotivated people and surroundings. Clubbing of the schools which had been thought to give sufficient teaching resources to the thinly staffed schools, gave only multiple headmasters and multiple  clerks to maintain records separately, too many form teachers to take roll call of a fistful of students and too many cooks to stew the broth. The lack of proper follow up  made this probably a good and needed step to be, an episode of the famous flop show comedy of the  bygone days.

Other steps that followed the clubbing initiative like,free tuition, super fifty, evening classes, VEC melas, etc which were expected to uplift the  ailing education system of the state, proved to be not any path breaking initiatives as well. Seemingly the main issues were not felt and cognized as they were. There were no crises like that of under qualified teachers as the govt put forward by suggesting screening test of some of its ground level workers, only to put them in a pool of chaos, frustration and discouragement. The real issues were the lost credibility, reputation deficit , outdated syllabi, inefficient methodologies and above all wrong handling rather mismanagement of the resources.

The people had geneuinely every right to doubt the credibility of the govt schools on the face of existing circumstances. The way govt officials particularly of the education dept, have ensured a hundred percent exclusion of their own wards to the government schools, speaks volumes about the credibility and reputation of these schools. Encouragements for the staffers and officials of the dept, admitting their kids  in govt schools, are to be put in place, by introducing motivations in terms of posting , timetable, and what so ever way it is within the limits of a win win bartering.  Admissions of kids of the teachers in govt schools is the unsubstituted step needed to be taken even at a dearer cost, for giving a flip to the reputation of govt schools, as  people hardly hear sermons and speeches cried out by anyone, anywhere. They follow the actions and inspirations undertaken in  silence.

Sincere efforts never fail even against the toughest challenges. Why don't then, we accept the constraints as they are, to do away with them or at least to keep them checked to the maximum possible extant.  Female folk particularly the married ones, do have some issues that demand an immediate redressal, so as to let them not suffer, besides inflict inconveniences to their work and work places. The  women question has proportionated beyond the endurance of the dept and requires to be answered efficiently, along taking them on board.  Their distinctions are to be tapped, rather than their limitations are to be harnessed.

On top of  the requirements clubbing and rationalization needs to be reinterpreted to prevent it to succumb the misinterpretations of the Mrs' All Knowing lower rung talkative chairs of the dept. The move has been put to as many interpretations as the number of schools colocated. Let the schools clubbed be declared merged with out any difference between them as clubbed to and clubbed with, to create a sense of equal responsibility.

The rampant corruption and highhandedness on the part of babus and the speckies have inspired the ground workers to follow the trend of being more submissive to the dictates ,than honest to their work. Classroom has become the last activity to be conducted in a school, while the remittances, withdrawals purchases meetings and what not has taken the front seat.

The combative mode and faceless activism besides the vulnerability of being taken for a ride by any one has put a big big question on the character of the whole system. The way education dept succumbed to the dictates of police, by endorsing the night watching dictates as state policy has taken most of the community by gloom and anxiety. The 'pass on' from the muscle to the nerve  approache to win favours, adopted by the officials has hammered the motivation and compassion  of grassroot to the pulp.

The failure of any one component of the society, the helmsmen, lacking compassion, the teachers, poor in ethics, the society with its institutions polity, media and pulpet, serving commercialism, is the failure of education and none of us should therefore shrug off shoulders to work for a system  of a sound education.

Washing linen in public by the helmsmen and the subordinates is not going to help anyone but discredit the both as the holes on any of sides of the boat will sink the whole boat. Realising this fact of interdependence for survival, let the holes on either side are to be plugged before the whole boat of govt run schools becomes a past history and the the future reader sends his choicest curses to such a mean and cruel lot of people, called themselves, upholders of education.