Protect them from hell

I see myself giving back what I received from them, when I am dealing with little kids in my own family. I see myself being by their side, gently holding their hand and pulling them out of little difficulties, letting them indulge in funny pranks and yet being careful not to let them hurt themselves or others, being a part of their fun and being there for them 8212; a bond that goes into realms much deeper than words can explain.

And when I hear stories of the brutalities being inflicted on little kids, who look up to their teachers with adoring eyes, who wouldn8217;t think twice before correcting their parents with a 8220;Ma8217;m said you spell it like this8221;, I wonder if we should send our children to schools at all? We send the kids to school not just to learn the rudiments of knowledge.

Today, with the kind of technology that we have access to, it wouldn8217;t be difficult to impart that knowledge to them at home. We send them to school to teach them what it means to be a human being: to lose a game and yet have the courage to congratulate your opponent, to fight back for it again with all your intrinsic ability, to learn what it means to work together, to respect other8217;s opinion, to respect your elders not because they know more than you which may not always be the case but because they have given you so much of themselves: their love, caring, guidance, support and their faith, in so many ways, that your mere going away from them won8217;t break those invincible bonds. We send our children to schools to impart social and community values to them, to evolve them into responsible, sensitive and rational individuals.

And when day after day, when all you see and read are the horror stories of teachers taking out their frustrations, their anger on the kids, something begins to churn inside and the word teacher8217; begins to get associated in your mind: not with warmth and respect but with violence, even death.

Who are the teachers today in whose hands we place the future, the entire personality of our kids? In most cases, especially in the privately run schools, people with unfulfilled ambitions, girls awaiting matrimony or just interested in making a little more money for the family. They work for measly amounts, spend long hours at their job, are harassed by the money-minting school managements. All this takes it8217;s toll: on the kids. Because they are the only ones who can8217;t speak out.

I am ashamed of the kind of embarrassment that kids go through at the teachers8217; hands, slapping being a very mild example. A girl in Class IX, who failed to do her homework one day, was let off with a few slaps and this warning: 8220;If you don8217;t do your homework next time, I am going to pull off your skirt in front of the whole class.8221; The mollified girl didn8217;t have the courage to attend her school the next day. The teacher may have forgotten the incident over the next cup of tea, but that girl will never forget the statement or what it did to her self-esteem and her femininity 8212; for the rest of the life.

No sensible parent would want such a person within two feet of their child, and yet, we thrust our kids their way, day after day. For how long can we let this system perpetuate and expect to bring up kids who don8217;t believe in violence, are mannerable, respect elders and are sensitive to others8217; pain, even to our own, when what they have received for nearly eight hours a day is a subtle and not-so-subtle dance of violence, domination, anger and frustration? For how long can we damn our kids to the hell and look away? For how much longer?

The writer is working as a Sub-Editor with The Indian Express.