I am really surprised and dejected at the state of education in our country. If knowing the fact that most schools here just aim to make money and provide substandard education was not enough, comes the news that corporal punishment is still much of a norm here.
Most of us would have read about, and already forgotten, the case of Shanno - who was beaten by her teacher so bad that she lost her life. On top of this comes the news of Akkriti, who lost her life because her school could not provide her with required medication for her asthma. If this is the state of schools in our country, then I would rather let my kids study at home rather than go out and put their lives at stake every day.
Many of us will argue that punishment is required, and I wholeheartedly agree with them. But why should punishment mean corporal? Can't we disipline our child in a different way - by making him realize his mistake, and that whenever he does one, he has to pay a price. May be the price is that he has to sit in class while the his peers enjoy a fun activity, or by making him miss something he really enjoys doing. Isn't this a better way of making a child realize that he must pay the price of any wrong he does. Or, do you want to say that we are so cowardly that we can't disipline our children except by beating the hell out of them?
My heart goes out to the two kids mentioned above, and the immunerable others who did not find mention in the newspapers. This post is dedicated to them, andto the hope that such incedents do not happen in future.
This is a pained Hashir, signing off
Over and out
P.S. - I must confess, I too had all but forgotten about these incedents. Thanks to Alok and his daughter, Reveda, for reaching out and bringing me out of my slumber. You can read about what they say about these incedents here and here
P.P.S. - I would like to request all my friends visiting this space to raise their voices against such incedents. We all need to make a stand in our own, small ways, to make a difference.
