Quantity first, Quality always
Education in Chd
It was 1995, I was in class 10th when I was told about an assignment class 10th students had to undertake. It involved teaching basic mathematics and spoken English to a kid of your maid. I was very intrigued by the idea of teaching someone as I was under the impression that everyone of my age knew way more than I did ( i was always a below avg. Student). As I embarked on this journey, a new world unfolded; forget English, even reading and writing Hindi for a 12 year old from bapu dham colony was a herculean task. His name was rajesh but he insisted we call him Raju( maybe it was convenient for him to write Raju). Initially he was hesitant to open up but as the year passed by, he started sharing his daily experiences with me. I came to know that he was enrolled in a school but there was only one teacher and one principal, so students of different age groups were clubbed. They had a syllabus but when a class 4th student is sitting with a class 8th student then whose syllabus to follow? As his basics were weak, so I started with teaching counting, with the passage of time, his interest improved and so did his understanding of numbers. At the end of the term, he was asked by our principal to tell what time is it by his watch and when he was able to give correct answer in English, My principal had a big smile on her face and for the first time in my life, my assignment was ranked best . Fast forward to the year 2019, I am a married female in late 30’s and my maid has her kids studying in govt schools( atleast one teacher per class).The kids already know how to tell correct time and they have even taught the same to their mum, So, I asked my maid if she and her kids know how to see time, why is it that she daily comes late and why is her kid with her on a weekday? To which she replied very innocently that her younger kids do not like the mid day meal given in school( which is mostly tasteless and undercooked), thus she has to prepare their breakfast and tiffin before coming, also her elder kids have stopped going to school as they are not able to grasp what the teacher says and if they ask any question, they are snubbed badly. This is that moment when I don’t know how to react, should I be happy that education in chd has come a long way since 1994, that Chd administration since then has worked on improving the quality of education provided in govt schools or should I be worried that now with the current government seems to have lost focus and even a basic necessity like food is not upto the mark. As I was lost in my deciding which side to pick, I recalled the story: Pandora’s Box, in which in the end after all the problems come out, out comes hope, I have both hope and faith in the people of Chd in choosing the right man who knows this area well and who cares for the future of Chd, who will make sure the kids get good education, kids learn not just how to see time but also know the correct value of time.
