It’s been years since I wanted to write, many
of my friends have asked me to do it many times on a genuine note. But I never
had a proper push to actually even give it a try.
Deepa, the girl whom I met today inspired me to
write. I met her in teachers’ room of Karadi Gudda Government High School in
Dharwad district. She is a dynamic young girl with a beautiful smiling face,
though she looks little older than her age. There was Kannada teacher in the
teacher’s room; I was conversing with her about different things in their
school and children. Just then the bell rang, it was time for their short
break. Four teachers were back in the room (note that 3 of the teachers are on
leave). Two of them examined me thoroughly just with their looks, got
‘Namaskara’ from the other two. My Deepa appeared again, and all the teachers
started telling one after the other “Deepa, swalpa tea madamma! Elli bega madu
nodana!!”(Deep please make some tea, let’s see how soon you can make it). I
told myself “You people have a pretty peon!”
Then it was time for Uma to engage the class.
Uma is my colleague who is allowed to engage the class for an hour in a week. I
was sitting on the last bench just to be part of the class. I see my Deepa next
to me with a beaming smile. I gestured at her asking if she belongs to the
class, she nodded with a wonderful smile again. She wasn’t in her uniform that
was the reason for my misunderstanding. Uma engaged the class for an hour, and
children wanted her to continue for half an hour more as she is an excellent
speaker and extremely good with children. She taught them a craft, spoke to
them about children's rights and couple of songs on children's rights and child
labor. They were so excited when she asked them with all her prior experience
that “in case in the future if your teachers deny me a class room, how many of
you would come and attend my class in the ground that could be before or after
your school timings?” Believe me everyone jumped up to tell her a yes. To cut
this deal with the children, our staff will have to agree with the teachers
from craft classes to any other class that they ask for.
We were back in teachers’ room to have our
lunch, which we had carried from home. All the teachers were back and started
calling for my Deepa again. Three of the teachers had got their lunch from
home, two of them have it from ‘Bisi Oota’ that government school children have
a privilege for. That is not the problem. Just because 2 teachers eat, it is no
way less for any children there. But it’s my Deepa’s job to get the teachers’
share of rice, sambar and curd. And she has to move around to everyone’s table
to serve them. Because they don’t sit together around one table. I was actually
wondering if there is Fevicol on their chairs, they all sit at their respective
tables and go on ordering – “Deepa some sambar for me”, “Can you give this
rotti to the teacher sitting on the other side of the room”, “Deepa some curd
for me”, “Ask what they want”(pointing towards us). They don’t care that she is
having her lunch too, along with this running around. On top of this, she is
made to sit on the floor to have her lunch. Has to get up everytime a request
is been placed. I was so enraged and have never felt THIS helpless in the
recent past.
That is when one of the teachers wanted to know
where I was from, as he could make out from my dialect that I was not from
Dharwad. I said I am from Hassan, been in Bangalore for last ten years. He got
so excited hearing “Bangalore”. Now he went on “You know I come to Bangalore
twice in a month spending from my own pocket to go see all the Kannada film
stars’ houses, if possible to meet them. I have met Puneeth Rajkumar and
Darshan at least 2-3times. They wave at me now even if they are in a shoot. The
English speaking culture there, I just love it. The mall culture is so great.”
Can you imagine how I felt? I don’t want to say anything about it here, it’s
upto your imagination and wisdom. I asked him why doesn’t he take a transfer to
Bangalore so that he can save a lot of money. He said his wife doesn’t allow
him to do that. She has allowed him to go to Bangalore twice in a month. Though
we carry our lunch, we have a habit of having some ‘Bisi Oota’ when we are
asked to have because that is a way of connecting with them. As it was time for
me to leave I thanked my Deepa for asking us to get rice and sambar, though we
had gently denied it and helped ourselves.
Trust me, this is not plight of Deepa in Karadi
Gudda school. There are Deepas in all the Government schools that have
insensitive teachers like them, definitely not in all the schools. But in at
least 90% of the schools. You won’t believe me, there are teachers who run
their saree business in their schools. I feel somehow we have become numb to our actions, individually and collectively.
From an emotional outburst, my thoughts about
this incident were very cliche.
· Does the teachers behave the same way with
their own children around?
· Do they get absent had their own children were
sitting in their classroom?
· As all of their children study in private
schools, if they hear that their teachers are treating them the similar way,
will they be okay about it? If no, then isn’t it wrong what you are doing in
your schools just because the children come from a lower economic background?
What are the solution for these issues.
· We telling them what they did wasn’t right. – we wouldn’t be allowed as an organization near
their compound after that. Most of the times teachers are relatives, you can
expect the same in the other schools also.
· Getting students to write an anonymous letter
to BEO/ DDPI. – this is been tried, BEO
came to the school had a meeting with the teachers. Situation has not changed.
Most of the corrupt/insensitive teachers are politically so strong that even
the officials can’t talk to them.
The only workable and practical solution that I
could think of
Community getting involved with a genuine and
sensitive concern – you being a resident of
the area for almost 5-10 years, or more than that, the school have to involve
you, it is one of their 7 rules (saptha suthragalu). You being a localite,
knowing the leaders around you ,can play a key role in improving the quality of
the schools and decision making. Just that we don’t take that first step of
walking up to the school at least once in a week. Going to government schools
on CSR programs during Independence Day or Republic Day to distribute goodies
doesn’t solve the fundamental problems we have in our Government schools. For
that you need to get involved with the children and teachers on a regular
basis.
